SKÅNE UNIVERSITY COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER

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Dr Gabriel Adrian is a specialist in oncology at Skåne University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sweden. He has a PhD in radiotherapy, and is associate professor at Lund University, Sweden.

Dr Adrian is running a radiobiology lab in Lund, with a focus on fractionation studies and FLASH radiotherapy, a novel type of ultra-high dose rate irradiation with promising results for sparing normal tissue. He is engaged in clinical head and neck cancer studies and is co-PI for two ongoing trials. He is member of the Swedish head & neck cancer trial group ARTSCAN. Currently, he is pursuing a Research Fellowship at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane.

UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND (WAIPAPA TAUMATA RAU)

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Laird is a thoracic Medical Oncologist. He has been working in Auckland (Te Puriri o Te Ora, Auckland Hospital and Canopy Cancer Care) since completing his fellowship in lung and head & neck malignancies at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in 2016.  As a clinician researcher his areas of interest are lung cancer, precision oncology and equity. He is a senior lecturer in the Department of Oncology at the University of Auckland where he currently leads an HRC funded project titled "Optimising immunotherapy for Māori with advanced NSCLC". He is the current president of New Zealand Society for Oncology, NZ representative on the Thoracic Oncology Group of Australasia scientific committee and a founding member of the NZ Lung Oncology Special Interest Group. 

GENESISCARE

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June was the Head of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center H&N Service for 15 years and is now working with GenesisCare St Vincents Hospital Melbourne as a H&N radiation oncology and Chair of the GCC National Research Group. She has served as the President of the ANZHNCS, TROG Executive/Publications/ANROTAT committees, and the Chair of WCMICS and VCOG. She was a founding member of IAOO and currently co-PI of an NPC IAEA project. She is on the Editorial board of JCO, IJROBP, OO and H&N journals. She has published over 160 manuscripts in peer review journals and multiple book chapters. She has a strong belief in collaborative clinical research and patient advocacy.

PETER MACCALLUM CANCER

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A/Prof Steven David is a clinician-researcher at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Icon Cancer Centre in Melbourne. Steven has been the lead investigator in many clinical trials with a focus on the use of high-dose precision radiation (SABR) for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer, either alone or in combination with systemic therapy.

SIR CHARLES GAIRDNER HOSPITAL

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Martin is Director of Physics Research in Radiation Oncology at the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Western Australia, and a member of the Medical Physics Research Group at the University of Western Australia. Martin’s involvement in TROG activities commenced in 2000 with the development of a system to collect digital treatment planning data. Since then, his focus has been the use of clinical trials data to interpret and translate their outcomes. He is honoured to have served TROG as Chair of the Secondary Data Analysis Committee since 2017 and is hoping to see the optimal use of TROG’s valuable and hard-earned data assets.

CURTIN UNIVERSITY

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Professor Georgia Halkett (PhD, FASMIRT, BMedRad(Hons), GAICD) is an experienced researcher and the Director of Graduate Research in the Curtin School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University. Georgia joined the TROG Board in 2024.

Georgia practiced as a radiation therapist before moving into research. Georgia’s current program of research focuses on understanding and addressing cancer patients and carers’ psychosocial and information needs, communication between health professionals and cancer patients, cancer survivorship and research in radiation therapy.

Since 2007 Georgia has been leading projects focused on understanding and addressing the support needs of brain cancer patients and their carers. With funding from Cancer Australia, she led the Care-IS Trial, a randomised controlled trial of a supportive educational intervention for carers of patients with high-grade glioma. She recently presented this work as an invited speaker at the European Association of Neuro-Oncology annual conference. She is also a collaborating investigator on the MRFF BRAINS (Brain Cancer Rehabilitation Assessment Intervention for Survivorship NeedS) program of research. Georgia has developed expertise in using different research methodologies including RCTs, mixed methods studies and qualitative exploratory studies and mentored Higher Degree by Research students in these methodologies.

PETER MACCALLUM CANCER CENTRE

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Professor Trevor Leong is a consultant Radiation Oncologist and past Director of Radiation Oncology at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. He is the immediate past President of TROG and prior to this, he chaired the TROG Scientific Committee. He holds senior leadership positions within the medical research and oncology communities including the Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group (AGITG), the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), and the International Gastric Cancer Association (IGCA).

