FACULTY

Convenor

Alex Hockings

His clinical interests are in pelvic cancers and complex abdominal surgery. His dual surgical and urological training has enabled him to conduct complex and technically demanding open operations. He routinely conducts multi-specialty complex operations/reconstructions of the genito-urinary tract involving other specialties viz. Colo-rectal, Sarcoma, Orthopaedics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics on patients referred within and outside regional networks. He single handedly provided RPLND service for over a decade in the Midlands. He is a champion in promoting and learning from individual surgical outcomes.

His PhD was on prostate cancer gene and immunotherapy. His academic interests are in molecular markers for bladder cancer and informatics. He is extensively published with >130 peer reviewed articles. He is Chief Investigator, Grant holder and Principal investigator on several prostate and bladder cancer trials and research. He leads an informatics team exploring disease and outcome trends involving large datasets with particular interests in centralisation. This led him to be an integral member on the working group in developing the NCIP/GIRFT Urology outcomes portal. He is the theme lead in Clinical Research and Epidemiology for UoB: Bladder Cancer Research Centre. In addition, he supervises several academic research fellows. 

He was the Clinical Director of Urology between 2019 – 2022. He facilitated the merger of four hospitals into a large urology unit involving significant re-structure and reconfiguration for provision of services, 9 consultant appointments, management of the pandemic and recovery. He also led and developed the Robotic surgery program for the Trust. 

His international profile includes panelist and Chair on Bladder Cancer for European Urology Meetings over several years, Member of the Scientific Evaluation Committee for Translational Cancer Research at the French National Cancer Institute, and Frontiers Guest Associate Editor in Genitourinary Oncology.

Invited Guest Presenters 

Tim is a medical oncologist with specialty interests of lung, breast, genitourinary cancers (prostate, kidney, bladder and testis) and colorectal cancers.He graduated from University of Western Australia with Honours and undertook basic physician training at Royal Perth Hospital. He undertook his specialist training at University Hospital Geelong and St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne.Tim completed a doctoral thesis on lung cancer pathology through the University of Melbourne and possess a Doctor of Medical Science (DMedSc).In addition to clinical practice he enjoys advancing cancer care through clinical trials of new therapies and supportive care interventions like exercise. He is also active teaching junior doctors, nurses and allied health staff. He is the Co-Chair of the Bendat Respiratory Research and Development Fund in conjunction with Prof Eli Gabbay.

Dr Renu Eapen is a Consultant Urologist who privately consults at Cancer Specialists.  Dr Eapen also consults and operates at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.Renu has a special interest in the surgical and non-surgical management of prostate cancer, as well as kidney and bladder cancers. She is trained in open, laparoscopic and robotic approaches to cancer surgery. She is also trained in the treatment of benign conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and kidney stones. Additionally, she has an interest in the treatment of voiding dysfunction in men and women and subspecialty training in performing urodynamic studies and various procedures for female urinary incontinence as well as male slings and the insertion of artificial urinary sphincters.

Dr Tiong is a highly experienced radiation oncologist based at Icon Midland and Icon Rockingham. After completing her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) at the University of New South Wales, Dr Tiong established her oncology career at Singapore’s National Cancer Centre and National University Hospital in 2009.  She returned to NSW to continue specialist training in radiation oncology at Liverpool Hospital in Sydney and The Canberra Hospital and was awarded fellowship to the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (FRANZCR) in 2015.  She then undertook a specialist fellowship at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Canada, where she further perfected her skills.Dr Tiong has training in advanced techniques including stereotactic radiation therapy (SRS/SABR) with intrafraction tracking, MRI simulation, and image guided radiation therapy (IGRT). She was instrumental in progressing the availability of these techniques for patients attending Icon Cancer Centre Midland and Rockingham.