Dr Christopher McKenna | Medical Director and Executive sponsor for Cancer
Dr McKenna started his career in NHS Fife in 2011, when he was employed as one of the first consultants in Acute Medicine. He trained as an Acute Physician in the South East of Scotland and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh. He was appointed as the Clinical Director for Emergency Care within the Acute Division of NHS Fife in 2015 and has played a key role in the improvement of unscheduled care delivery within the Victoria Hospital. Dr McKenna completed the IHI Improvement Advisor training programme in 2012 and has been involved in a number of qualify and safety initiatives across the Acute Division. In 2018 Dr McKenna took part in the Leading for the Future programme and he is passionate about the development of Medical Leadership. He took up his position as Medical Director for NHS Fife in March 2019.
Gemma Couser | Associate Director for Quality and Clinical Governance
Gemma is the Associate Director for Quality and Clinical Governance. Part of her portfolio includes responsibility for Cancer Strategy, Audit and Performance. Gemma began her career in the NHS as a graduate management trainee. Over the past decade she has held senior manager posts across a variety of clinical specialties including Clinical Service Manager for the Edinburgh Cancer Centre. Gemma is committed to making a positive contribution to the population of Fife and to ensuring that healthcare professionals and patients are involved in the design of services.
Murdina MacDonald | Lead Cancer Nurse
Murdina is the Lead Cancer Nurse for NHS Fife. She trained as a cancer nurse in 1990 at the Royal Marsden Hospital (UK) and worked within Oncology in several fields: radiotherapy, SACT, supportive care, GI and urology for over a decade. As the Lead Cancer Nurse, Murdina provides forward thinking clinical and professional leadership to the tumour site cancer nursing teams and provides support, guidance and represents the broad views of nurses involved in the delivery of cancer, working collaboratively with a wide range of partner charities, cancer network teams and is a member of national nursing bodies. Murdina acts as advocate for our patients, to ensure they remain central to designing how we deliver cancer care
Kathy Nicoll | Cancer Transformation Manager
Kathy is the Cancer Transformation Manger for NHS Fife. Alongside the strategic development of the Cancer Framework, she has responsibility for the management of Cancer Waiting Times performance and the Cancer Quality Performance Indicators. Kathy chairs the national Cancer Managers’ Forum and works closely with Scottish Government with membership of various groups at a national level to support cancer services through the Early Cancer Diagnosis Programme Board, Cancer Delivery Board, Early Cancer Diagnostic Centre Oversight Group and Cancer Prehabilitation Implementation Group. She moved from Derbyshire to Fife 27 years ago, where she still lives.
Nick Haldane | Lead Cancer GP
Nick is a GP in St Andrews. Along with his GP workload he currently plays an active part in the in-patient care at St Andrews Community Hospital including medical cover to the Palliative Care beds. Nick enjoys his role as an Educational Supervisor helping to train the GPs of the future. Nick is the NHS Fife Lead GP for Cancer and Palliative Care providing a Primary Care voice within Fife and representing Fife Primary Care both regionally and nationally within the Cancer Networks. He grew up in Burntisland and was educated in Kirkcaldy. He graduated from the University of Dundee in 1999 and completed his GP training in Tayside before returning to Fife to take up a partnership in 2004. As a proud Fifer Nick is delighted to be able to contribute to this exciting work.
John Robertson | Lead Cancer Clinician for Surgery
John is a Consultant Colorectal Surgeon working at the Victoria Hospital Kirkcaldy and is the Lead Cancer Clinician for Surgery in Fife. He originally grew up and was educated in Glasgow, training there before undertaking a research degree in in cancer metastases at UCL in London. Subsequently John completed his training in the South East of Scotland rotation prior to being appointed a consultant in August 2015 in Fife. He is very keen to ensure optimal care for all cancer patients having had significant exposure in various surgical specialties throughout his training. He continues to have daily involvement with colorectal cancer patients in clinic, endoscopically and surgically and is part of the local SCAN network. John is heavily involved in teaching and is an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and has regular interactions with Surgical Colleagues in both NHS Lothian and Tayside.
If you have a question for the Cancer Leadership team you can contact them using the email address below.
Email the Cancer Leadership Team