
A/Prof. Puma Sundaresan
BSc (Hons), MBBS, FRANZCR, PhD, Radiation Oncologist
Languages spoken
English
Overview
Special interest in H&N and rectal, skin, lymphoma, head and neck cancer, health services research especially access to radiation therapy treatment
Associate Professor Puma Sundaresan completed her medical training at Flinders University in Adelaide, specialist training in radiation oncology at Westmead and Nepean Hospitals in Sydney and Postgraduate Fellowship in intracranial stereotactic radiosurgery at Sydney Radiosurgery, Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital, Sydney in 2009. She was awarded a PhD (University of Sydney) in 2016. Puma worked as the Deputy Director of Radiation Oncology at the Central Coast Cancer Centre and returned to Western Sydney in 2014 to join the Sydney West Radiation Oncology Network (Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals in NSW) where she currently works as a Senior Staff Specialist. She has been providing private consultation service at Norwest Private hospital with private radiation therapy services at Genesiscare Macquarie University Hospital and Norwest.
Puma is an elected Director on the Board of the Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG), current Chair of the Board of Directors of Head and Neck Cancer Australia which aims to provide advocacy and support for those affected by Head and neck cancer and is a Council Member of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia. She has served on the scientific committee of TROG (2014 – 2022), Cancer Symptom Trials Group, Management Advisory Board (2018 – 2022) and the Radiation Oncology Research Committee of the RANZCR from 2016 – 2019. She is actively involved with education, assessment, and research supervision (honours and PhD) of students at University of Sydney where she has clinical academic appointment. As a supervisor of training, she is responsible for teaching, mentorship, and supervision of radiation oncology RANZCR specialist trainees. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology and reviewer for multiple international peer reviewed journals. She has convened and presented at various national / international conferences and has authored over 50 peer reviewed journal manuscripts, multiple book chapters and several International, National and local departmental guidelines.
- Inaugural Dean’s Fellow in Radiation Oncology at University of Sydney in 2011
- RANZCR Withers & Peters Fellowship Prize 2012
- European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QOL Fellowship (2011)
- Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Grant 2011
- NHMRC PhD scholarship (2012)
- RANZCR
- TROG
- COSA
- ASTRO
- ESTRO
- Ability of radiation therapists to accurately detect mask anxiety in people with head and neck cancer
- A web-based comprehensive head and neck cancer patient education and support needs program: Usability testing
- Patient-reported anxiety and depression measures for use in Indian head and neck cancer populations: a psychometric evaluation
- The role of patient-reported outcome measures in the continuum of cancer clinical care: ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline
- Trajectory of Anxiety Related to Radiation Therapy Mask Immobilization and Treatment Delivery in Head and Neck Cancer and Radiation Therapists’ Ability to Detect This Anxiety
- Click here to see more of Dr Puma’s publications