Dave Chuter

Dave Chuter is an oesophageal cancer survivor, his lifesaving oesophagectomy in 2006 was the moment that started his journey into patient support and cancer research. When he received his diagnosis, there was no patient-to-patient support locally, so, with the help of his local hospital medical team, he started up a support group in December 2006 that is still running. During the support group meetings, as newly diagnosed patients started asking questions about the clinical trials they were invited to join, Dave realised there was a gap in knowledge. To fill that gap, he decided to get involved in cancer research to help new patients make informed decisions before joining a research trial.

His aims as a patient advocate are to help ensure that:

• The lived experience and knowledge gained by patients of the patients’ journey becomes part of medical and clinical research to ensure Quality of Life
• Patient wellbeing and the best outcomes are the objectives of research and researchers
• The patients’ and carers’ voices are heard, and are recognised as an equal voice and partner in research

Dave serves as the DiCE (Digestive Cancers Europe) Vice-Chair of the Board, Chair of the DiCE Patient Advisory Committee, and is a Public Governor for the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust. He also serves as a PPI member for multiple National (UK) committees and advisory groups (use MY data, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, NIHR Academy, to name a few) as well as chairing the UK Oesophageal Patients Association (OPA) from 2017-2020.