National speakers

Abstract

Dr George Au-Yeung

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Dr George Au-Yeung is a clinician-researcher at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and has a research interests in molecular biology of ovarian cancer as well as running novel biomarker driven clinical trials and translational research. He completed his PhD in Professor David Bowtell's laboratory, investigating novel therapeutic strategies for Cyclin E1 amplified high grade serous ovarian cancer, a subset of ovarian cancers that behave aggressively and lack treatment options. He is now a full-time medical oncologist at Peter Mac, working across the Gynae-Oncology and Melanoma service, and is Co-Deputy Director of Medical Oncology. He is an active member of ANZGOG, and holds current and former positions with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) and the Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA).

Kira Bloomquist

Griffith University, UCSF, Copenhagen University Hospital

I am a physical therapist and research fellow, currently affiliated with the University Hospitals Centre for Health Research (UCSF), Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Denmark and Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University. My main areas of interest relate to “cancer survivorship” and draw on personal hands-on experiences with cancer survivors as a physical therapist since 1999, as well as experiences gained while undertaking various research roles (e.g., data collector, research assistant, and primary investigator) since 2003. My specific expertise relates to understanding the physical and psychosocial concerns faced following cancer, in particular lymphedema, and the role of exercise in cancer recovery.

A/Prof Anna Boltong

Cancer Australia

Associate Professor Anna Boltong is the Head of the Cancer Control Strategy Branch at Cancer Australia. A dietitian by training, Anna's background spans domestic and international leadership in clinical oncology, supportive care research, policy development, health inequalities, and education. At Cancer Australia, Anna oversees the development and implementation of the Australian Cancer Plan as well as the Optimal Care Systems and Indigenous Cancer Control portfolios.

A/Prof Angie Bone

Monash University

Angie is an Associate Professor of Practice in planetary health at the Monash Sustainable Development Institute, where she focuses on system transformation for health sector resilience and sustainability, behaviour change and planetary health. She is a senior public health physician and former Deputy Chief Health Officer in Victoria, with over 15 years of public health leadership and research experience on environmental influences on health and health equity. Angie works with a range of disciplines across the research/policy/practice interface, providing public health technical expertise combined with policy and implementation experience, to strengthen the evidence on the health impacts of climate change and the interventions to reduce risk, including tackling the wider, ‘upstream’ factors that influence the likelihood and severity of harm to health and wellbeing. Angie has co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and has presented at numerous forums nationally and internationally on climate change, sustainability and health.

Prof Julia Brotherton

University of Melbourne

Prof Julia Brotherton is a public health physician, epidemiologist and Professor of Cancer Prevention Policy and Implementation at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne. She is also a Professorial Fellow at the National Centre for Immunization Research and Surveillance. For over 15 years, Julia has been involved in research and policy development informing the implementation and evaluation of HPV vaccination and cervical screening programs. She is co-chair of the CHIC global HPV Vaccine Council and is a CI on both the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) in Cervical Cancer Control (C4) and the NHMRC CRE in Targeted Approaches to Improve Cancer Services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians (TACTICS).

Prof Karen Canfell

Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney

Professor Karen Canfell is the inaugural Director of the Daffodil Centre, a flagship center of the University of Sydney and a joint venture with Cancer Council NSW, Australia. She is also Professor & NHMRC Leadership Fellow, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney. Her research involves evaluation and translation of new strategies for cancer control, and she has led multiple impact and economic evaluations for government agencies in Australia and internationally. For example, her work underpins the transformation of the National Cervical Screening Program in Australia, which in 2017 moved to HPV DNA testing to replace Pap smears and the Daffodil Centre team have been actively engaged in the evaluation of lung cancer screening. She is active in global health and her team's work underpins the impact and investment case for the 2020 WHO strategic plan for cervical cancer elimination; in the period 2020–2021, her team has supported WHO in development of detailed clinical management guidelines for cervical screening in low-income countries. In 2020 she initiated, and co-leads with Dr. Freddie Bray from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the International Partnership for Resilience in Cancer Systems (I-PaRCS) with key partners IARC, the International Cancer Screening Network, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, and the Daffodil Centre. I-PaRCS works to support decision-making across cancer control, during and emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Stefanie Carino

Climate and Health Alliance

Dr Stefanie Carino is a Sustainable Healthcare Program Manager at the Climate and Health Alliance where she coordinates Global Green and Healthy Hospitals in the Pacific region. She completed her PhD in environmentally sustainable foodservices and also works as a sustainable food systems dietitian at a public hospital.

