Auckland Radiation Oncology (ARO) has had a new General Manager start this month. Aimee Bourke joins ARO after 17 years at Southern Cross.

Chair of the Board, Dr Andrew Wong, said, “She brings a combination of strong communication and commercial experience, and has excellent leadership and stakeholder management capabilities. “Her most recent role was Head of Provider Business Development at Southern Cross Health Society. This background was particularly appealing, with two major ARO initiatives in the pipeline.”

The first, is new state of the art technology not available before in New Zealand; the Accuray CyberKnife. More accurate than traditional radiation therapy systems, the Cyberknife can deliver radiation with unparalleled precision, minimising damage to surrounding healthy structures and organs. “This new technology will mean patients require fewer days of treatment, will experience a reduction in side effects, will be able to return faster to their everyday life and of course ensure the best long-term outcomes,” says Dr Wong.

The second initiative is the introduction of a new facility on the North Shore, Auckland. With a growing population, there is an increasing need to provide patients north of the Harbour Bridge easier access to the treatment and care they need. A business case was scoped to proceed in 2019 and subsequently put on hold due to COVID-19. Dr Wong says, “We are now relooking at this. The plans for what this facility looks liked are in development and as it progresses, we look forward to providing regular updates.”