Clinical Associate Dean - St Vincent's Clinical School

Allan Spigelman

Allan took up the Chair of Surgery, UNSW St Vincent’s Clinical School and Director Cancer Services, SV&MHS in February 2006 and the Head of School role (Clinical Associate Dean) in February 2007. Prior to this he occupied the Chair of Surgery at University of Newcastle, NSW from 1997. Whilst in the Hunter he established Australia’s first Clinical Governance Unit in 1999 where several patient safety policies were developed that have been adopted across NSW and nationally. Allan was a member of the Area Health Service Executive. Was also Area Director of Cancer Services. He established the first regional service for people with hereditary cancer - the Hunter Family Cancer Service - in 1997. There are now 2,000 families enrolled. He has chaired NSW & ACT Hereditary Cancer Registers Advisory Committee since 1997. Allan co-ordinated the conduct of the first ever national review of colorectal cancer care in 2000.

Initially trained in Sydney, he obtained the FRACS in 1984 and went to the UK in 1985. There he conducted research into hereditary cancer at St Mark’s Hospital, London from 1989-1990, establishing an eponymous classification system for the severity of duodenal polyposis in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. He also established new day surgery services and one-stop Breast Service at St Mary’s Hospital, London (1994), initiatives awarded with Hewlet Packard prize for innovation. Allan’s ongoing research interests include patient safety and genetic and environmental influences in cancer development and treatment. He is a member of the NSW Medical Board (representing the Universities of NSW) and was voted by international peers onto governing Council of the International Society for Gastointesinal Hereditary Tumours (InSiGHT). He acts as a referee for 22 journals, is on the editorial board of 3 journals and has authored more than 100 peer reviewed publications.