Assoc Professor Camile S Farah

BDSc (WA), MDSc (Qld), PhD (Qld), GCEd (HE), FRACDS (Oral Med), FIAOO, FICD, FPFA

Position: Associate Professor, Deputy Head of School
Location: Turbot St - 865/215B; Level 6 - UQCCR - Herston;
Telephone: 336 58042
Email: c.farah@uq.edu.au
See Research, Projects, Publications and other information.

Administrative Roles
Director of External Affairs & Clinical Placements

Teaching interests

• Oral Diagnostic Sciences I - BDSc 3rd year Course Coordinator
• General Dental Practice in the Community - BDSc 5th year Course Coordinator
• Oral Biosciences - Discipline Coordinator

Research Interests
A/Professor Farah is group leader of the Oral Cancer Research Program. The program leverages work regarding various bio-markers of oral cancer and oral epithelial dysplasia which are either unique to the oral mucosal situation or shared across malignancies in other sites. The program utilizes a range of novel technologies, including optical fluorescence imaging and narrow band imaging to diagnose oral cancer at its earliest stages, and ascertain the molecular basis of surgical margins. The program also investigates the role that cancer stem cells play in the propagation and recurrence of cancerous and pre-cancerous lesions. The group is currently undertaking a large molecular project examining exomic and transcriptomic profiles of head and neck cancers utilising Next Generation Sequencing. The underlying premise of this program looks at creating a molecular signature for pre-cancerous conditions that can be used as a diagnostic and prognostic test to either replace or supplement standard histopathological interpretation of oral epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma.

To complement the program's work on the biological mechanisms of oral cancer, we are undertaking projects to examine oral pre-cancerous conditions at the population level.  Clinical and epidemiological studies of defined at-risk populations are underway which will determine the burden of oral mucosal disease as well as the relative importance of a range of risk factors for these groups. This information is fundamental to planning for oral health services and public health interventions which are appropriate and cost effective.

The program is also active in educational research, and leads projects in virtual microscopy, digital radiology, computer-assisted learning, information literacy, and undergraduate leadership.

Current Research Projects Interests
1. The assessment of clinical and molecular adjunctive tools for the early detection of oral mucosal neoplasia.
2. The assessment of loss of tissue autofluorescence in the early detection and recurrence of oral epithelial dysplasia.
3. The role of Cancer Stem Cells in the propagation and recurrence of oral epithelial dysplasia.
4. Utilising Narrow Band Imaging in detection and surgical margin delineation of head and neck cancers.
5. Next Generation Sequencing of head and neck cancers and pre-cancerous oral lesions.

Other activities and service

President, Oral Medicine Academy of Australasia
President-elect, Australian & New Zealand Division, International Association for Dental Research
Chairman, Research Advisory Committee, Australian Dental Research Foundation
Vice President, Australasian Immunohistochemistry Society
Member, Executive Committee, Australian Dental Research Foundation
Member, Oral Medicine Board of Studies, Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons

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