Jordan Casey

Western Health

Jordan Casey is the Manager of Aboriginal Health, Policy & Planning at Western Health. Jordan oversees the Wilim Berrbang (Aboriginal Health Unit) as well as being responsible for the implementation of the Aboriginal Health Cultural Safety Plan for Western Health. Jordan is passionate about bringing cultural safety into mainstream health services.

Dr Wanda Cui

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Dr Wanda Cui is a medical oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne with a special interest in oncofertility and cancer in pregnancy. She has recently returned from a fellowship at the Royal Marsden Hospital. Her research focuses on improving our understanding of the impact of cancer therapies on fertility and ovarian function.

A/Prof Stephen David

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Associate Professor Steven David is a radiation oncologist at Icon Cancer Centre Mulgrave and PeterMac. A/Prof David graduated from the University of Western Australia and completed his specialist training at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. Subsequently, he took up a position as a sub-specialist in breast and lung cancer. Steven has been the lead investigator in a number of investigator-initiated local, national, and multi-center clinical trials. His current areas of research include development and implementation of a Deep Inspiration Breath Hold Technique to reduce radiation to the heart for patients with left sided breast cancer and the use of high dose precision radiation (SABR) for the treatment of patients with oligometastatic disease.

Dr Rachel Delahunty

Mercy Hospital for Women, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Geelong University Hospital

Dr Rachel Delahunty is a medical oncologist at The Mercy Hospital for Women, The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and Geelong University Hospital and has a special interest in gynecological oncology and translational and clinical research. Rachel was recently awarded her PhD through the University of Melbourne and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre titled “Reducing the morbidity and mortality of ovarian cancer through prevention which included leading the ovarian cancer prevention project ‘TRACEBACK’”.

Dr Abbey Diaz

University of Queensland

Dr Abbey Diaz is a Faculty of Medicine Research Fellow and Cancer Research Lead in the First Nations Cancer and Wellbeing Research Program at the University of Queensland. Dr Diaz is currently working with her team and collaborators to investigate cardiovascular risk, care, and experiences among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people diagnosed with cancer. As part of this work Dr Diaz is working with an advisory panel of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people affected by cancer, who identified a need for the co-design of culturally responsive cardio-oncology resources.

Dr Polly Dufton

University of Melbourne/Austin Health

Polly is a Registered Nurse at the Olivia Newton John Cancer, Research and Wellness Centre and has worked in a number of clinical and supportive care roles. She is currently undertaking her PhD at The University of Melbourne looking at emergency department presentations by cancer patients having ambulatory cancer treatment.

Ben Felmingham

Royal Children's Hospital

Mr Ben Felmingham is a pediatric pharmacist who completed his pharmacy training at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne (RCH). He then went on to specialize in pediatric oncology, in which he is well versed with over 10 years of experience in all pediatric cancer streams including bone marrow transplantation. In 2021, under the Australian Cardio-oncology Registry (ACOR) umbrella of research work, Ben led the development of the first ever pediatric cardio-oncology guidelines. He has implemented and currently co-ordinates the multidisciplinary cardio-oncology clinic based at RCH. Ben is currently working as an academic pharmacist and senior research officer within the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI). Ben has a growing interest pediatric cardio-oncology as well as the pharmacogenomics field. His passion in these areas have led him to create and promote awareness of the growing importance of cardio-oncology and the importance of incorporating pharmacogenomics into practice. This in turn has led Ben to begin work on multiple research projects where he is expanding his expertise into looking at the effects of pharmacogenomic screening for potential gene–drug interactions, and thus providing and investigating therapeutic recommendations for actionable variants within the pediatric oncology population.

Prof Michael Friedlander

University of NSW, Prince of Wales Hospital, Royal Hospital for Women

Professor Michael Friedlander is a Conjoint Professor of Medicine at the University of NSW and a medical oncologist at the Prince of Wales Hospital and Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney Australia. His clinical and research interests have focused largely on the management of people with gynecological and breast cancers and improving outcomes through clinical trials and patient centered research. Over the course of his career which spans four decades, he has had a leading role in gynecological cancer clinical trials both nationally and internationally. He has held many leadership positions including inaugural chair of ANZGOG and President of the IGCS amongst many others. He has a longstanding interest in cancer genetics been closely involved since 2007 in both early and later phase trials of PARP inhibitors in ovarian and breast cancer which remains an area of major interest. He has received numerous awards in recognition of his contribution to gynecological oncology.

