Dr Andrew Dean
WA Medical Oncology
Our team
Meet our specialist medical & support staff.
The team at WAMO is made up of oncologists, nurse practitioner and our dedicated reception staff. We pride ourselves on the level on service, compassion and care we provide to all of our patients whilst on the cancer treatment journey.
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You can read more about the clinical team below.
PRACTICE PRINCIPAL / MEDICAL ONCOLOGIST
​Areas of Interest
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Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer
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Gynaecological Cancer
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Lung Cancer
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Palliative Care
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Memberships
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American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
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Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA)
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Royal Australian College of Physicians (RACP)
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Australian Medical Association (AMA)
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Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG)
DR ANDREW DEAN
Qualifications
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Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery - MBChB MRCP (UK)
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Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians - FRACP
Andrew trained initially in Liverpool in the UK and obtained his membership of the College of Physicians (UK) in 1998. After immigrating to Australia, he continued his training in internal medicine and palliative care at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, becoming a fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians in 1993. On returning to Perth, Andrew established the palliative care service at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (SCGH) and St John of God Hospital (SJOG) Subiaco, and was appointed professor of palliative medicine by Edith Cowan University.
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In 2001, having recognised a gap in healthcare information, Andrew established a quality health information website, www.myvmc.com, as a resource for patients, their families and allied health professionals. Together with a host of IT initiative awards, his efforts were recognized by the 2004 Prime Minister’s Award for excellence in community business partnerships for Western Australia. Through this website, Andrew was able to sponsor a scholarship for two medical students to attend a cancer elective in Lund (Sweden) for a number of years.
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Driven by his passion to help patients with life-threatening illnesses, Andrew furthered his training in medical oncology and began working full-time as a medical oncologist in 2006, initially at SCGH and SJOG. He is currently the head of the Department of Medical Oncology at SJOG Subiaco and, at Genesis CancerCare at Shenton House in Joondalup, provides patients in Perth’s northern suburbs access to care closer to home.
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While providing treatment across all adult solid tumours, Andrew’s key areas of interest are upper gastrointestinal and gynaecological tumours. He has published articles on symptom control, novel therapies for ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer and the molecular profiling of solid tumours. He regularly participates in international clinical trials and continues to be a major contributor to pancreatic, lung and ovarian cancer studies.
Oncology is a challenging, rapidly evolving speciality. I aim to bring the latest advances to my patients as quickly as possible, to enable them to achieve the best possible results from treatment.
MEDICAL ONCOLOGIST
​Areas of Interest
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Gynaecological Cancer
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Breast cancer
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Memberships
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American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
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Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA)
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Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG)
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European Society for Medical Oncology
DR MARTIN BUCK
Qualifications
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Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, University of Western Australia, 1978
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Fellowship in the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, 1984​
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Fellowship in Medical Oncology, Mayo Foundation, Minnesota, 1986
Dr Martin Buck is a Western Australian graduate and began residency at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in 1978. After completing physician training, he undertook specialist training in medical oncology in Perth, Sydney and at the Mayo Clinic in the United States. Returning from overseas he was appointed as a sessional medical oncologist at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in 1986, and still holds this position.
Dr Buck is currently the senior medical oncologist to the Western Australian Gynaecology Oncology Service based at King Edward Memorial Hospital and specialises in gynaecological oncology in both the public and private sector. He holds hospital appointments at Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital, St John of God Hospital Subiaco and ICON Cancer care Midland.
MEDICAL ONCOLOGIST
DR MIHITHA ARIYAPPERUMA
Qualifications
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Bachelor of Medicine / Bachelor of Surgery, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2003
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AMC Certificate, Australian Medical Council, Australia, 2008
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Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Adult Medicine Division, Australia, 2016
Areas of Interest
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Gastro-intestinal cancer
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Lung cancer
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Prostate cancer
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Memberships
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Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA)
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European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO)
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Australasian Gastrointestinal Trials Group (AGITG)
Dr Ariyapperuma (Ari) is a medical oncologist who has completed medical oncology training through NSW and WA hospitals. He completed his medical degree with Honours in clinical sciences and undertook residency at Newham University Hospital in the United Kingdom. Ari’s clinical interests include gastro-intestinal cancers and lung cancers.
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He has a keen interest in clinical research and currently also works as a clinical research fellow at Linear Research and as a member of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Clinical Drug Trials Committee. He is a member of Medical Oncology Group of Australia, European Society of medical oncology and Australasian gastrointestinal trials group. He is also passionate about improving understanding of oncological management and palliative care in third world countries.
MEDICAL ONCOLOGY NURSE PRACTITIONER
Areas of Interest
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Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer
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Acute Oncology and Toxicity management pathways
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Onco-Dermatology​
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Memberships
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Cancer Nurse Practitioner Specialist Practice Network (CNSA)
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Cancer Nurses Society of Australia National
Communication Committee member
JOHN McKENNA
Qualifications
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Degree of Bachelor of Nursing with Honours, The University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, 2004
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Master of Science in Clinical Health Care Practice (Hons), Oxford Brooks University, United Kingdom, 2014
John started his nursing career in the José Carreras Bone marrow Transplant Unit, Liverpool UK in 2004. After 3 years in bone marrow transplant and haematology, John moved to Oxford and was involved in the opening of the Oxford Cancer and Haematology centre.
He embarked in his Clinical healthcare practice Masters in 2010 and became the clinical lead and advanced nurse practitioner for a new UK Cancer and haematology rapid access helpline and assessment clinic based in Oxford. Through this time, John has developed a keen interest in advanced symptom and toxicity management and has developed a broad prescribing formulary.
John emigrated to Perth Australia in July 2015 and was integral in the commissioning of the new Cancer and Haematology service at St John Of God Midland Public and Private Hospital. In January 2018, he joined WA Medical Oncology as Medical Oncology Nurse Practitioner for Dr Andrew Dean. John and Andrew continue to work collaboratively in the care of cancer patients undergoing a range of treatments including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted biological therapies and clinical trials. John has completed further education in the management of treatment induced skin toxicities and continues to promote the role of nurse practitioners in cancer care development.
