Governance
Te Rēhita Mate Ūtaetae - Breast Cancer Foundation National Register, is governed by The Breast Cancer Foundation NZ Board of Trustees and the Clinical Advisory Group provides clinical oversight.
Members are all leaders in their fields, dedicated to improving outcomes and standards of care for New Zealand breast cancer patients by maximising the value of Te Rēhita. They dedicate their time and expertise voluntarily, and Te Rēhita Mate Ūtaetae, the Breast Cancer Foundation National Register, owes its continuing existence to the commitment of these hard-working individuals.
The Members operate under the guiding principles of the Trust purpose, the Privacy Act 1993 and the Treaty of Waitangi.
Te Rēhita Mate Ūtaetae - Breast Cancer Foundation National Register, is governed by The Breast Cancer Foundation NZ Board of Trustees and the Clinical Advisory Group provides clinical oversight.
Clinical Advisory Group (CAG)
Te Rēhita Mate Ūtaetae, the Breast Cancer Foundation National Register, Clinical Advisory Group includes representatives from the following specialties:
| Breast Surgery | Chair Medical Advisory Committee (BCFNZ) |
| Breast Pathology | Scientific Representative |
| Medical Oncology | Consumer Representative |
| Data Managers | Māori Representative |
| Breast Physician | Pasifika Representative |
| Epidemiology | Funding Representative (BCFNZ) |
Medical Oncology: Dr Abbey Wrigley
Chair of the Clinical Advisory Group (CAG) for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.
Dr Abbey Wrigley is a medical oncologist working at Te Toka Tumai, Auckland with a special interest in the treatment of breast cancers. Abbey completed her advanced training in oncology at Auckland City Hospital and a Masters of Medical Science with first degree honours through the University of Auckland. Abbey has also published research using National Register data measuring the rates of contralateral breast cancer in our New Zealand population, and documenting the use of prophylactic mastectomy surgery.
Breast Physician: Dr Alison Foster
Alison works as a breast physician in the Nelson Marlborough area and was previously a GP in Seatoun, Wellington, and is the deputy chair of the Clinical Advisory Group (CAG) for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ. Alison is also a member of the Wellington Regional Breast Cancer Study Group.
Alison has been a member of the CAG since May 2017. Alison particularly enjoys the multidisciplinary nature of her work, and liaises with the primary care community regarding updates in breast cancer.
Dr Reena Ramasaroop
Reena is a specialist histocytopathologist at Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand - Waitemata. 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, Breast Screen 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. Reena is chair of the Medical Advisory Committee for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.
Breast Surgery: Dr Alex Brown
Dr Brown is an Oncoplastic Breast and Specialist General Surgeon practicing at Wellington Regional Hospital, The Breast Centre at Bowen Hospital, Wakefield Hospital and Southern Cross Hospital. He completed his surgical training in the UK, including studying at the Oncoplastic Breast Units in Exeter, Taunton and Truro, before moving to Sydney to complete a two year Fellowship at Westmead Breast Cancer Institute. During this fellowship he perfected his skills and developed the expertise required to offer patients the very best care.
Breast Pathology: Dr Gavin Harris
Gavin is a specialist pathologist at Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand - Waitaha Canterbury, and was the previous Chair of the Clinical Advisory Group (CAG).
Scientific Representative: Dr Annette Lasham
Annette is a senior research fellow in the Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology at the University of Auckland. She obtained her PhD at the University of Cambridge and then came to New Zealand to work at the country's first biotechnology company, Genesis R&D. In 2009 she returned to academia to work at the University of Auckland.
Annette works in the fast-paced field of cancer genomics, with clinicians, data scientists and statisticians, using genomic, systems biology and bioinformatic methods to better understand breast cancer. Her work is predominantly aimed towards identifying new biomarkers and new drug targets for breast cancer. She is also a member of the CellBank Australia Scientific Advisory Board.