Prof Paul Glare

Northern Clinical School, University of Sydney

Professor Paul Glare is the Chair of Pain Medicine in the Northern Clinical School of the University of Sydney, based at Royal North Shore Hospital. He has various other leadership roles in pain medicine including with Sydney Medical School, the Kolling Institute, and the Australian & NZ College of Anaesthetists. Prior to commencing his current appointment in 2016, he worked in palliative care in Australia and the USA, including as Chief of the Pain and Palliative Care Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 2008–2016. Paul has two main research interests currently. One is chronic pain in cancer survivors, which is the topic of today's talk. The other is using digital technology to support health behavior change in patients wanting to taper off long term opioid therapy.

A/Prof Shom Goel

University of Melbourne and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Associate Professor Goel is a clinician-scientist at the University of Melbourne and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Having spent 10 years in Boston, where he completed his doctoral and postdoctoral research, A/Prof Goel returned to Australia in 2019. In addition to maintaining a clinical practice as an oncologist, he also leads a research group which positions itself at the intersection of cell cycle biology, epigenetics, and tumor immunology in breast cancer. They have developed several new transgenic mouse models of breast cancer, which have proven valuable for uncovering new mechanisms of drug activity and resistance, and their work has been published in high-impact journals including Nature, Cancer Cell, and Nature Cancer. He serves as either Global PI or Translational PI for four randomized clinical trials in breast cancer and was recently appointed Chair of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Education Committee. A/Prof Goel is also an awardee of a prestigious Snow Fellowship which will accelerate his laboratory's work from 2022 to 2030.

Victoria Gurvich

BCNA Consumer Representative

Victoria Gurvich was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 44. She underwent 18 months of active treatment, including neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgeries, and radiation, and is still on medication. Victoria is a trained Consumer Representative (CR) for Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA), she is an occasional contributor to BCNA's publication The Beacon, and her areas of particular interest include cancer prevention, genetics, lymphedema, osteoporosis, and psycho-social impacts of cancer and its treatment.

A/Prof Barbara Hayes

Northern Health

Associate Professor Barbara Hayes is the Clinical Lead for Advance Care Planning at Northern Health in metropolitan Melbourne. She has a background in palliative medicine and a PhD in “Ethical CPR decision making”. Barbara has research and teaching interests in ethics and law related to end-of-life decision-making, informed consent, and shared decision making.

Dr Jolyn Hersch

The University of Sydney

Dr Jolyn Hersch is an Early Career Researcher at The University of Sydney, working at the interface between psychology and public health. She is a member of the Sydney Health Literacy Lab and the national Wiser Healthcare collaboration. Jolyn's research focuses on improving communication to support people to make better informed healthcare decisions consistent with their personal values. She is particularly interested in psychosocial aspects of screening and testing, and contexts where issues around potential overdiagnosis and overtreatment are relevant. Jolyn is currently supported by a Cancer Institute NSW fellowship to work on improving informed consent around genomic testing in oncology.

A/Prof Erin Howden

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute

Associate Professor Erin Howden is the head of the Cardiometabolic Health and Exercise Physiology Lab and leads the Physical Activity Program at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. In 2020, Erin was awarded a Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship to investigate the cardioprotective role of exercise in patients treated for cancer. Erin's program of research seeks to enhance the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic disease in at risk cancer groups through developing innovative multidisciplinary approaches, with a particular focus on “exercise as medicine”. 

Safeera Hussainy

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Safeera is Senior Pharmacy Research Manager at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University, and Honorary Principal Fellow at University of Melbourne. Recognized as the national pharmacy expert in emergency contraception, Safeera is Chief Investigator on SPHERE, an NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in women's health, and on the MRFF ALLIANCE trial that aims to expand pharmacists’ scope of practice in contraceptive and abortion care service delivery. Safeera is also Chief Investigator on the MRFF PRECISION trial, leading the education strategy for the implementation of a pharmacogenomics program for pharmacists.

Dr Simon Hyde

Mercy Health

Dr Simon Hyde is Head of Gynaecological Oncology, Mercy Hospital for Women. He specializes in gynecological oncology, complex gynecologic surgery, colposcopy and preinvasive genital tract disease, and operative laparoscopy.

