2010 Keynote Speaker
Friday, November 26 Breakfast Presentation
DR. ROBERT A. BUCKMAN
Medical Oncologist & Professor
Consultant in Education & Communication
Princess Margaret Hospital
& Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research
Toronto, Canada
In the Times of London, Dr. Buckman was called the funniest member ever of The
Cambridge Footlights, a group that has included John Cleese, Hugh Laurie (House), and Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat).
A world-class expert on interpersonal communication, at home and at work, the irrepressible Dr. Robert Buckman is one of the funniest speakers in the world. He combines a mischievous sense of humour with communication training that has set the standard for personal and professional development programs. Dr. Buckman's skills have been honed in some of the most challenging settings imaginable. A renowned medical oncologist at The University of Toronto, his techniques are taught at hospitals and medical schools around the world.
In his talks, Dr. Buckman teaches you how to become a better communicator and a more effective champion of your organization's services and ideas. Based on years of research and practical experience, his approach to communication is ideal for anyone who needs to win the hearts and minds of their colleagues or patients.
Dr. Robert Buckman Speech Topics
Dr. Buckman has a number of presentations that he makes around the world. He will be crafting a presentation for the BC Cancer Agency's Annual Cancer Conference that is most relevant to his audience. Here are some samples:
Stress is a Communicable Disease (But You Don't Have to Catch It)
Dr. Buckman's brilliant talk on stress reveals that stress is both natural and desirable. But managing stress is tricky. Stress is often caused by what you don't know, not what you do know; this talk helps you identify the real causes of stress while developing a practical means of dealing with it.
How to Communicate So People Listen
Dr. Buckman's highly practical and outrageously funny approach to communication provides you with concrete tools for managing difficult conversations, and for swaying uncooperative colleagues. Blending deadpan humor with his unerring sensitivity, he ensures that you will truly understand the "how" of effective communication.
Not Dead Yet: Why Laughter is the Second Best Medicine
In this uproarious talk, Dr Buckman explains what makes us laugh, and why laughter is vitally important. Many people use humour to deal with threatening or frightening events (illness, airlines, sex, and mothers-in-law to name the top four). These events are not funny in themselves, but the act of constructing something funny about them brings the threat into perspective. In other words, making a joke is a coping strategy. This presentation is quite funny (and deliberately so) but it also explains why laughter genuinely does matter, why it genuinely does us all good.
EDUCATION
B.A. Cambridge University, United Kingdom 1969
M.B., B.Chir Cambridge University, United Kingdom 1972
Ph.D. London University, United Kingdom 1984
M.A. Cambridge University, United Kingdom 1984
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
M.R.C.P. (UK) - Royal College of Physicians, United Kingdom - 1975
F.R.C.P. (C) - Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons Canada - 1989
F.R.C.P. - Royal College of Physicians, United Kingdom - 1990
LICENSURE
General Medical Council (UK) - Full Registration - 1974
Medical Council of Canada - 1985
POSTGRADUATE TRAINING
Oct. 1975 - Feb. 1978 Registrar Rotation (resident)
University College Hospital/Whittington, London, U.K.
- Oct. 1975 - June 1976 - Neurology
- June 1976 - June 1977 - General Medicine & Gastroenterology
- June 1977 - Feb. 1978 - General Medicine & Cardiology
Sept. 1978 - Jan. 1979: Senior Registrar (Resident)
Medical Oncology - Royal Marsden Hospital, London, U.K.
Jan. 1979 - May 1980: Sick Leave (Dermatomyositis)
May 1980 - Oct. 1982: Lecturer and Senior Resident
Ludwig Institute Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital, London, U.K.
Nov. 1982 - Feb. 1985: Senior Resident
Medical Oncology and General Medicine University College Hospital, London, U.K.
Feb 1985 - March 2003-06-05: Medical Oncologist
Toronto-Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre, Toronto (part-time since October 1st 1993)
March 2003 - Present: Medical Oncologist
Princess Margaret Hospital, Consultant Communication & Education.
PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS
University of Toronto:
1991 - Present Department of Medicine Associate Professor
1985 - 1991 Department of Medicine Assistant Professor
1997 - Present Department of Medicine Professor
2002 - Present Department of Neuro-oncology,
2002 - M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas: Professor
COMMITTEES AND OTHER ACTIVITIES
Member Interview Skills Task Force, University of Toronto 1986 - 1989
Member Ad hoc Committee on Complementary, Unproven & Alternative Therapies, College of Physicians & Surgeons of Ontario 1996 - 1998
Member ASCO Committee on Doctor-Patient Communication 2003
EDITORIAL BOARDS
Journal of Supportive Oncology Member of editorial board 2003
PRIZES AND AWARDS
1986: Bronze Award, British Institute Scientific Films, "Why Won't They Talk To Me"
1986: Bronze Award, British Medical Association, "Why Won't They Talk to Me"
1986: Award of Merit: VIth International Conference on Care of Terminally Ill: for "Why Won't They Talk to Me"
1989: University of Toronto: W.T. Aikins Award for Innovative Teaching, University of Toronto.
1993: Evian Award for Medical Information: J.Cleese, R.Buckman: What You Really Need To Know About...
1994: British Medical Association Silver Award & Bronze Award J.Cleese. R.Buckman: What You Really Need To Know About...
1994: Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television: Gemini award 1994 for Magic or Medicine? Television series
1994: Canadian Humanist Association: Canadian Humanist of the Year
2003: Flemming Medal, Canadian Association for Advancement of Science
2004: Order of the Chevalier of the Hospitalier Society of St Lazarus (International Palliative Care)