Our People

We are unique.

The Benignancy Group is uniquely positioned to transition innovative research discoveries into real-world, patient-centric clinical application.

We leverage a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team across ENT surgery, cancer immunology and pharmacology with clinical, academic and international standing and networks. This includes access to world-leading resources at our associated NSW hospitals, clinics and Australian academic institutions.

Professor Thomas Havas

FOUNDER
Professor Havas is an eminent, Australian-based ear, nose, throat, head, and neck (ENT) surgeon. He is Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at Prince of Wales Hospital and has a professorial appointment at the University of New South Wales. He also chairs the Prince of Wales Hospital Head and Neck Research Group and is Executive Chairman of the Head and Neck Cancer Foundation. Professor Havas has an extensive research record with numerous publications, textbook chapters, and textbooks. He has designed numerous instruments, predominantly in the area of micro laryngeal and laser surgery, that are manufactured and sold worldwide.
Richard Gelski

DIRECTOR
A University medallist in law from Sydney University and a Masters graduate from The University of London, Richard Gelski has over 40 years’ experience in the areas of taxation, corporate and commercial law.
He has advised Australian & foreign companies throughout his professional career. He has advised multinational companies in negotiations for Advance Pricing Agreements, he has advised on preparations for Senate Committee hearings and he has acted on transfer pricing reviews and audits. He has particular experience in corporate structuring, cross-border investment, mergers and acquisitions, and property trust structures. Richard has also advised on a wide variety of capital raisings by groups in the tourism industry, banking industry, retail, and manufacturing. He has also created and acts for a number of public and private charitable foundations and sits on the board of directors of a number of funds.
Dr Connor O'Meara

DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH 2022/2023
Albert Einstein once said ‘the important thing is to never stop questioning’ and in our quest to create, investigate, improve, develop and provide patients with the best cancer treatment possible- it is my motto.  
I am a Surgeon Scientist who firmly believes in the importance of identifying new ways to treat disease processes- from immune system recruitment to kill cancer cells to minimally invasive strategies to repair tissues.
I am the first ever Post-Doctoral Fellow in Translational Medicine to be appointed to the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Cancer at Prince of Wales Hospital.
Our work at Benignancy is about ‘paradigm shift’- to identify future science and horizon technologies, recognise their potential/benefit to patients and the community and translate them into clinical practice.
We are socially aware and recognise the importance of reducing the environmental footprint of medical treatment, the necessity to deliver optimal care to those less fortunate and that financial resources are finite.
We look forward to sharing our discoveries with you on our quest to improve medical therapy for our community.
Dr Vinh Nguyen

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
Dr Vinh Nguyen studied industrial chemistry at University of New South Wales (B. Eng. Honours 1st) between 2002-2005. He then undertook his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the Australian National University (Canberra), specializing in the development of new methodologies for application in natural product synthesis and the design and synthesis of enormous synthetic host molecules for drug-delivery modeling. After graduating in 2010, he came to Germany to work on the development of new sustainable chemical processes at RWTH Aachen University under the auspices of an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship.
In 2013, he moved to Curtin University (Perth, Australia) to start his own independent research laboratory. In 2015, he moved back to his alma mater to the School of Chemistry, UNSW (Sydney) where he is now an Associate Professor and the leader of a strong, dynamic research team. He has held two prestigious research fellowships from the Australian Research Council: Discovery Early Career Research Award (2015-2018) and Future Fellowship (2019-present).
His current research interests are advanced functional organic materials, environmentally friendly chemistry, synthesis of naturally occurring and bioactive compounds, and medicinal chemistry. Dr Nguyen is keen to translate fundamental chemistry knowledge pioneered by his research activities into medicinal and medical applications and finds the work at Benignancy an exciting opportunity to do so.
Dr Levon Khachigian

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD 2022/2023
Dr Levon Khachigian is Professor in Medicine at the University of New South Wales where he heads the Vascular Biology and Translational Research Laboratory in the Faculty of Medicine and Health. Levon is a vascular cell and molecular biologist whose research has centered on understanding mechanisms underpinning the inducible expression of disease-causing genes in our blood vessels. Levon graduated with a PhD in cell biology and molecular medicine from Prince of Wales Hospital & UNSW in 1993. As NHMRC CJ Martin and Fulbright Fellow, he trained in vascular pathobiology at Harvard Medical School where he was appointed Instructor then returned to the UNSW Centre for Vascular Research in 1996 and established an independent research group. Levon has held appointments as NHMRC RD Wright Fellow, NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow and NHMRC Australia Fellow. He obtained a DSc from UNSW, was appointed Full Professor in 2004 and CVR Director in 2009.

