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These are the excellent presentations from the Children with Cancer UK sponsored childhood cancer session organised by Professor Denis Henshaw for the 8th Princess Chulabhorn International Scientific Congress held in Thailand in November 2016.

Dr David A Walker B.Med.Sci FRCP FRCPCH

Emeritus Professor of Paediatric Oncology;
Co-Director of Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre http://www.cbtrc.org
Division of Child Health, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham

David qualified in Medicine from University of Nottingham in 1977 and went on to train in adult and paediatric medicine in UK and Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne Australia, being appointed as a Senior Lecturer in Paediatric Haematology and Oncology in Nottingham in 1990.

He led the brain tumour trials’ committees in UK and Europe and co-chaired the International Consortium of Childhood Low Grade Glioma. He helped to develop the Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre at the University of Nottingham. It celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2017. He helped initiate the Teeenage Cancer Trust (TCT) adolescent units in East Midlands Children and Young People's Cancer Service (EMCYPICS) and was a TCT Visiting Professor to Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Austalia in 2007.

He led the team to launch, in 2009, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health brain tumour diagnostic referral guideline and the HeadSmart public and professional awareness campaign, which was associated with a halving total diagnostic interval across the UK (2007-2017). This has been recently re-launched targeting the teenage age group and primary care physicians. He helped initiate the UK All Party Parliamentary Group concerned with brain tumours. This group supported the Petitions Committee report and the subsequent Parliamenary Debate in April 2016 to highlight the need for enhanced research funding, resulting in the establishment of a UK Government commissioned Task and Finish Group advising on how to accelerate research in the field.

As a member of the Societe Internationale d’Oncologie Pediatrique Europe (SIOPE) Board (2010-2014) he worked to engage his local MEP, Glenys Willmott, Co-Chair of the Health Committee in the European Parliament to become Rapporteur for the Revision of EU Clinical Trials Legislation in 2014, successfully addressing the needs of children and young people with cancer involved in trials within the new legislation. He has been involved in national campaigns to support the Access to Medical Treatments (Innovation) Act 2016 to provide legislative support for recording results of new drugs tested in individual cases. He has been involved in highlighting issues surrounding funding of new drugs for childhood cancer.

His current research programme seeks to develop methods for minimizing risk of cerebellar mutism syndrome, saving sight due to visual pathway glioma and chairing the recently launched Drug Delivery Research Consortium to enhance awareness of CNS directed drug delivery as a priority for drug development. He has published over 100 papers and is one of four international editors for "Brain and Spinal Tumours of Childhood" published Edward Arnold, London in 2004 and currently under revision for its second edition.

In his spare time, other than being with his family and his dog, he has played many sports, likes to climb Scottish mountains, having climbed 201 of 282 Munros (mountains over 3000 feet high in Scotland), he enjoys long cycle rides, having ridden the length of the UK twice by different routes and partakes in a good whisky after a long day out.