Viv Interrigi

Consumer Representative

Viv Interrigi is a mother, a partner, a daughter, a sister, and a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed in 2018 and went through a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, infusions and has been on medications for the past 5 years. As a cancer survivor, she has had to find different ways of leaning on supports as cancer is a chronic disease that never ever completely leaves her world. She is continually using her cancer experience to volunteer as a consumer advisor – to increase the voice of the patient in decision making and to raise awareness of the importance of cancer research – to hopefully one day, have zero deaths from cancer.

Prof Michael Jefford

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Professor Michael Jefford is a Consultant Medical Oncologist and Director of the Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and is a Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne. His major clinical focus is on the management of people with gastrointestinal cancers; most of his research has a cancer survivorship focus. He is widely published (>220 publications at June 2023) and has presented at numerous international meetings.

A/Prof Louise Koelmeyer

Macquarie University

Associate Professor Louise Koelmeyer is the Head, Department of Health Sciences and Director of the Australian Lymphoedema Education, Research and Treatment (ALERT) program within the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences at Macquarie University. Louise is a lymphedema therapist (occupational therapist), educator, and researcher with over 30 years of experience in both public and private settings specializing in breast cancer rehabilitation and lymphedema management. Louise is involved in strategically managing and developing the education, research, and treatment arms of the innovative and internationally recognized “Centre of Excellence” multidisciplinary program.

Prof Bogda Koczwara

Flinders Medical Centre

Professor Koczwara is a senior staff specialist in medical oncology at the Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide, Australia and she leads the Survivorship Research Program at the Flinders University Health and Medical Research Institute. Professor Koczwara established one of the first cancer survivorship program in Australia and has contributed to key advancers in the field including survivorship epidemiology, self-management support, and the use of patient reported outcomes in cancer. She chairs the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer Psychosocial Study Group, the International Cardiooncology Society Survivorship Working Group and is the convenor of the Global Partnership on Self-management in Cancer. She co-chairs the joint Clinical Oncology Society of Australia and Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Cardio-Oncology Working Group and leads a national Working Group on implementation of patient reported outcomes in cancer. She is the initiator of the Australia Asia Pacific Clinical Oncology Research Development, a collaborative of international cancer organizations aimed at improving cancer research capacity in Australia and Asia Pacific. She has been recognized as a Member of the Order of Australia for her services to oncology.

Dr Michael Krasovitsky

St Vincent's Hospital

Dr Michael Krasovitsky is a medical oncologist at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney. He specialises in geriatric oncology, and leads both the geriatric oncology clinic and multidisciplinary team at St Vincent's Hospital. His other clinical interests include supportive care & toxicity assessment, gastrointestinal cancers, and thoracic cancers. He is the chair of the Geriatric Oncology Emerging Experts and Researchers group, a multidisciplinary collective of clinicians dedicated to geriatric oncology, and is also a proud member of the Geriatric Oncology COSA executive. Dr Krasovitsky is passionate about improving outcomes, both malignancy and quality of life related, for older individuals with cancer, and has a particular interest in tackling ageism in cancer care and health care generally.

Prof Mei Krishnasamy

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Professor Mei Krishnasamy PhD, FAAN, is Director of the Academic Nursing Unit at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and honorary Chair in Cancer Nursing at the University of Melbourne. She is Research and Education Lead for Nursing for the VCCC Alliance, and co-lead of the Victorian Regional Research Teaching Hub program as part of the Victorian ReVitalise initiative. Mei is past President of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia and the Cancer Nurses of Australia and is Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Her research focuses on cancer supportive care, health equity and experiences of care for people with poor prognosis cancers, and the contribution of nurses to patient and system level outcomes.

Dr Heather Lane

Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital

Dr Heather Lane, MBChB, FRACP, PhD is a Consultant Geriatrician and the Director of Physician Education at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, where she has established a Geriatric Oncology Clinic. She is the Australian National representative for the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG), and a member of the SIOG Geriatricians Group. She is also a member of the COSA Geriatric Oncology Special Interest Group Executive.

Dr Joshua Lin

Barwon Health

Dr Joshus Lin is a breast and melanoma surgeon from Geelong, Australia, with a career journey that has taken him across every Australian state. He completed his fellowship at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth and the Royal North Shore Hospital and Melanoma Institute Australia in Sydney. However, it was his tenure in Far North Queensland and Tasmania that shaped his current interest in regional living and work. Josh particularly enjoys the oncoplastic aspects of breast surgery and appreciates being able to extend this regionally.

