Our team                            

Dr Carmel Jacobs

Medical Oncologist

MBChB, FRACP

Dr Carmel Jacobs is a Medical Oncologist specialising in the treatment of genitourinary and prostate cancers.

Carmel graduated from the Otago University School of Medicine in 2001 with Distinction. She completed training in oncology in 2011 and in 2012 completed a post graduate diploma in Palliative Care and dual specialist training in Internal Medicine. Between 2013 and 2015 Carmel completed a clinical research fellowship at The Ottawa Hospital. Ontario, Canada, focusing on breast cancer, genitourinary malignancies and melanoma. Carmel has published widely in peer reviewed journals in the area of supportive care of patients with breast cancer.

Since her return to Auckland, Carmel has held a position at Auckland City Hospital as a Specialist Medical Oncologist. She is currently the Team lead for the Genitourinary Medical Oncology team. Carmel is a principal and co-investigator on a number of clinical research trials in the area of genitourinary oncology. She is an honorary clinical lecturer at Auckland University.

With her experience in palliative care and academic research, Carmel combines evidence based practice with symptom management.

Dr Reuben Broom

Medical oncologist

BHB, MBChB, FRACP

Reuben is a Medical Oncologist specialising in breast cancer.

He graduated from the University of Auckland School of Medicine in 1999 and became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2006.

Between 2006 and 2008 he completed a clinical research fellowship at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Canada where he focused on breast and renal malignancies.

Reuben returned to New Zealand in 2008 and began working as a consultant at Auckland City and North Shore Hospitals. He is also an honorary senior clinical lecturer in oncology at the University of Auckland.

Reuben is an active researcher in breast cancer. He is an investigator on multiple phase II and III clinical trials.

Although Reuben is very much engaged with the biology of cancer and drug development, he prides himself on clear communication with patients and empowering them with the knowledge to make the decisions that are right for each individual.

Dr Peter (Chee Choong) Fong

Medical Oncologist

MBBS, FRACP

Peter is a Medical Oncologist specialising in Prostate Cancer, all urological cancers, and Experimental Therapeutics (Oncology Phase I trials). He was a first-class honours graduate of the University of Queensland, Australia in 1994.

He trained in Australia and New Zealand hospitals, gaining his specialist qualifications in 2003 and locumed at Auckland Hospital. Between 2004 and 2008, he undertook a clinical research fellowship at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London in Phase I Oncology Drug Development, being an investigator in many trials. He spent 2 years in the laboratory doing post-graduate translational research on targeted agents at the Institute of Cancer Research, University of London. Thereafter he was in the Prostate Cancer Drug Trials unit.

Peter returned to Auckland Hospital in 2008 and started the medical oncology prostate cancer practice in NZ. He was the team leader in Genitourinary Cancer for over 10 years. He is involved with local and international academic alliance groups. He is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland. His interest in novel therapeutics and cancer biology means he continues to work in the early phase trials unit, ACTC (Auckland Cancer Trials Centre), an Academic Health Alliance collaboration between Auckland Hospital and the University of Auckland.

He is a principal investigator in numerous urological cancer clinical trials from Phase I to III. He has published widely in major peer-reviewed journals.

Whilst Peter focuses on evidence-based practice and discusses novel therapeutics, he tailors his discussion with patients according to their needs.

Dr Mike McCrystal

Medical Oncologist

MD, FRACP

Dr McCrystal is a specialist oncologist specialising in breast and melanoma.

He graduated from the University of Auckland School of Medicine in 1987. He then completed an MD in cancer drug development in 2000.

Mike has worked predominately in Auckland, New Zealand where he has an interest in the genetics of melanoma and breast cancers. He has worked at Auckland Hospital Department of Clinical Oncology since 1999.

Dr Osama Salih

Medical Oncologist

MBBS, DTM&H, FRACP

Dr Osama Salih is a medical oncologist with special interest in gastrointestinal, colorectal and head & neck cancers.

In his early years of training, 2004 to 2008, Osama worked for the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK before moving to settle in New Zealand in February 2008. He has worked in a number of hospitals in New Zealand before completing his medical oncology training at Auckland City Hospital and gaining the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) in 2015. Following his FRACP qualification, Osama spent a year in Australia working as an Oncology Clinical Research Fellow for the Mater Hospitals as well as a clinical lecturer for Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland. The focus of his fellowship was on gynaecological and breast malignancies but also encompassed other types of cancer such as GI, prostate and lung cancer. The fellowship was a combination of clinical work and research. The research activities included assessment and management of patients involved in small phase I to large phase III national and international clinical trials.

