We are 5 volunteers who are passionate about tackling Mouth Cancer and getting people talking about this disease. Founded whilst working in Edinburgh, soon our ideas came together to evolve into the public facing charity we have today. Read more about each of us below!

We are delighted that ex-international Scottish rugby player Scott Hastings is our patron. Click here to read more about him, and how he became involved with Let’s Talk About Mouth Cancer.

We couldn’t do any of our work without the support of our many volunteers! Thank you!

About Our Trustees

Convenor: Niall McGoldrick, BDS, MFDS, MDPH, FDS(DPH) RCPS(Glasg)
Specialty Registrar in Dental Public Health, South East Scotland
Tattersall Clinical Research Fellow, University of Dundee

Niall holds the position of convenor and is one of our founding trustees. Niall graduated from the School of Dentistry, University of Dundee in 2013. He has completed foundation and core training in a range of dental specialities including General Dental Practice, Paediatric Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Surgery, Restorative Dentistry and Community Dentistry. Niall’s final year of core training was spent working with the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme in Dundee as the first Dental Core Trainee in Quality Improvement and Clinical Practice.

He is now a Specialty Registrar in Dental Public Health with NHS Fife and works throughout the East of Scotland. He is a Fellow (Dental Public Health) by examination of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Niall has recently completed a Masters of Dental Public Health at the University of Dundee, graduating with distinction.

In 2020 he was awarded a scholarship at the University of Dundee to undertake a period of research (PhD) focused on developing to role of mouth self examination in detecting oral cancer.

With an interest in global health and humanitarian work, Niall has led expeditions to the Peruvian Amazon to provide a dental service to deprived communities and continues to support this work. In 2017, Niall was awarded the Young Achiever Award by NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government as part of the Scottish Health Awards.

Niall’s main interest in oral cancer surrounds early detection and prevention of the disease.

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Treasurer: Ewan C MacKessack-Leitch, BDS (Hons), MFDS RCPS (Glasg)
General Dental Practitioner, Bridge of Earn

Ewan is one of the founding Trustees and currently Treasurer of LTAMC. He graduated from Dundee Dental School in 2011. After completing VT in Perthshire he undertook further CT training in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and Community Dental Service within Fife; the Edinburgh Dental Institute; and Dundee Dental Hospital; before moving to work in general practice. Most of his week is spent as an associate GDP in Bridge of Earn but on Wednesdays he works at Dundee Dental Hospital & School as a Specialty Dentist/Honorary Clinical Teacher in Paediatrics.

Always busy, Ewan is the former Treasurer of BDA Dundee & Perth District Section and when not at work or volunteering with LTAMC can be found regularly training & playing rugby for Perthshire RFC.

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Secretary: Stephanie Sammut, BChD, MFDS, M Clin Dent, M Oral Surg, FDS(Oral Surgery)
Consultant Oral Surgeon, Dundee Dental Hospital

Stephanie graduated in dentistry from the University of Malta in 2005. She moved to Edinburgh in 2008 to undertake postgraduate training. In 2010 she began her specialist training in Oral Surgery. She now works as a Consultant Oral Surgeon at Dundee Dental Hospital and school, where she is the specialty lead for the department. She is heavily involved in teaching of undergraduate dental students and postgraduate trainees. Her research interests are in the genetic predisposition to medication related osteonecrosis of the jaw and the epidemiology of this same disease. She is a trustee and secretary of Lets Talk About Mouth Cancer.

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Patient Champion: Barbara Boyd
Mouth Cancer Survivor

Barbara, a retired PE teacher, is a mouth cancer survivor. She had never heard of it until 2019 when she was diagnosed with tongue cancer. Thankfully it was caught early and her treatment was successful though required significant surgery and rehabilitation. Since then, Barbara has been working tirelessly as our patient champion to raise awareness of the disease and also to raise funds for the charity. Barbara is a force to be reckoned with, and we are very lucky and happy to have her on board as she became a Trustee in 2020.

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Trustee: Professor Victor Lopes, BSc (Hons), PhD, MB ChB, BDS (Hons) FRCS (Gen) FRCS (OMFS)
Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon, Edinburgh Dental Institute

Victor trained as a head and neck oncology surgeon and was amongst the first in the UK to undertake interface training in head and neck surgical oncology. He also undertook formal academic and research training leading to the completion of a PhD in molecular oncology within the setting of a CRUK research institute and sponsored by an MRC research training fellowship.

Victor was appointed in Edinburgh in 2007 and whilst practicing as an academic surgeon held a senior management role within the NHS for nearly five years as Associate Medical director until he was awarded a chair by the University of Edinburgh in 2013. He now heads a translational research group. Victor’s research is focussed on improving outcomes for patients with mouth cancer by developing biomarkers of disease and by using modern molecular methods to stratify disease and develop new therapeutic targets.

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About Our Honorary Members

Honorary Member: Orna Ni Choileain BDS(Hons), MFDS RCSEd
Medical Student, Trinity College Dublin

Orna is one of the founding trustees of the charity and despite stepping down in 2022 remains a member supporting the actions of LTAMC. Orna graduated with honours from University College Cork Dental School and Hospital in 2013. Following graduation she moved to Scotland to take up a post in Longitudinal Dental Foundation Training in the South East. She later returned to Ireland in 2016 to begin her medical training in Trinity College Dublin. 

Orna continues to work with the LTAMC board of trustees and has also been invited to join the Mouth Head and Neck Cancer Network of Ireland following links made at the Global Oral Cancer Forum.

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Honorary Student Campaign Co-ordinator: Mairi Whiston BDS
Vocational Dental Practitioner, Edinburgh

Biography coming soon…

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Honorary International Projects Lead: Susan Khader Ibrahim BDS MSc
Research & Policy Officer for Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness, University of Oxford

Susan works as a Research and Policy officer within the University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute. Before transitioning to global public health, she trained as a dentist and worked in multiple cities across Scotland. Having always had an interest in the prevention of disease, particularly oral cancer, Susan decided to conduct a health initiative raising awareness for oral cancer in the West Bank, Palestine. This initiative was heavily supported by LTAMC and multiple Palestinian institutions. After gaining international exposure, Susan was keen to better her understanding in global public health and completed her MSc in International health and Tropical Medicine in 2021. Susan now helps run the global virtual clinics, an initiative that brings together dental students from the University of Dundee (UK) and Al-Quds University (Palestine) to participate in educational sessions online. She hopes this initiative will grow and include dental students from all over the world with the ambition to promote global oral health, enhance dental education, and boost global networking.

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Our digital media advisor Andrew Hannah provides essential support for our online platforms and teaching events.