Prof Geoff Lindeman

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Royal Melbourne Hospital

Professor Geoff Lindeman, a clinician-scientist, is Joint Head of the Cancer Biology and Stem Cells Division at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. He is also a medical oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Royal Melbourne Hospital and holds an honorary appointment as Professorial Fellow in the Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne. He established the RMH Familial Cancer Centre and was inaugural Director of the Parkville Familial Cancer Centre. His group is interested in the molecular and cellular regulators of normal mammary gland development and changes that lead to hereditary and sporadic breast cancer. The discovery of RANK-positive progenitors as a target for breast cancer prevention in BRCA1 mutation carriers has led to the international breast cancer prevention trial, BRCA-P.

A/Prof Cheng Hean Lo

Western Health

Associate Professor Cheng Hean Lo is a specialist plastic & reconstructive surgeon. He is the current Head of Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Western Health, and is a senior medical staff at the Victorian Adult Burns Service (The Alfred). He has published at least 45 articles in peer-reviewed journals of international standing and he has been involved with successful grant and funding applications totaling in excess of $3 million. His areas of particular interest include skin tissue engineering in the setting of burn injuries, and gender affirming surgery.

Prof Sherene Loi

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Professor Loi is a Medical Oncologist specialized in breast cancer treatment as well as a clinician scientist (group leader) with expertise in genomics, immunology and drug development at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia. She is recognized internationally as a leading clinician scientist whose work has led to new insights into the breast cancer immunology field as well as leading international clinical trials in breast cancer immunotherapy. To date, she has published over 300 peer-reviewed research articles with a lifetime H-index of >100. Her recent work has been highly influential: she is ranked in the top 1% of highly cited researchers globally by the Web of Science. She co-chairs the International Breast Cancer Study Group (IBCSG) based in Bern, Switzerland, one of the largest global academic breast cancer trial cooperative groups. She is a current holder of the Inaugural National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) of Australia Endowed Chair and in 2021 received one the Prime Ministers’ Awards for Science.

Dr Stephen Luen

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Dr Stephen Luen is an early career Medical Oncologist and translational researcher at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre specialising in breast cancer, sarcoma, early drug development, and precision oncology. In 2021, he completed a PhD supervised by Professor Sherene Loi investigating genomic and immune biomarkers in early-stage breast cancers, and continues to work closely with the laboratory. His current research interests include the study of genomic and immune biomarkers in high-risk and treatment-refractory breast cancers, the development of novel clinical trial approaches for high-risk breast cancers, and the early phase development of new therapeutic compounds.

Jodie Lydeker

BCNA Consumer Representative

Jodie Lydeker is a lawyer by training and has spent over 20 years in the public sector leading national and state-wide social policy reforms in the areas of criminal justice, education, mental health and anti-corruption. But a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer 5 years ago at the age of 40 carved out a new pathway into public health. After being part of the Victorian Government's COVID-19 response and a brief stint in Canberra leading national mental health reforms for the Australian Department of Health, Jodie is now the managing director of her own policy and project management company. Outside of work, Jodie is a proud consumer representative with BCNA, Cancer Council Victoria, Genesis Care and the Psycho-oncology Co-operative Research Group (PoCoG) at the University of Sydney. In addition to qualifications in law and business, she has studied psychosocial oncology and service navigation to help advocate for improved availability of integrative care models that prioritise emotional health and wellbeing for people impacted by cancer. She is currently writing her book called ‘Strong Enough to Break’ that reflects on her experiences of both cancer and mental illness to encourage people to give themselves permission to pause.

A/Prof Brigid Lynch

Cancer Council Victoria, University of Melbourne

Associate Professor Brigid Lynch is a cancer epidemiologist whose research focuses on how physical activity is associated with cancer risk, biological mechanisms underlying risk, and health outcomes for cancer survivors. Her research interests include applying causal inference methods to help advance the field of physical activity epidemiology. Brigid is a Principal Investigator of the Australian Breakthrough Cancer Study, an ongoing cohort study of over 50,000 Australians investigating the role that genes, lifestyle, and environment play in the development of cancer and other diseases.

