Future of Survivorship

Sophy Athan has significant experience as a consumer advocate and representative in cancer research projects through her role as Chair of the VCCC Alliance Cancer Consumer Advisory Committee, as well as through her involvement in several other oncology-specific committees and advisory panels. Sophy currently serves on a number of boards and Government Health Committee. She is on more than twenty committees and advisory panels within the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Victorian Cancer COVID-19 Taskforce, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, University of Melbourne, Health Issues Centre, Victorian Clinical Council, Victorian Agency for Health Information, Outer East Primary Care Partnership, Endeavour College Academic Council and Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network. Sophy previously served on many other committees, including steering committees for the Department of Health and Human Services. She continues to be involved around issues of quality and safety, mental health, disability, aged care, and diversity, advocating for better health outcomes for everyone. Sophy has been a regular presenter at national and international conferences. She has graduate and postgraduate degrees in Arts and Social Sciences, several graduate diplomas, and leadership qualifications.

Sophy is involved with the VCCC Alliance Strategic Program Plan as an Ex-officio member on the Steering Groups for Link clinical, biological, genomic and patient outcomes data to enable discoveries and Develop leadership skills and empowerment of researchers, clinicians and consumers.

Prof Raymond Chan (RN, BNurs, MAppSc, PhD, FACN, GAICD) is Director and Professor of Cancer Nursing, Caring Futures Institute, Flinders University. He holds prestigious titles as NHMRC Investigator Fellow and Matthew Flinders Fellow. Ray is currently leading a number of implementation-effectiveness trials in optimising shared-care to address the needs of cancer survivors. Prof Chan has published over 160 peer-reviewed articles and 2 book chapters. He currently also holds leadership roles in the MASCC Survivorship Group and COSA Survivorship Group.

Professor Michael Jefford is both a Consultant Medical Oncologist and Director of the Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre at Peter Mac, and is a Professorial Fellow with the University of Melbourne.

He completed medical oncology training (FRACP) in 1999. He holds a PhD (2002) and Graduate Certificate in University Teaching (2013) from the University of Melbourne and Masters degrees in Health Services Management (2003) and in Public Health (2006) from Monash University. He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

His major clinical focus is on the management of people with gastrointestinal cancers.

Michael has made significant contributions around service delivery, research, policy and program development, and to the international literature regarding cancer survivorship. He is the current Chair of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA)’s Cancer Survivorship Committee and Chair of the International Psycho-Oncology Society’s Survivorship Special Interest Group. He co-chairs the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Health Equity and Outcomes Committee.

Amongst other leadership roles, Michael is a COSA Board Member (Director). He was previously Deputy Director of Medical Oncology at Peter Mac and has held senior leadership roles with cancer-related organisations including Cancer Council Victoria and BreastScreen Victoria, and professional organisations such as the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Medical Oncology Group of Australia.

Most of his research has a cancer survivorship focus, aiming to better understand issues affecting survivors; to develop and implement strategies to minimise post-treatment consequences; to develop improved models of care, and to better understand and minimise disparities in cancer survivorship outcomes. In addition, he is co-investigator on several cancer therapeutic and supportive care / psychosocial studies. He has been awarded over A$19m in grant funding as a chief / principal investigator.

He has been heavily involved with professional education and university teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level. In 2007 he established the Specialist Certificate in Clinical Research (Oncology), an award course of the University of Melbourne, which he coordinated for 8 years.
He is widely published and has presented work at numerous international meetings covering clinical oncology, survivorship, psycho-oncology and cancer control broadly.

Linda Denehy is Professor of Physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne and a registered Physiotherapist. She also has a joint appointment as Professor of Health Services Research: Allied Health at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Professor Denehy has extensive teaching and learning experienceat both under and post graduate levels and introduced the new Doctor of Physiotherapy course in 2011. She waspreviously Head of the Physiotherapy Department at the University of Melbourne. Professor Denehy is a past President of the Council of Physiotherapy Deans of Australia and New Zealand and is the current deputy chair of the Council of Victorian Health Deans. She is a current member of the Australian College of Optometry Council. Linda has supervised over 40graduate research students to completion.She currently supervisesfour PhD and five Post-Doctoral students.Her research interests are in rehabilitation including in intensive care, oncology and perioperative management where she is passionate about improving patient centred outcomes. She has over 200 publications andhas been successful in nationally funded research in both Australia and the United Kingdom.

Neville Board is Victoria’s Chief Digital Health Officer and heads the Digital Health Branch. The Branch leads implementation of Victoria’s digital health roadmap, to improve the safety and efficiency of Victoria’s healthcare system, and to keep patients at the centre of care.

The team is implementing unique patient identification across Victorian health services, connecting health services to the My Health Record system, and operates a series of applications for health services.

The Branch also leads the Victorian health service cyber security and ICT operational assurance programs, applying Australia’s only Digital Health Maturity Model. The Branch conducts health sector planning and assurance, sets standards for clinical systems, and is supported by a clinical advisory council and the Victorian Health CIO Forum.

Prior to coming to Victoria in 2018, Mr Board headed the eHealth and Medication Safety program at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. He also convened the WHO clinical practice working group for the Global Patient Safety Challenge Medication without Harm.

Dr Karen Price was awarded the 2016 RACGP FMCER grant to undertake her part time PhD with the Monash Department of General Practice. She is exploring the construct of peer-connection in general practice. This explores GP’s wellbeing, and goal-directed informal learning.
Karen’s research builds on her lifetime expertise as a GP. She is the co-developer and facilitator of GPs Down Under, an 8000+ member community of Australian and New Zealand GPs. She has chaired committees and developed mentor programs for both the AMA and the RACGP. Karen began her general practice in a large procedural practice which included providing medical assistance to the local district police surgeon. She has also been a successful practice owner growing a languishing practice into a thriving community practice in under a decade whilst wrangling three young school-aged children (who are now fully grown).

Karen has presented nationally and internationally; plenary lectures; workshops on women’s medical leadership; social media; resilience, and informal learning.

She is published on women’s medical leadership and received a 2011 Monash University award for medical student teaching. Karen continues to develop evidence-based medicine, leadership, advocacy, and peer support, in both research and her ongoing clinical general practice.
Most recently her advocacy, research and lifetime experience have coalesced into running for RACGP President after her service as deputy chair of the Victorian Faculty of the RACGP and past chair of the Women in General Practice committee of the RACGP. Karen was elected RACGP President in the 2020 national election. She commenced her two-year term on 30 November 2020.

Professor Dorothy Keefehas led Cancer Australia, Australia’s national cancer agency, since 2019.Prior to this she had a long and distinguished career as a medical oncologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and as Professor of Cancer Medicine at the University of Adelaide, where she remains an Honorary Clinical Professor.Her long-term research interest is in Supportive Care in Cancer and she is a past-President of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC). She has led cancer services at all levels, as well as health reform in South Australia. She has a Master’s in Medical Leadership and a strong interest in advocacy, career development and mentoring.She is committed to patient-centred care, reducing unnecessary variation in cancer outcomes, and to improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. During her tenure as CEO of Cancer Australia, she has led the enquiry into Lung Cancer Screening for Australia, and started work on the first national Australian Cancer Plan.