Dr. Colin Dicks
MBChB, MMed ( Radiation Oncology), FRANZCR, MBA, Diploma in Palliative Medicine, MSc (Palliative Medicine)
Colin wears many hats and on a given day he will either be treating skin cancer as a radiation oncologist at Just Skin Treatment Clinics, or he will be at ICON Cancer centre, Maroochydore caring for patients who have had radiation under his care.
Outside of radiation oncology, Colin is a strong advocate for death education.
“We need to have these conversations before illness sets in so that we are not defensive about dying, but rather empowered about living”.
Colin is the founder of dyingtounderstand. This is a charity to promote death education and although it is in its infancy, it has the potential to change the conversation around dying and end-of-life planning.
When Colin is not working, he enjoys spending time with his family on his property on the Sunshine Coast. There is always something to do and between catching up with friends, being involved at church, pottering around in the garden, swimming laps or relaxing at the beach, Colin will be planning his next project.
Personal life
Involved at church, interested in pottering around the garden, swimming laps and relaxing at the beach.
Education
MBChB, MMed ( Radiation Oncology), FRANZCR, MBA, Diploma in Palliative Medicine, MSc (Palliative Medicine)
Publications
Death, Dying & Donuts (2022)
About Dying: How to live in the face of death (2014)
Education
Colin matriculated at St. Stithians College, Johannesburg in 1982. He started a BSc at the University of the Witwatersrand with the hope of gaining entry into medical school and in 1983, he was successful in obtaining a place to study medicine at the University of Pretoria. He graduated in 1990 and after internship and compulsory military service spend a year working in Hull, (UK). It was here that he was exposed to Oncology.
Colin returned to South Africa to start training in general medicine, but he discovered radiation. He qualified as a specialist radiation oncologist in 1998 and in 1999 he and his family moved to New Zealand for a 2-year adventure that lasted for almost 5 years. During this time Colin completed his FRANZCR qualification as well as a diploma in Palliative medicine (Cardiff University).
After a short period back in South Africa, Colin and his family migrated to the Sunshine Coast of Australia where he now lives and works. He completed an MBA in 2010 and was a founding partner of Oceania Oncology on the Sunshine Coast. His interest in death education lead to him completing a research project on death education, earning him an MSc (Cardiff) in 2019.
He promised to never study again, but you may find him behind the books, pretending not to notice the world of interesting things that are waiting to be discovered if you care to look.