Prof Bruce Mann

Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre

Professor Bruce Mann is Director of the Breast Tumour Stream of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre. He is also Director of Research at Breast Cancer Trials – Australia and New Zealand's cooperative breast cancer clinical trials organization. His interests relate to systems for optimal breast cancer care and research to improve early diagnosis and tailor the extent of breast cancer treatment to the individual patient.

A/Prof Forbes McGain

Western Health, University of Melbourne

Associate Professor Forbes McGain is an anesthetist and intensive care physician at Western Health, Melbourne, Australia, and Associate Dean, Sustainable Healthcare, University of Melbourne. Forbes enjoys research, teaching, and education at the hospital, university, and beyond. During COVID-19 Forbes received the Clunies Ross Award for co-creating the patented McMonty personal isolation hood to protect healthcare workers. Collaboratively, Forbes is now embarking upon further innovative solutions to make healthcare more sustainable. He is a co-lead on the Lancet Commission for Sustainable Healthcare.

Dr Alexandra Murphy

Victorian Heart Hospital and Austin Health

Dr Alexandra Murphy graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Medical Science. She entered the Cardiology Advanced Training program at the Austin Hospital following which she became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP). Alex has completed advanced fellowships in cardiac imaging, imaging for structural intervention, and cardio-oncology. Dr Murphy's PhD focuses on the optimization of cardiovascular outcomes in cancer patients and was supported by scholarships from the NHMRC, National Heart Foundation and Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. The centerpiece of her research was the SMART-BREAST randomized controlled trial which demonstrated the efficacy of her patented smartphone application BreastMate in the exercise promotion and cardiovascular risk reduction of early stage breast cancer patients. From this she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to continue her research at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Dr Murphy is now a cardio-oncologist at the newly established Victorian Heart Hospital and Austin Health.

Naveena Nekkalapudi

BCNA Consumer Representative

Following her diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer and the subsequent treatment, Naveena decided to re-evaluate her life and focus on matters that are important to her. She describes it as changing from being career ambitious to being life ambitious, that is, wanting to utilize her varied skills and knowledge in assisting others to achieve better health outcomes. In her previous (corporate) life, she was a senior professional with extensive strategy, research, M&A, and management skills across a range of industries – dairy, trustee, funds management, and private health insurance. Naveena has an M. B. A. from Melbourne Business School and is a consumer representative of BCNA, Cancer Council Victoria, Breast Cancer Trials, VCCC, and Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research to name a few.

Kerry Patford

McGrath Foundation

With 20 years of Breast Care Nurse experience, Kerry has a special interest in accessible and equitable care in regional and rural areas. A McGrath Breast Care Nurse since 2009, more recently Kerry has worked with the McGrath Foundation in developing the Model of Care, with the original version released in 2019, and the reviewed Model of Care for Early Breast Cancer released in 2023. Sharing her time now within the clinical space of her McGrath BCN role, Kerry works within a team of Clinical Leaders at the McGrath Foundation.

Dr Elizabeth Pearson

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Dr Elizabeth Pearson is an occupational therapist and allied health researcher working at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Her main goal in both roles has been to help people with cancer live their lives as well as possible, for as long as possible.

Elizabeth's recent research has explored the feasibility of implementing evidence-based guidelines and stepped-care cognitive behavior therapy to address the common problem of cancer-related fatigue.

A/Prof Michelle Peate

University of Melbourne

Associate Professor Michelle Peate is the Program Leader for the Psychosocial Health and Wellbeing Research (emPoWeR) Unit, University of Melbourne. She was a 2011 NSW Young Tall Poppy from the Australian Institute for Policy in Science and 2017 International Psycho-Oncology Society New Investigator Award winner. She is President of the Australian Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and sits on several clinical guideline committees and advisory panels, including the COSA fertility preservation guideline committee. Her main goal is to develop evidence-based interventions that improve patient experiences at the intersection of cancer, reproductive health, and psychology.

Dr Melanie Plinsinga

Menzies Health Institute

Dr Melanie Plinsinga is an early career researcher in the field of symptom research, with particular interest in exercise management and rehabilitation. Her current work uses her expertise to address unanswered questions in cancer-related pain and lymphedema to improve lives through the prevention and better management of survivorship symptoms.

