Our medical committee

Reena is the clinical director of surgical pathology, Waitemata District Health Board. Reena graduated from the University of Natal Medical School as a Fellow of the College of Pathologists (South Africa). In 1996 she immigrated to New Zealand and, since her arrival, has been an intrinsic part of the New Zealand breast cancer specialist medical field. Reena has contributed to the BreastScreen Advisory Group, Auckland Breast Cancer Study Group, BreastScreen Limited (Auckland Central) and the NZ Society of Cytology. In 2013 she was appointed a member of the NZ Order of Merit in recognition of her services as a histocytopathologist.

Maria trained at the University of Otago’s Medical School and currently works as a consultant radiation oncologist at both Auckland City Hospital and Auckland Radiation Oncology. She has been a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists and has completed a Clinical Fellowship at the Toronto Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre in Canada.

Claire began studying medicine in Edinburgh and qualified as a consultant clinical oncologist in 2007. She immigrated to New Zealand to begin working as a radiation oncologist in Palmerston North and has since become heavily involved in New Zealand Medicine. She has professional links to the NZ Breast Cancer Special Interest Group, the NZ Breast Cancer Tumour Standards Working Group, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists and Massey University.

Reuben graduated from the University of Auckland Medical School in 1999. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and has completed a Clinical Research Fellowship at Princess Margaret Hospital in Canada. Reuben consults and treats at Auckland City and North Shore Hospitals as well as Canopy Care Centre. He is also an honorary senior lecturer in oncology at the University of Auckland.

Marion completed her oncology training in The Netherlands, at the Nijmegen University Medical Centre and qualified as a medical oncologist in 2002. She immigrated to New Zealand in 2005 and has been working as a consultant medical oncologist at Waikato District Health since, where she is the clinical director of the medical oncology service. Marion is an active member of Breast Cancer Trials Group Australia and New Zealand, including membership of their Scientific Advisory Committee. She is an active member of the Academic Breast Cancer Steering Group and is an honorary senior lecturer in medicine at the University of Auckland. Marion is the lead clinical investigator for the ABCcpro service, a service offered to patients with advanced breast cancer to improve symptom management and quality of life.

Richard completed his surgical training in Auckland then undertook fellowship positions at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (Sydney) and the Mayo Clinic (USA). Over the last 10 years he has developed the breast clinic at North Shore Hospital and treated over 1000 women with breast cancer in the public and private sectors. He is also the lead surgeon for BreastScreen Waitemata Northland and an active member of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons’ Breast Section.

Eletha did her medical degree at the University of Auckland and completed her surgical training in New Zealand. That was followed by a fellowship in oncoplastic breast surgery at Royal Perth Hospital, under the supervision of top surgeon Christobel Saunders. Eletha also completed fellowships at the Melanoma Institute of Australia, and back here in Auckland City Hospital. She is now head of the breast surgery unit at Auckland City Hospital.

Paul graduated from the University of Otago in 1999, completing his fellowship in 2009, before training in breast, endocrine and melanoma surgery at Auckland’s North Shore Hospital. He has been working as a consultant general surgeon in Invercargill, in both public and private practice, since 2010. He has special interests in breast (includes oncoplastic techniques), endocrine, melanoma, laparoscopic hernia surgery and endoscopic procedures. He is a senior clinical lecturer with the University of Otago, and sits on multiple charitable and private hospital clinical committees, National Training committee for General Surgery, and with the National Breast Cancer Register.

Meredith holds a consultant plastic surgeon position at Middlemore Hospital. She is one of only a handful of female plastic surgeons in New Zealand, and the only one in private practice in Auckland and Gisborne. She is fully New Zealand trained and covers all aspects of breast reconstructive options in the private sector.

Peter graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1994 and completed his surgical training in New Zealand before undertaking an oncoplastic breast fellowship at the Edinburgh Breast Unit. He has been the lead breast surgeon at Tauranga Hospital and the Bay of Plenty breast screening program since 2006. Peter is an executive council director of the Australasian Society for Breast Disease and is on the teaching faculty for the BreastSurgANZ oncoplastic courses. He enjoys teaching and is an honorary clinical lecturer with the University of Auckland.

Monica completed her radiology training in the US at the University of Wisconsin and an additional fellowship in women’s imaging from the University of Washington. She has over 10 years of patient care experience and was the chairman of the cancer committee and chief of breast imaging at Santa Fe imaging / Christus St Vincent hospital in the southwestern US from 2008 to 2016. In 2015, she became a medical advisor for GE Healthcare and consultant for Proscan Imaging, as well as research advisor for World Care Clinical. By 2016, she was appointed medical director of automated breast ultrasound systems, GE healthcare. Globally, she worked on early detection of breast cancer, breast cancer research, and international physician education for breast imaging technologies.

Monica and her family relocated to New Zealand in 2017. Monica works as the lead radiologist at Hutt Valley District Health Board in Wellington where she evaluates patients. She is the medical advisor for Volpara Health Technologies, where she implements hands-on expertise in research and product development.

Dr Heather has worked at Southseas Healthcare Otara South Auckland for over 10 years and holds medical qualifications from the University of Auckland and University of Otago. Maryann has worked around New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, American Samoa and China. Her main specialty is primary care, where her focus and commitment are in health equity, Pacific health teaching and research. Maryann is a member of the Royal NZ College of General Practitioners, a member of Pacific GP Network, on the Advisory Board for the Goodfellow Unit, Pharmac Medicines Equity in Primary Care Advisory Group and in addition to being a Senior Lecturer in Pacific Health at University of Auckland, she is also a GP Teacher.