Presenters and Chairs

Abstract

A/Prof Emma Allanson Gynecological Oncologist, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth, Western Australia. A/Prof Allanson is a gynecological oncologist with the Western Australian Gynaecological Cancer Service.

Dr Kim Tam (Tam) Bui Medical Oncologist and Medical Director of the Medical Oncology Clinical Trials Unit, Concord Cancer Centre, Sydney, New South Wales. Dr Bui recently completed a PhD on “scanxiety” as part of her quest to improve the patient experience. Her other interests include digital patient pathways and medical officer wellbeing.

Dr Tamara Butler Research Fellow, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland. Dr Butler is a Research Fellow and an Aboriginal woman interested in improving gynecological cancer outcomes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Mrs Liesel Byrne eviQ—ADDIKD Implementation Lead, Cancer Institute NSW, Sydney, New South Wales. Liesel is a cancer pharmacist and has many years of cancer pharmacy experience across Sydney teaching hospitals both in adults and pediatrics before moving to eviQ. Currently, Liesel is leading the implementation of the Anticancer Drug Dosing in Kidney Dysfunction (ADDIKD) Guideline recommendations into eviQ protocols and content.

Prof Richard Carey Smith Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia. Prof Carey Smith is a specialist adult and pediatric orthopedic surgeon who has specific expertise in orthopedic oncology (primary and secondary bone and soft tissue tumors), hip and knee surgery (primary and complex revision surgery), and osseointegration surgery. He is an examiner for the Royal College of Surgeons Orthopaedic trainees and is heavily involved in many Orthopedic and Sarcoma boards.

A/Prof Timothy Clay Medical Oncologist, St John of God Subiaco Perth, Western Australia. A/Prof Clay is general medical oncologist in private practice in Western Australia. In addition to clinical care, he has an interest in clinical trials and training junior clinicians in clinical research.

Prof Paul Cohen Clinical Professor, University of Western Australia and St John of God Subiaco Hospital, Perth, Western Australia. Professor Cohen's research interests include patient-reported outcomes and the supportive care of women affected by gynecological malignancies, gynecological cancer genetics, the epidemiology of gynecological malignancies, and biomarkers to predict histological tumor regression in women with high-grade serous tubo-ovarian cancer following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. He is Chair of the International Gynaecological Cancer Society Education Committee and the Australia and New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG) Research Advisory Committee, past chair of the ANZGOG Annual Scientific Meeting, and a board member of ANZGOG.

Dr Michelle Cronje Medical Oncologist, St John of God Health Care, Perth, Western Australia. Dr Cronje is a medical oncologist with a special interest in gynecologic oncology and breast cancer.

A/Prof Connie Diakos Medical Oncologist, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales. Dr Diakos is a medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of gastrointestinal, gynecological, breast, and neuroendocrine tumors. She is also a translational researcher focusing on inflammation and the immune response in malignancy.

Dr Chandra Diwakarla Medical Oncologist, Royal Perth Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Western Australia. Dr Diwakarla is a medical oncologist with an interest in breast and head and neck cancers. She is currently completing research investigating the role of novel therapeutics for the management of triple negative breast cancer, at the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University. She has previously worked at multiple rural sites and is keen to promote equity of care. Dr Diwakarla is also passionate about fostering the careers of up-and-coming oncologists through her work as prior chair of the Young Oncology Group of Australia and ongoing role in teaching and mentorship. She runs the education program for oncology trainees at Fiona Stanley Hospital and is involved in several projects aimed at improving quality of life outcomes for patients.

A/Prof Melissa Eastgate Medical Oncologist, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland. A/Prof Eastgate is the Deputy Director of Medical Oncology at the RBWH, and the acting Stream Lead for Metro North Cancer Care Services. She is a senior medical oncologist at the RBWH with her main clinical interests being melanoma and gastrointestinal cancers, in which areas she is an active researcher. A/Prof Eastgate established and chairs the Melanoma MDT at the RBWH and is the current Deputy Chair of MOGA. She has a strong interest in enabling access to care for patients, having provided outreach services to Bundaberg for 9 years, and currently is the medical lead of the Telechemotherapy service in Longreach.

Dr Andrew Fantoni Medical Oncology Research Fellow, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Western Australia. Dr Fantoni is the Western Australia Cancer and Palliative Care Network Research Fellow and a Medical Oncology Advanced Trainee at Fiona Stanley Hospital.

