The College has announced that Dr Ana Poveda, Professor StJohn Crean and Dr Sadiq Mawji will be the speakers at its upcoming symposium on the diagnosis, treatment and management of oral cancer.
Dr Poveda is a Clinical Lecturer, Honorary Consultant and the Academic Lead in Oral Medicine at the University of Birmingham School of Dentistry. She graduated in dentistry from the University of Barcelona in 2002, obtained her MSc in Oral Medicine from University College London in 2007, and holds the Fellowship in Oral Medicine of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FDS[OM]), having passed the Intercollegiate Specialty Fellowship Examination (ISFE) in Oral Medicine in 2016. She is an experienced teacher and tutor in Oral Medicine at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, regularly lecturing in the UK and Spain. She is also a regular speaker at conferences, acts as a peer reviewer in her specialty and has published numerous papers in peer-reviewed journals.
Her lecture will provide a systematic approach to assessing for intraoral soft tissue lesions; revise the nomenclature used when describing soft tissue pathology when referring to secondary care; and enable attendees to provide differential diagnoses for potentially malignant lesions and to describe what features make them concerning.
Professor Crean is the former Dean of the School of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education (later the College of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences), and now Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, at the University of Central Lancashire. He is also an Honorary Consultant in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust; Editor-in-Chief of the Faculty Dental Journal, and the Robert Bradlaw Advisor, at the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England; an MFDS examiner for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow; and a non-executive director at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Focussing on the diagnosis and treatment of oral cancer, he will cover its epidemiology, presentation and prognosis (including of HPV-positive squamous cell carcinoma); the pathology of cancer and TNM staging; and treatment modalities for oral cancer (comparing radiotherapy and surgery and their implications).
Dr Mawji is a Specialist Registrar (ST5) in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, currently based at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust. He graduated in dentistry in 2012 and completed Foundation Dental Training and three years of Dental Core Training before obtaining a Medical Degree from the University of Birmingham in 2019. He then completed the Foundation Programme and Basic Surgical Training before progressing into Higher Surgical Training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He achieved Membership of the Joint Dental Faculties (MJDF) in 2014 and Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) in 2021. His experience encompasses head and neck oncological surgery, maxillofacial trauma, orthognathic and skin surgery.
His session will describe the maxillofacial surgery pathway and his personal career journey; offer tips and tricks for managing a cancer patient on a ward; and cover considerations for patient management immediately after surgery (tracheostomies, flaps, ITU and fluid maintenance).
The annual symposium, organised by CGDent Midlands, will take place in Birmingham on Friday 11 July 2025 from 9am to 4.30pm, with registration from 8am. Pitched at early career dentists, it is open to all dental professionals (in all team roles and at all career stages). Six hours of verifiable CPD, a three-course lunch and refreshments are all included in the attendance fee of £160 (reduced to £120 for College members).
Places are limited so early booking is advised. For further information, visit our events pages.