Hildegard Reul-Hirche

Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital

Ms Reul-Hirche has been an honorary Research Fellow at the Physiotherapy Department at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH) since April 2019. She is a physiotherapist with over 30 years of clinical experience treating lymphedema. Ms Reul-Hirche is the founder, curriculum leader, and co-facilitator of Lymphoedema Training Modules accredited by the Australasian Lymphology Association (ALA) and presented at RBWH. She is an accredited lymphedema therapist with the ALA and a titled lymphedema physiotherapist under the Australian Physiotherapy Association. At present she is completing her MPhil at Griffith University (Nathan).

Gail Rowan

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Gail's main area of practice and interest includes the treatment of hematological malignancies, minimization of anti-cancer therapy related adverse effects and education on the safe use of anti-cancer therapies especially oral therapies. Gail is past chair and a current committee member of the Cancer Pharmacists Group (CPG) of COSA, and a member of the Leadership Committee of the SHPA Oncology & Haematology Specialty Practice Group, and is qualified as a Board Certified Oncology Pharmacist (BCOP) through the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialities in the United States.

Prof Christobel Saunders

University of Melbourne, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute

Professor Christobel Saunders AO, MB BS, FRCS, FRACS, FAAHMS is the James Stewart Chair of Surgery, the Head of the Department of Surgery at the University of Melbourne (Royal Melbourne Hospital precinct), Director of Medical Research at Melbourne Medical School, and consultant surgeon in the Department of General Surgery at Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute. Christobel is internationally recognized as one of Australia's most prominent research-orientated cancer surgeons. She has substantially contributed to breast cancer research, including clinical trials of new treatments, and psychosocial, translational, and health services research. In recognition of her sustained career excellence and innovation, Christobel has been publicly acknowledged through numerous awards and honors including the Order of Australia 2018, the Uccio Querci della Rovere Award (2018), WA Women's Hall of Fame Inductee (2018), WA Scientist of the Year (2017), Cancer Council WA Career Achievement Award (2021) and was elected to the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science in 2016. She has performed research for >30 years evaluating the efficacy and utility of therapy for early breast cancer. In the past 5 years, Christobel has published over 200 peer-reviewed journal articles. She sits on the boards of several health and research organizations including as Vice-President for All.Can International and on the boards of All.Can Australia, Breast Cancer Trials, the Australian Centre for Value-Based Health Care and PathWest. Christobel is closely involved in strategic planning and management of health and cancer services in Australia including being a member of the Medicare Review Advisory Committee, panel member of the Medical Services Advisory Committee, past President of the Breast Surgical Society of ANZ, and past Advisory Council member of Cancer Australia. She was the Inaugural Chair of the state Health Service Provider, PathWest Laboratory Medicine.

Dr Peter Savas

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Dr Peter Savas is a medical oncologist, clinical trial investigator, and clinician scientist specializing in breast cancer. With broad interests in breast cancer genomics, the immune microenvironment, and applications of artificial intelligence in histology, Dr Savas’ current work is focused on enabling precision oncology approaches in advanced and early stage breast cancer, and the use of single cell methods to interrogate the immune response to invasive breast cancer.

A/Prof Camille Short

University of Melbourne

Associate Professor Camille Short is behavioral scientist and Victoria Cancer Agency Mid-Career Fellow. She works at the University of Melbourne within the Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change and the CanRex Exercise and Recovery Research Group. Camille has experience and training in health psychology, digital, and public health. She leads a program of work focused on the use of technology for improving access to high quality, personalized, and multidisciplinary exercise support for cancer patients. As a behavioral scientist, she is passionate about ensuring exercise programs support people to make lifestyle changes by addressing the psychological, physical, and social factors that impact on exercise and access to exercise services. Camille's research has influenced policy and practice within Australian health services and is widely cited internationally.

Dr Olivia Smibert

Peter Mac Callum Cancer Center, University of Melbourne

Dr Smibert is an infectious diseases clinician at Austin Health and PhD student at the Peter Mac Callum Cancer Center and University of Melbourne. In 2019 she completed a fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University in transplant infectious diseases.

She has earned a number of awards including the 2019 NHMRC Gustav Nossal Postgraduate Scholarship Award, an International investigator Award from the Infectious Diseases Society of America, an American Society of Transplant Fellows Award, and the RACP Richard Kemp Memorial Fellowship. She has contributed to over 49 peer-reviewed publications and is undertaking her PhD at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre through the Department of Oncology. Her PhD project aims to define the role of the microbiome in determining infectious and immunological outcomes in immune compromised specialty patient populations and how this could lead to novel therapeutics and diagnostics.