As a translational researcher, Levon has pioneered the development of novel strategies targeting key immediate-early genes in a variety of experimental vascular proliferative disorders. He successfully directed the bench-to-bedside transition of novel drugs through first-in-human, first-in-class clinical trials. He has published over 250 research articles and invited reviews (>15,000 citations), including key mechanistic and translational papers in Nature, Science, Lancet, Science Translational Medicine, Science Advances, Nature Medicine, Nature Biotechnology, and Cancer Cell. He is inventor on several granted patents, has out-licensed IP to industry, and has a Masters in IP Law. He is a member of the Faculty of 1000 (Drug Discovery & Design) and sits on the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance’s Drug Discovery and Translation Flagship Advisory Panel. His team’s innovative work has been recognized by a number of awards including the Commonwealth Health Minister's Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research, GlaxoSmithKline Australia Award for Research Excellence, Gottschalk Award from the Australian Academy of Science, 3 Eureka Prizes (for Scientific Research, Medical Research, and International Scientific Collaboration), Australian Vascular Biology Society Distinguished Lecturer Award and First Prize in the Khwarizmi International Award for Science and Technology.

Levon has led science policy and grants peer review having served as Chair of Program Grant review panels for NHMRC and Cancer Council and represented basic science on NHMRC’s Evaluation and Working Outcomes Committee. He currently chairs the Scientific Advisory Council of Heart Research Australia. Levon also has a strong record of service to national and international scientific societies and has been at the helm of numerous conferences in vascular biology, drug design, and discovery, and interdisciplinary health and medical research, including the International Vascular Biology Meeting, Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Australian Health and Medical Research Congress and National Scientific Meetings of the Australian Vascular Biology Society. Levon is former President of the Australian Vascular Biology Society and former President of the Australian Society of Medical Research where he led a landmark campaign that led to >$900M in new funding for health and medical research.
Emeritus Professor Christopher Parish 2021-2023

Emeritus Professor Christopher Parish (BAgrSci, PhD, FTSE, FAHMS, FNAI) is an immunologist and cancer biologist with a research career spanning over 50 years. Chris has published over 350 peer-reviewed articles attracting over 14,000 citations. He has published key papers in journals such as Nature, Nat Rev Immunol, Nature Medicine, Nature Comm, and Immunity. Chris is the leader of the Cancer and Vascular Biology Group at the Australian National University’s John Curtin School of Medical Research. He is recognised as a world leader in how the immune system is regulated and the role of complex carbohydrates in immune cell and cancer cell behaviour.
Chris has developed several carbohydrate-based drugs that inhibit inflammation, cancer spread, and new blood vessel growth. He is also a highly experienced translational researcher having brought new drugs to clinical trials with the support of Australian biotech including Progen and Lipotek. Chris has developed a targeted liposomal vaccine, Lipovaxin, for patients with metastatic cutaneous melanoma. His discoveries have generated 32 patent families underpinning 6 separate Australian biotech companies, with three co-founded by him (Biotron, Lipotek, Beta Therapeutics).
He has received numerous awards in recognition of his scientific achievements. In 2005, he was awarded the Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Medal for Excellence in Biomedical Research. Chris has been elected a Fellow of three learned science academies, ATSE, AAHMS, and in 2018 the prestigious US-based National Academy of Inventors (NAI). In 2014, he received the Canberra Citizen of the Year Award.
Dr Bala Umashankar

POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHER 2022/2023
Our latest post-doctoral researcher to join the team, Dr Bala Umashankar has been awarded his first post-doctoral position working with Professor Levon in collaboration with the University of New South Wales. His focus is the development of bio meshes.
John Marinos

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
John Marinos is a tax manager at Ernst & Young with 30 years of commercial and professional experience. In the past 20 years, he has worked as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in a range of industries including financial and ICT services as well as software development. John is a licensed business broker with a Diploma of Financial Planning, Bachelor of Economics (UNSW), Masters of Tax (Sydney Uni Law School), CPA, ICAA, and FTIA. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling and playing tennis.
Dr. Adrian Cohen

REGULATORY ADVISOR
Dr. Adrian Cohen is the founder of Headsafe and the developer of the Neurochek system.
A former academic at the University of Sydney, he has over 30 years of practical expertise in rescue and emergency services in Australia and abroad.
Over the last decade he has piloted studies into brain injury assessment with a focus on EEG testing, impact sensors and biomarkers as well as visual, balance and neurocognitive testing, culminating in the development of Neurochek, an innovative, portable, objective and affordable brain assessment device.
Dr. Cohen is an accomplished international author, speaker and consultant, working on and off the sporting field as well as in front of and behind the cameras for TV shows and movies. He continues to work with sports and team clinicians and to run a Not For Profit charity called Neurosafe, dedicated to the elimination of preventable head and neck injuries through education, awareness, advocacy and research.