Prof Pablo Fernandez-Penas Head of Department, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales. Prof Fernandez-Penas is Professor of Dermatology, Joint Head of the Specialty of Dermatology and Director of the Centre for Translational Skin Research at the University of Sydney, Head of the Department of Dermatology at Westmead Hospital, Lead of the Melanoma Laboratories at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, and NSW Lead of the ACRF Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis. He opened the Dermatology Comprehensive Clinical Centre at Westmead Hospital and set up the Dermatology Clinical Trials and Research Unit, with immunohistochemistry and proteomic platforms, a Dermatology Tissue bank, and a Dermatology Imaging Unit. He has been principal investigator in 19 projects in Australia and has participated in more than 70 clinical trials for melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancer, cutaneous lymphoma, hidradenitis, eczema, and psoriasis.

Ms Kay Francis Medical Oncology Group of Australia Executive Officer, BA (Hons), MA (Hons), MBA, UNESCO Grad Dip, Bicentennial Fellow. Prior to joining MOGA in 2007 as the first full-time, Executive Officer, Kay's career path had taken her from archaeology and the tertiary sector through to arts, heritage, and cultural management, including senior roles at the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation and as General Manager of both the Biennale of Sydney and the Queensland Ballet. Her extensive senior management skills and unfailing strategic focus have contributed to the growth and development of MOGA as a dynamic, responsive, and supportive professional organization for the Australian Medical Oncology Profession.

Mrs Tracey Gentle Assertive Outreach, St Patrick's Community Support Centre Fremantle, Perth, Western Australia. Tracey is an Assertive Outreach worker within the alcohol and other drugs sector assisting those people who are wanting to address their substance use.

Dr Piyush Grover Medical Oncologist and Immuno-oncology Research Fellow, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth Western Australia. Dr Grover is a Medical Oncologist and an Immuno-Oncology Research Fellow at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. He returned to WA after undertaking a clinical and research fellowship at the Melanoma Institute Australia. Dr Grover completed his medical degree with first class honors from the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle in 2015. Prior to medicine, He worked as a clinical pharmacist and was the runner-up for New Zealand's Young Pharmacist of the Year in 2011.

A/Prof Bishal Gyawali Medical Oncologist, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. A/Prof Gyawali is a medical oncologist and an associate professor in medical oncology and public health sciences and a scientist in the Division of Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Queen's University. He did his cancer policy fellowship at Harvard Medical School and previously served as a medical consultant for the not-for-profit Anticancer Fund. His clinical expertise is across multiple adult solid tumors, with special focus on GI, GU, and breast malignancies. His areas of academic interest include cancer policy, evidence-based oncology, financial toxicities of cancer treatment, clinical trial methods, supportive care, cancer care disparities, and global oncology. He is an expert for the WHO Drug Advisory Panel, a member of the WHO Essential Medicines List Committee for cancer drugs, ESMO-MCBS and ESMO Public Policy committees, and ASCO-Health Equity and Outcomes Committee.

Dr Hilda High Head, Sydney Cancer Genetics, Sydney, New South Wales. Dr Hilda High is a medical oncologist specializing in cancer genetics. She works in private practice and is head of Sydney Cancer Genetics. She sees patients via bulk billed TeleHealth consults and in clinics in Sydney. Hilda is a key member of the Australian Government's eviQ committee, developing and maintaining national guidelines on genetic testing and risk management protocols for heritable cancer syndromes.

Dr Florian Honeyball Medical Oncologist, Western New South Wales Local Health District, Dubbo, New South Wales. Dr Honeyball is a medical oncologist and general physician based in Western NSW with interests in genitourinary and gynecological cancers. His translational and health services research focuses on improving access to health care in rural and remote areas, and he currently sits on the executive of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia, chairing its Workforce Group.

Dr Tim Humphries Medical Oncologist, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Linear Clinical Research and Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia. Dr Humphries is a medical oncologist with an interest in sarcoma management, molecular testing, and early phase clinical trials. He completed his training in Western Australia and is part of the Oncology team at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Linear Clinical Research.

A/Prof Tom John Medical Oncologist, Deputy Director Medical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria. A/Prof John is a medical oncologist specializing in thoracic malignancies and genetics working at the Peter MacCallum hospital in Melbourne. He received his medical degree from Monash University and PhD from University of Melbourne in 2008. He is an associate editor for the Journal of Thoracic Oncology and is actively involved in clinical trials and translational research into lung cancer and mesothelioma. He chairs the Scientific committee for The Thoracic Oncology Group Australasia and is on the faculty for the ESMO lung cancer program.

