This course has been written by the following authors:
Debbie Victor RGN, BSc(Hons), PGCE
Uro-Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist
Royal Cornwall Hospital, United Kingdom
Debbie completed her nurse training as an RGN at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge in 1990, but moved back to Cornwall the same year. She started urology nursing at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in 1991 and has worked in this speciality ever since. Initially rising up through the ranks on the ward, during which time she completed a Diploma in Urological Nursing. She then became a Clinical Nurse Specialist in urological malignancies in 2004 and completed her BSc(Hons) in Health Studies (Specialist Cancer Nursing) in 2006. Since then she has also completed her PGCE and is a qualified non-medical prescriber.
Debbie has looked after people affected by renal cancer in both surgical and oncology settings, so has significant involvement with patients at all stages of their renal cancer pathway.
She is a committee member of the British Association of Urology Nurses (BAUN) section of oncology, helping to organise study days and conferences to improve nurses’ knowledge of urological malignancies. She was a member of a BAUN working party that produced guidelines for the Nurse Led Management of Prostate Cancer in 2008 and is also a reviewer for patient literature provided by the Prostate Cancer Charity. As part of her work Debbie is involved in the teaching of GPs, junior doctors and nurses.
Sharon Deveson Kell BSc, PhD, MBA
Former Medical Publications Officer
James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer
After gaining a first class degree in Physiology and Biochemistry from Reading University in 1987, Sharon stayed in academia and studied for a doctorate in reproductive endocrinology, followed by some post-doctoral research on circadian rhythm biology and shift-working at the University of Surrey. During her academic career, Sharon wrote numerous publications and abstracts and gave various presentations at symposia throughout Europe.
Sharon has over 15 years’ pharmaceutical industry experience, and has held a variety of roles in drug development, marketing, and general management. During Sharon’s early career in the pharmaceutical industry she had the opportunity to teach a module on a nurse training programme which formed part of a master’s degree. She has project managed global clinical trials of new chemical entities (NCEs) and biological therapies for the treatment of chronic diseases, such as asthma, Alzheimer’s disease and glaucoma, and has a good understanding of the drug development process. This involved a good proportion of medical writing, in particular the writing of clinical study protocols and reports. During her pharmaceutical career, Sharon was involved with writing and implementing training programmes for clinical researchers and project managers.
Sharon’s previous role as Medical Publications Officer with the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer involved writing factsheets and booklets for renal cancer patients, reporting on renal cancer and government conferences, and writing appeals to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for access to new renal cancer drugs.
Lucy Powell RGN, DipHE, MSc
Uro-oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist
Colchester Hospital University Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
Lucy Powell trained in Colchester in 1994, and has worked in many specialities including Urology. She was a Stoma Care Nurse for 3 years, before returning home to Urology as a Uro-oncology CNS, to set up the service for Colchester Hospital University Foundation Trust.
In her 11 years in post she has been very active nationally – leading the development of a national guideline in to the follow up of men with stable prostate cancer, presenting internationally on this subject, working closely on informed decision making projects and working as a committee member of the BAUN section of oncology , as well as completing her MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice (Uro-oncology).
Angela Wilcox RGN, BSc(Hons)
Angela is a Macmillan Urology Clinical Nurse Specialist in a large District General Hospital, leading and managing a team of four Clinical Nurse Specialists. She has worked in urology for over 20 years, initialling at ward level. In 1999 she took up a post as a Prostate Cancer research nurse at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, and remained there until 2006, developing her role into that of Clinical Nurse Specialist in prostate cancer, with a research interest.
In 2006, having completed a BSc (Hons) in Health Studies, she moved to her current post which has a broader and more clinically based focus. She has been involved in Peer review, acts as a Peer Reviewer, is a member of the British Association of Urology Nurses Oncology Committee and is currently acting as Nurse Advisor in the setting up by the North East London Cancer Network of a Walk-in health clinic for Men of Black and Ethnic Minority cultures in East London.