Learn More About the Australasian Brachytherapy Group
Our mission is to advance high-quality brachytherapy care by supporting education, research, collaboration, advocacy and the sharing of clinical expertise. We connect clinicians, physicists, radiation therapists, nurses, trainees, researchers and industry partners to strengthen practice, improve patient care and sustain the future of brachytherapy in our region.
For more than 30 years, the ABG has played a central role in bringing this community together.
Meet Our Executive Committee
Read below to learn more about the Executive Committee of the Australasian Brachytherapy Group. We work to support the education and research of brachytherapists in Australia and New Zealand, while advocating for brachytherapy services and maintaining links with industry partners.
Joel Poder
Chair
chair@abg.org.au
Dr. Joel Poder is a senior radiation oncology medical physicist working at St George Hospital Cancer Care Centre in Sydney. Joel has extensive experience in multiple forms of brachytherapy including LDR brachytherapy in his 10 years of medical physics practice. He has previously completed a PhD with the Centre for Medical Radiation Physics, University of Wollongong where he developed an innovative system forend-to-end quality assurance and in-vivo source tracking of HDR brachytherapy treatments of the prostate. Joel is also a long standing member of the Australasian Brachytherapy Group executive committee and has published more than 30 articles in peer reviewed journals covering a range of brachytherapy topics.
Jennifer Chard
Vice Chair
Dr Jennifer Chard is a radiation oncologist with subspecialty expertise in paediatric, adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology, brachytherapy and gynaecological oncology. After completing her Radiation Oncology training in Sydney she moved to London to undertake the Windeyer Fellowship in brachytherapy at Mt Vernon Cancer Centre in 2010-11. The was followed by a second fellowship in AYA oncology in 2012 at Westmead Hospital, Sydney. Jennifer combined these skills to develop a paediatric brachytherapy program as a collaboration between the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre, Westmead. In 2023 she joined as a senior staff specialist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and has introduced a paediatric brachytherapy program at the Parkville campus.
Gemma Busuttil
Treasurer & Public Officer
treasurer@abg.org.au
Gemma is a Radiation Therapist Specialist with 19 years experience working in the Western Sydney Local Health District. Her clinical expertise in gynaecological radiation therapy and brachytherapy. She is a member of the ASMIRT brachytherapy reference group and has been Treasurer of the Australasian Brachytherapy Group since 2022. She has contributed to the organisation of several ABG conferences and workshops. Gemma is currently enrolled in a Master of Philosophy research degree with the University of Sydney investigating the impact of bone marrow dose on haematological toxicities in gynaecological cancer patients treated with extended-field radiation therapy.
Sylvia Hanna
Secretary
secretary@abg.org.au
Sylvia Hanna is the Senior Lead Brachytherapy RT at the Olivia Newton John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre, Austin Health in Melbourne. With over 10 years of experience in brachytherapy, she leads the MRI-guided adaptive gynaecological brachytherapy program and has pioneered and published an in-house credentialing program for radiation therapists training in brachytherapy.
Angelo Katsilis
Website Manager
info@abg.org.au
Angelo is a Radiation Therapist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Angelo has been a Radiation Therapist since 2000 and has worked in Brachytherapy since 2006. He has experience with HDR and LDR Prostate Brachytherapy, Intracavitary and Interstitial Gynae HDR, Skin Surface HDR, and Intraluminal HDR Brachy.
Benjamin Hindson
General Committee Member
David Chang
General Committee Member
Ryan Brown
General Committee Member
Emma Sullivan
General Committee Member