2026

John has recently returned from a conference in Egypt organised by Professor Hisham Mehanna who was Head and neck fellow in Auckland in 2003-2004 and is now Professor of Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Birmingham, Honorary Consultant Head and Neck and Thyroid Surgeon at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, and Director of the Institute of Head and Neck Studies and Education (InHANSE). Originally Egyptian and brought up in the UAE, Hisham, who John remains close friends with, brought together an international group of experts in head and neck oncology for a meeting that took place on board a Nile River cruise ship that sailed up river from Luxor to Aswan. Prior to the cruise we explored Cairo and Giza including the Great Pyramids of Khufu and Khafre and spent time at the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum. The meetings wre on the boat as we cruised the Nile which was a spectacular setting. We also visited Temples in Luxor, Kom Ombo, Aswan and Abu Simbel. It was a fabulous experience and I have great memories of this tour. I am now back at work and have been flat out. Last week I operated on 11 patients most with thyroid and parathyroid disease and head and neck cancers. This week is also busy and I have 4 operating lists and am performing 5 thyroidectomies, 2 neck dissections , 2 parathyroidectomies, a deep lobe parotidectomy and excision of a recurrent scalp sarcoma.

Pyramids of Giza