Dr David Speakman

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Dr David Speakman is a Surgeon specializing in Breast Disease and Melanoma. He has over 20 years sub-specialist experience in these areas. Dr Speakman is particularly interested in the minimally invasive treatment of breast cancer involving breast conservation, oncoplastic techniques, sentinel node biopsy, and neo-adjuvant therapies. He was trained in breast reconstructive techniques as a Fellow and also works closely with dedicated Breast Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. He is also widely experienced in benign Breast Disease. He has had a long involvement with the breast screening program through assessment clinics as well as on the Scientific Advisory Committee of BreastScreen Victoria. Dr Speakman is active in clinical trial programs, in particular the large Z11 Trial in breast cancer and the MSLT II in melanoma. These are both international trials. He has taught medical students from both Melbourne and Monash Universities for the past 20 years. Communication in cancer care is critical. Dr Speakman has taught the “Breaking Bad News” communication skills course for clinicians at The Royal College of Surgeons for the past 10 years. Dr Speakman is the Chief Medical Officer and Executive Director Medical Services at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and is a Senior Surgeon in both the Breast and Skin and Melanoma Units there. Dr Speakman believes that a strong connection between the patient and their entire treating team is vital in getting the best outcomes for patients with cancer.

A/Prof Kate Stern

Royal Women's Hospital

Associate Professor Kate Stern is Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Melbourne, Royal Women's Hospital. Kate is the Head of Reproductive Services at the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne and Clinical Director and Head of Clinical Research at Melbourne IVF. She co-chaired the COSA Fertility Preservation Guidance Committee. Kate is a fertility specialist, gynecologist, and reproductive endocrinologist and her special interest is in medical fertility preservation. She received the award of the Order of Australia in 2022.

Dr Wendy Vanselow

Royal Women's Hospital

Dr Wendy Vanselow is Head of Psychosexual Medicine at RWH. She has a background in General Practice and a PhD in psychiatry. She studied sexual medicine at Oxford University and became an inaugural Fellow of the European Committee for Sexual Medicine in 2012. At RWH she also consults in the Menopause after Cancer clinic.

A/Prof Lisa Whop

The Australian National University

Associate Professor Lisa Whop is a Gumulgal woman from the Wagadagam tribe of Mabuiag Island in the Torres Strait and is Australia's leading authority on cervical cancer control in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Lisa is an Indigenist epidemiologist with experience in implementation health research to develop, inform, and change public health policy, guidelines, and practice. She holds a National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant and is the lead of the cervical cancer elimination team in the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research at the Australian National University. She is incoming Chair of the Cancer Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Committee on Cancer Control.

Dr Joshua Wiley

Monash University

Dr Joshua Wiley is a behavioral medicine researcher working at Monash University and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre with a focus on understanding and improving sleep and mental health in people after cancer. His research has resulted in >100 publications and >$10 million in grant funding from both national and international agencies. His research has two main tracks: one focused on foundational knowledge gain such as understanding functions, trajectories, and correlates of sleep and mental health and the second focused on designing and evaluating brief, scalable interventions to improve sleep and mental health, often using digital and telehealth methods in randomized clinical trials.

Dr Aaron Wong

Peter McCallum Cancer Centre, The Royal Melbourne Hospital

Dr Aaron K Wong is a dual trained Palliative Care Physician and Medical Oncologist and Early Career Researcher. Aaron established the Palliative Care Clinical Trials Unit at Olivia Newton John Cancer and Wellness Centre (2018) and is currently Clinical Trials Lead at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and The Royal Melbourne Hospital. Aaron has been Chief Investigator on several palliative care clinical trials. He is completing a PhD supported by an NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship focusing on investigating biomarkers using pharmacogenomics, for optimal selection of opioids for optimal pain control.

Dr Felicity Wright

Department of Health

Dr Felicity Wright is the Director of Pharmacy at Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick and a Net Zero Clinical Lead for the Sydney Children's Hospital Network (SCHN). Felicity is a paediatric oncology and cellular therapy pharmacist by background, a Board-Certified Oncology Pharmacist (USA) with a PhD in pharmacogenetics and a Master of Public Health in health policy. Her recent health system research in decarbonisation adds carbon metrics to quality improvement and valued based care initiatives delivering measurable carbon reduction in clinical care, waste management and pharmaceutical procurement.