Dr Deme Karikios Medical Oncologist, Nepean Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales. Dr Karikios is a medical oncologist at Nepean Hospital in Sydney with clinical and research interest in thoracic and gastrointestinal malignancies. He also has a research interest in costs and value of anticancer drugs, and decisions about treatment with expensive unsubsidized anticancer drugs. He was awarded his PhD in 2019, entitled “The consequences of rising anticancer drug costs in Australia” which he undertook at the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney. Dr Karikios is a co-supervisor of several PhD students and is a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Sydney. He has an interest in cancer care policy and is the current Chair of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia.

Dr Kim Kennedy Medical Oncologist, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia. Dr Kennedy is a medical oncologist working at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, St John of God Midland Hospital, and a Head and Neck Cancer Research Fellow at Fiona Stanley Hospital. Her tumor streams of interest include head and neck cancer, lung, breast, gastro-intestinal, and neuroendocrine tumors.

A/Prof Matteo Lambertini University of Genova and IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martin, Genoa, Italy. A/Prof Lambertini is associate professor and consultant in medical oncology at the University of Genova – IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino in Geno, Italy. He is mainly focused on the care of breast cancer patients and is deeply involved in breast cancer research. A/Prof Lambertini has a particular expertise in the management of breast cancer in young women, with a specific attention to the fertility and pregnancy-related issues that they have to face after diagnosis.

Dr Annette Lim Medical Oncologist, Clinician Researcher, Peter Maccallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria. Dr Lim is a head and neck cancer subspecialized medical oncologist.

Dr Louisa Lo Consultant Medical Oncologist, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia. Dr Lo is a medical oncologist at SCGH and Perth Breast Cancer Institute, BCRC-WA. She completed medical oncology specialty training in Adelaide, with a subsequent breast cancer fellowship at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. With the support of RACP, NHMCRC, and NBCF PhD scholarships, Dr Lo has completed a PhD in ctDNA use in breast cancer at University of Melbourne (Petermac).

Dr Chris Lomma Medical Oncologist, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Western Australia

Dr James Lynam Director of Medical Oncology, Calvary Mater Newcastle, New South Wales. Dr Lynam leads the Medical Oncology Unit at Calvary Mater Newcastle and is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Newcastle. He is the principal investigator for many local, national, and international interventional trials. Dr Lynam has experience in research related to predictive biomarkers, therapeutic drug monitoring, implementation of novel information technology into cancer care, and psychosocial impacts of disease and treatment on patients. His other research areas include genitourinary cancers, gastrointestinal cancers, brain cancers, and quality of life. Dr Lynam is a member of the Executive Committee of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia.

Dr Andrew McLean-Tooke Consultant Immunologist, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia. Dr McLean-Tooke is a clinical immunologist at Sir Charles Gairdner and Perth Childrens Hospitals, and Immunopathologist and Head of Department for the PathWest Immunology Laboratory at QEII Medical Centre. These services provide a comprehensive clinical and diagnostic service in all aspects of clinical immunology. His clinical interests focus primarily on autoimmunity, vaccine safety, and primary immunodeficiencies.

A/Prof Catriona McNeil Senior Staff Specialist, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Sydney, New South Wales. A/Prof McNeil is a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer.

Dr Rhiannon Mellor Medical Oncology Fellow, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Sydney, New South Wales. Dr Mellor is the current National Trainee Representative for MOGA. She is a medical oncology fellow at Chris O'Brien Lifehouse and a PhD candidate at the Garvan Institute, Sydney.

Prof Linda Mileshkin Director of Medical Oncology, Peter Maccallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria. Prof Mileshkin is a medical oncologist and a clinical researcher with a particular interest in the treatment of gynecological cancers. She is the Director of Medical Oncology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the Clinical Trials Lead for Gynae-Oncology in the Parkville Cancer Clinical Trials Unit, and the Chair of the Gynaecological Oncology Group for the Clinical Oncology Group of Australia. She is also very involved in the Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG) as the chair of the Endometrial Cancer Research Initiative (EDEN) and a member of multiple sub-committees including the Research Advisory Committee.

Dr Anna Mislang Medical Oncologist, Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, South Australia. Dr Mislang specializes in Geriatric Oncology at Flinders Centre in Innovation in Cancer and is passionate about improving the cancer care and survivorship of older adults with cancer. She is the co-chair of the SIOG COVID-19 Working Group and facilitated the prioritization of vaccination and cancer care of older adults during the pandemic. She oversees both clinical and translational research involving various tumor streams including breast, GI, GU, lung, melanoma, and CNS, and is the Principal Investigator of several Phase 1 trials involving immune checkpoint inhibitors. She forms part of the Executive of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia and advocates for the wellbeing in the cancer workforce.