Medical Oncology: Dr Courtney Macdonald
Dr Courtney Macdonald trained as a medical oncologist in Wellington and Melbourne, Australia. She undertook a clinical fellowship at the Peter MacCallum cancer centre in breast and gynaecological cancer in 2020. During her time in Melbourne she completed a Master of Philosophy (Health Sciences MDHS) in breast cancer prevention through the University of Melbourne.
Courtney works as a medical oncologist at the Wellington Blood and Cancer Centre. She is actively involved in clinical research and is a member of the Australasian Breast Cancer Trials group. Her interests include breast and gynaecological cancers with a particular interest in the hereditary cancer risk and survivorship.
Epidemiology: Dr Sandar Tin Tin
Dr Sandar Tin Tin is a cancer epidemiologist at the University of Oxford. She has a medical background and a broad interest in theoretical, methodological and applied aspects of epidemiological research, particularly including the design and conduct of longitudinal studies, health data linkage, pooling and analyses of large datasets and systematic reviews.
Sandar has led a number of epidemiological research projects in the area of breast cancer; her New Zealand-based projects examined breast cancer care and outcomes, focusing on equity, whereas her current work at the University of Oxford investigates lifestyle factors, biomarkers and cancer risk.
Consumer Representative: Robin Houlker
Robin Houlker is a project manager, people connector, facilitator and coach. She is an experienced advocate for leadership, youth and education.
Pacific Representative: Position Open
Māori Representative: Lisa Te Paiho
Lisa Te Paiho (Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto) has over 30 years of experience in the cancer sector. Her current role is the Programme Manager for BreastScreen Aotearoa. Previously Lisa was a Pae Ora Programme Manager with Te Aka Whai Ora in their Public and Population Health Team working across cancer screening programmes. Before this she was the Tumu Kaitokeke ai me Kaitikanga rua with a cancer focus, which was an inaugural equity partnership role at MidCentral DHB between the Māori Health Directorate, and the Cancer Treatment, Screening and Support Cluster. In this role Lisa was able to create transformative change across cancer treatment and screening services in the MidCentral district, with a focus on equity gains for Māori across the cancer pathway. This included membership of the MidCentral Māori Research Review Committee, and the MidCentral Clinical Trials Research Governance Group. Lisa also has experience as a member and co-chair of the Health Research Council Public Health Assessing committees.
Lisa is a Radiation Therapist with senior leadership experience, is a member of Hei Āhuru Mōwai, the Māori Cancer Leadership Group. Lisa’s goal for her mahi is to advocate for whānau voice, support Māori Hauora partners, and create system change that will remove barriers for Māori and Pacific and other under-served groups to achieve equity in breast screening, and to achieve equity in cancer outcomes including mortality.
Ethics: Tim Dare
Tim Dare is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Auckland.
He worked briefly as a lawyer before doing his PhD in the philosophy of law and starting his academic career in the early 1990s.
His publications include books and articles on the philosophy of law, legal ethics, immunisation programmes, ethics and anaesthesia, the significance of judicial disagreement, parental rights and medical decisions, the proper allocation of the burden of proof, and the use of predictive analytics in child protection.
He is employed by New Zealand’s Ministry of Social Development to provide data ethics advice and to develop privacy, human rights, and ethical review processes for proposed uses of client data. He has provided ethical reviews of a number of predictive risk modelling tools in New Zealand and the US.
He sits on a number of local and national research and clinical ethics committees, and has developed and delivered ethics modules to a range of professions, including lawyers, health professionals, valuers, and the insurance industry.
Data Manager: Jaya Bose
Jaya is the Data Manager for Breast Cancer Foundation National Register - Southern Region, based at Christchurch Hospital, Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand - Waitaha Canterbury. She is also CAG Secretary.
Funding Representative (BCFNZ): Vanessa Sorenson
Vanessa Sorenson is the chief executive of Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.
She leads the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ operations and revenue generating initiatives. Through fundraising and mobilising wide supporter networks, the foundation enables the ongoing funding of medical research, support and development; services and programmes for public education and awareness; and advocacy and community outreach programme delivery for women with breast cancer.