When back to New Zealand, Osama worked as a medical oncologist for Waikato Hospital before he accepted a full-time position at Auckland City Hospital in 2018.

Throughout his work he has been involved in a number of researches as well as teaching and training in oncology. During his oncology training, Osama was selected for the finalists of New Zealand Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) Trainee Research Award.

Osama’s focus is sharing management plan decisions with patients through providing comprehensive information about evidence-based treatment.

Dr Richard Sullivan

Medical Oncologist

MBChB, FRACP

Dr Sullivan is a Medical Oncologist with a specialist interest in lung cancer, brain tumours and mesothelioma.

Richard studied in Christchurch, Dunedin, Wellington and Auckland. He graduated from the University of Otago School of Medicine in 1994 and became a Specialist in 2004.

Richard is currently the Chief Clinical Office at Health NZ. He also holds a number of other positions including, Northern Region Alliance Cancer Lead, Co-Chair Te Aho o Te Kahu, Chair of National AYA Cancer Network and a Director at Canopy Healthcare.

He is the principal investigator on several New Zealand lung cancer research trials and also sits on numerous national cancer-related committees and boards including Auckland Northland Cancer Society and Mesothelioma Trust.

Richard focuses on improving experiences and outcomes for his patients and their families when they find themselves embarking on the cancer treatment journey.

In this episode of Canopy TV: Intimacy for women during cancer treatment, Dr Sullivan shares his perspective.

Dr Naera Waters

Medical Oncologist

MBChB, FRACP

Dr Naera Waters has trained as a generalist oncologist but has a special interest in the management and treatment of breast cancer.

Naera graduated from the University of Auckland Medical School in 2005 and trained in Medical Oncology at Auckland Hospital. In 2014 she presented research at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Scientific meeting on the validity of staging radiology in early breast cancer. She became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2016 and has subsequently commenced work as a specialist.

Naera brings to her work compassion, empathy, attention to detail and a strong focus on patient and family centred care. She also has interests in palliative care and symptom management, having spent time working in this area during her training.

Naera plans to undertake a research based fellowship with the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation in the near future as well as focussing on bringing up a young family.

Naera welcomes breast cancer referrals.

Dr Abbey Wrigley

Medical Oncologist

MBChB, FRACP, MMedSci

Dr Abbey Wrigley is a Medical Oncologist who treats a variety of cancer types, and has a particular focus on the treatment of breast, lung, and gastro-intestinal malignancies. Abbey is a practicing Medical Oncologist at Canopy Cancer Care at our Warkworth, North Shore and Epsom clinics.

She graduated from Otago University Medical School in 2006 and became a fellow of The Royal College of Physicians in 2014 after completing her advanced training in medical oncology.

In 2014 she received the inaugural NZ Breast Cancer Foundation Clinical Oncology Fellowship, supporting her research at The University of Auckland. She graduated with a Masters of Medical Science with first degree honours in 2017.

Her research thesis examined the genetic changes found in early breast cancer. Abbey is a compassionate, driven, and approachable oncologist. 

Dr Simon Fu

Medical Oncologist

MBChB, FRACP

Dr Simon Fu is a Medical Oncologist specialising in the treatment of prostate, kidney, bladder, and testicular cancers. 

Simon graduated from the University of Otago School of Medicine in 2009 and became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2018. Between 2018 and 2020 he worked as a genitourinary clinical research fellow at BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver centre, with a focus on prostate cancer translational research.

Simon returned to Auckland in 2020 as a consultant at Auckland City Hospital. He also holds an Honorary post at University of Auckland. He is an active researcher in genitourinary cancer with multiple publications in major peer reviewed journals. Simon aims to bring the latest evidence-based research into clinical practice.

Simon can offer consultation in Mandarin and Cantonese.

Dr Lauren Brown

Medical Oncologist

MBChB, FRACP, PGDipAvMed

Lauren is a Medical Oncologist specialising in breast cancer.

Lauren graduated from the University of Otago Medical School and completed her specialist training in Medical Oncology in Auckland, becoming a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2021. Lauren then spent five years working at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, a leading cancer research, education and treatment centre in Melbourne, Australia. During this time Lauren spent two years as the breast cancer clinical trials and translational research fellow.

The latter part of her time in Melbourne was spent working as a specialist Medical Oncologist in the breast team at Peter Mac as well as undertaking a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) under the supervision of internationally-renowned clinician scientist Professor Sherene Loi. Her PhD focuses on the biological underpinnings of premenopausal hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. A component of her work was selected for a prestigious oral presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in 2023 and received an ASCO Merit Award. Lauren was also awarded the Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand Belinda Scott Clinical Fellowship and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians Arnott Scholarship in Cancer Research to support her doctorate research.

