After many years of loyal service on our Board of Trustees, Radiotherapy UK is delighted to welcome Dr Clive Harmer as an ambassador for the charity.
Dr Harmer’s professional life has been devoted to cancer treatment and radiotherapy.
He graduated in medicine in the 1960s and after a brief stint in paediatrics, trained in radiotherapy and never looked back. Dr Harmer worked full time at the Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Trust as a Consultant Clinical Oncologist and spent ten years as Chief of Radiotherapy Services at both the London and Sutton branches.
Speaking on advancements in radiotherapy over the last twenty years, Dr Harmer said:
“We have seen a lot of implementations of applied physics, and we have some very sophisticated treatments now, which is phenomenal. We’re doing things we wouldn’t have dreamed of doing when I was practicing: six or seven weeks of treatment has been reduced to two or less in many cases, which is good news for patients.”
Dr Harmer’s passion for teaching the next generation took him around the world, and one of his students, Professor Pat Price, is our Chair and co-founder of the #CatchUpWithCancer campaign. In the early 2000s he became Trustee for Action Radiotherapy, which then evolved to become Radiotherapy UK.
After supporting the charity to grow, Dr Harmer says he is now looking forward to raising awareness as an ambassador.
He said:
“I want to add to the enthusiasm and dynamism of the charity and support the campaign for ending staff shortages and investing in the upkeep of modern machinery. I think Radiotherapy UK is doing a wonderful job and I just want them to keep going!”
Now retired, Dr Harmer continues to enjoy world travel with his wife, Ann, who was group therapy superintendent radiographer at the Royal Marsden for many years.
Dr Harmer said:
“I’ve been totally immersed in radiotherapy for most of my life, and I hope as an ambassador I can continue to raise awareness of this treatment for the benefit of cancer patients in the UK.”
Dr Harmer is co-editor of Practical Management of Thyroid Cancer, 3rd edition 2024 and has over 200 peer-reviewed publications. He is also patron of the Butterfly Thyroid Cancer Trust, council member of the Medical Society of London and life-member of the European Thyroid Association. He has lectured in Europe, Barbados and Vietnam.