Dr Bella Nguyen Medical Oncologist, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Western Australia. Dr Nguyen is a medical oncologist at Fiona Stanley Hospital, and is pursuing a PhD in head and neck cancer biomarkers. She has an interest in head and neck, thyroid, and endocrine malignancies.

Dr Nicola O'Neil Medical Oncologist, Cancer Genetics Fellow, Genetic Services of WA, Perth, Western Australia. Dr O'Neil is a medical oncologist who is currently completing cancer genetics training at the Genetics Service of WA. She is the current Young Oncologist Group of Australia Chair.

Prof Phillip Parente Director Cancer Services, Eastern Health, Melbourne, Victoria. Prof Parente completed training in Medical Oncology in 2001 and undertook a Fellowship in Immunology and Melanoma at Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at Austin Health. He worked as a medical oncologist at both Eastern Health and Austin Health. His current role is the Director of Cancer Services Eastern Health and consultant medical oncologist at Epworth Eastern. His main areas of interest are genitourinary cancers, lung cancers, and melanoma and he is considered a clinical lead in these areas of oncology. He is a senior member of the National Examining Panel and past chair Advanced Trainee Committee Medical Oncology for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. He is the current Treasurer and Executive Member of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia.

A/Prof Andrew Redfern Medical Oncologist, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Western Australia. A/Prof Redfern is Associate Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Western Australia, Associate Director for Clinical Strategy at Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Consultant Medical Oncologist at the Fiona Stanley Hospital, and Medical Director of Linear Clinical Research specializing in early phase human trials. Beyond a clinical practice treating breast and urological cancers, he is principal investigator for a range of clinical trials across all phases and has a portfolio of translational research initiatives. He is chairman and lead clinician of the State Breast Cancer Collaborative and is on scientific advisory boards for the Cancer Council of Western Australia, the Australasian Breast Cancer Trials Group, the ANZ Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group, and the Genomics Cancer Clinical Trials Initiative.

Dr Aflah Roohullah Medical Oncologist, Chair, Advanced Training Committee-Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Sydney, Australia

A/Prof Amitesh Roy Consultant Oncologist, Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, Adelaide, South Australia. A/Prof Roy is a senior medical oncologist and his clinical interests include management of gastrointestinal, hepato-pancreatic, neuro-endocrine, melanoma, and lung malignancies. He is the current deputy chair of the Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group (AGITG) upper GI working party and member of the AGITG, Melanoma and Skin Cancer trials group Scientific Advisory Committees and MOGA GI cancer stream expert committee. He is a lead researcher in several investigator initiated cooperative clinical trials and has co-authored >80 peer reviewed publications, conference abstracts, guideline documents, and book chapters. He is involved in several clinical and translational research projects within the clinical trials unit at Flinders Centre and has an academic affiliation with the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University.

Dr Mandy Taylor Consultant Radiation Oncologist, ICON and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Dalkeith, Western Australia. Dr Taylor is a consultant radiation oncologist sub-specializing in management of sarcoma, breast, neuro-oncology, and pediatrics. Working across public and private health sectors. Previously she was an examiner for the Faculty of Radiation Oncology at the College of Radiologists and is currently Director of Radiation Oncology Training Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.

Prof Sandra Thompson Director and Professor of Rural Health, Western Australian Centre For Rural Health, University Of Western Australia, Geraldton, Western Australia. Prof Thompson is a public health physician with a background in science, health policy and management, and research and evaluation and has been Director of the Western Australian Centre for Rural Health and Professor of Rural Health since February 2010. She has broad experience and wide-ranging interests related to addressing health disparities. Her research interests include rural and Aboriginal health, prevention and management of chronic diseases, strengthening primary health care, systems and quality improvement, and the attraction/retention of health professionals in rural areas.

Prof Janette Vardy Professor of Cancer Medicine, University of Sydney, New South Wales. Prof Vardy is Professor of Cancer Medicine at the University of Sydney and a medical oncologist at Concord Cancer Centre, where she is Director of the Sydney Cancer Survivorship Centre. She founded and co-leads the University of Sydney Survivorship Research Group with A/Prof Haryana Dhillon. She is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant. Her research interests are focused on survivorship issues, in particular cognitive function, exercise, and multi-disciplinary delivery of care.

Prof Desmond Yip Senior Staff Specialist, The Canberra Hospital, Garran, Australian Capital Territory. Prof Yip is a Senior Staff Specialist in Medical Oncology at The Canberra Hospital and Professor at the Australian National University School of Medicine and Psychology. His main clinical and research interests are in gastrointestinal oncology. He is an executive member of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia, treasurer of the Private Cancer Physicians of Australian, and Chair of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Global Oncology Group.