Lauren has recently returned to Auckland where she is working in the breast team at Te Pūriri o Te Ora Auckland Regional Cancer and Blood Service. She looks forward to combining her strong research background with empathy and clear communication to provide evidence-based care for people with breast cancer.

Dr Richard Doocey

Clinical Haematologist

MBChB, FRCPA, FRACP

Richard is a clinical haematologist with a specialist interest in malignant haematology including lymphoma, myeloma, leukaemia and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. He is currently the Chief Medical Officer at Canopy Cancer Care.

He completed a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at Otago University and the Christchurch School of Medicine, before completing his internal medicine and postgraduate haematology training in the Auckland region.

He became a fellow of the Australasian Colleges of Physicians and Pathologists in 2003 and undertook 2 years of subspecialty training in acute leukaemia and bone marrow transplantation at Vancouver General Hospital and the British Columbia Cancer Agency.

Richard returned to Auckland in 2005 as a consultant haematologist and has been the Clinical Director of the Auckland City Hospital Haematology Service from 2009 – 2018. Richard  is now the clinical lead for the Auckland and Starship Children’s Hospital’s Stem Cell Transplant Program.

He maintains active membership of several international societies including the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, and the Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand.

Richard enjoys getting to know his patients and their families. His approachable and empathetic manner ensures that his patients and their families trust him and can ask questions as they need to.

Richard is a keen follower of all sports and an aspirational participant in running, cycling and swimming events as well as getting onto his snowboard over the winter months.

Dr Henry Ngu

Clinical Haematologist

MB ChB, FRACP

Dr Henry Ngu is a clinical haematologist with a special interest in malignant haematology including lymphoma, myeloma and leukaemia.

Henry graduated from the University of Otago, School of Medicine in 2009 and completed haematology training in the Auckland region in 2020. He became a fellow of the Australasian College of Physicians and undertook 2 years of clinical and research fellowship in lymphoma at BC Cancer, Vancouver.

Henry returned to Auckland in 2023 as consultant haematologist at Auckland City Hospital. He is a principal and co-investigator on a number of clinical trials in lymphoma and CLL.

Henry is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese. He is passionate about providing individualised care that integrates the clinical evidence and the values of the patients and their families.

Dr Eileen Merriman

Clinical Haematologist

MB ChB 2001 Otago; FRACP 2010; FRCPA 2010; Hon. Assoc. Prof. 2024; PhD 2018; BMLSc 1996; AFRACMA 2025

Eileen is a clinical haematologist and lead thrombosis clinician at Waitemata Health with a sub-specialist interest in antiphospholipid syndrome, women’s haematological issues and thrombosis. Eileen also treats a range of malignant and non-malignant haematology disorders, including lymphoma, myeloproliferative disorders and ITP.

Eileen completed a fellowship in thrombosis and haemostasis at Monash Medical Centre in 2010; the subject of her PhD was a multicentre Australasian trial on management of distal DVT. She serves on a number of international editorial boards and committees and is the past president of THANZ (Thrombosis & Haemostasis Society of Australian and New Zealand).

In addition to her medical expertise, Eileen is also an author of teen/YA books. 

Elsa Basevi

Specialist Oncology Nurse - Gastro-intestinal

Laura Clunie

Lead Pharmacist

Sam James

Specialist Oncology Nurse - Genitourinary

Bronwyn Markey

Specialist Oncology Nurse - Haematology

Sue McKelvie

Auckland Team Leader

Charlie McKenzie

Clinical Services Manager - Northern

Karen Nolan

Specialist Oncology Nurse - Brain, Head & Neck, Renal and Skin

Anna Ogilvy

Specialist Oncology Nurse - Breast

Kaveendra Krishna

Specialist Oncology Nurse - Lung

Nicola Rowlands

Pharmacy Technician

Susie O'Rourke

Clinic Assistant

Rosie Howard

Advanced Nurse Practitioner

Jazmin Snoswell

Nurse Team Lead - Auckland

Alison McGuire

Specialist Nurse - Gynaecological

Mike Hunter

Oncology Nurse

Shree Patel

Oncology Nurse

Yujin Jung

Oncology Nurse

Emma Moore

Clinical Quality and Risk Manager

Phillipa Green

General Manager

Andrea Edwards

IT, Facilities and Projects Manager

Audrey Philip

Scheduling Services Manager

Karen Whiting

Marketing Manager

Sarah Ashton

Operations Manager