Professor Leong is an active clinician researcher who is involved in both translational research programs as well as clinical research. He is internationally recognised as a leader in the management and research of gastrointestinal cancers. He has been continuously funded by NHMRC since 2009, and he is the inaugural recipient of the NHMRC David Cooper Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Award, that was awarded in 2022 for research excellence.

ROYAL BRISBANE AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL

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Dr Penny Mackenzie is a Radiation Oncologist specialising in the care of patients with Breast Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer, and Complex Skin cancers. Penny also has a special interest in Geriatric Oncology and is completing a PhD on Geriatric Oncology and Radiotherapy.

Penny completed her specialist radiation oncology training in Brisbane followed by an overseas fellowship in Breast Cancer at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Canada in 2013/2014. Penny is the Director of Radiation Oncology at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

Penny is also a committee member at the Cancer Alliance (QLD) on both The Partnership Committee (QLD Cancer Control Safety and Quality Partnership), and the Radiation Oncology Committee. Penny is also the inaugural chair of the Geriatric Oncology Committee at the Cancer Alliance.

THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

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Andrew Martin is inaugural Professor of Innovative Clinical Trials and leads the University of Queensland’s cLinical Trials cApability (ULTRA) program. Before that Andrew was Professor in the biostatistics group at the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre University of Sydney. He has made original, innovative, and distinguished contributions to methodological research, as well as the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of clinical research that has had an impact at an international level policy, practice, and subsequent research programs.

TOWNSVILLE JUSTICE GROUP

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Karl is an Aboriginal man, a descendant of the Parundji people of northwestern New South Wales, and a proud Koori man. He is the Townsville Community Justice Group Chair and is on the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, the Queensland Parole Board, the Queensland Law Reform Commission, and the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Expert Reference Committee.

TOWNSVILLE CANCER CENTRE

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Professor Sabe Sabesan BMBS PhD FRACP is a senior Medical Oncologist at the Townsville Cancer Centre and the Clinical Director of the Australian Teletrial Program, Office of Research and Innovation, Queensland Health. He led the development of state and national  guidelines for various teleoncology models including Queensland Remote Chemotherapy supervision model and the Australasian Teletrial model to improve access to high quality care closer to home for RRR communities. As the President of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia, he plans to advocate for equitable health systems and healthy workplace culture as the foundation for workforce wellbeing using the COSA workplace culture framework.

DEAKIN UNIVERSITY

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Professor Anna Ugalde PhD is a health services and implementation researcher and Victorian Cancer Agency fellow. She is the Principal Investigator of the ECORRA Program (Equitable Cancer Outcomes Across Rural and Remote Australia), which consists of a series of projects focused on reducing rural cancer disparities. This includes the lead of a $4.9M Medical Research Future Fund Early Mid-Career Researcher Grant, to embed best practice cancer care into rural and remote health services. She focuses on research delivering sustainable and impactful programs for people affected by cancer, which has brought national and international awards for research excellence.

UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND (WAIPAPA TAUMATA RAU)

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Laird is a thoracic Medical Oncologist. He has been working in Auckland (Te Puriri o Te Ora, Auckland Hospital and Canopy Cancer Care) since completing his fellowship in lung and head & neck malignancies at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in 2016. As a clinician researcher his areas of interest are lung cancer, precision oncology and equity. He is a senior lecturer in the Department of Oncology at the University of Auckland where he currently leads an HRC funded project titled "Optimising immunotherapy for Māori with advanced NSCLC". He is the current president of New Zealand Society for Oncology, NZ representative on the Thoracic Oncology Group of Australasia scientific committee and a founding member of the NZ Lung Oncology Special Interest Group.

CANCER VOICES

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Lee was diagnosed with Grade 3 breast cancer in 2005 and faced a recurrence 13 years later. After a 40-year career in education, she joined Cancer Voices, leading the Consumers Involved in Research program. She contributes to MSAC applications, MBS submissions, and Cancer Council guidelines. Lee has supported regional radiation campaigns and was the consumer member on the Faculty of Radiation Oncology Council at RANZCR. Passionate about research, she collaborates with Professor Paul Keall at ACRF Image X Institute and has co-authored publications. She has presented at major conferences, including COSA, RANZCR, and Cure Cancer, advocating for patient-centered cancer care and research.

IMAGE X INSTITUTE

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Professor Paul Keall is an NHMRC Leadership Fellow and Director of the Image X Institute, a centre for innovation in radiation therapy and cancer imaging technologies at the University of Sydney. Technologies developed at the Image X Institute have been assessed in clinical trials such as the TROG 15.01 Stereotactic Prostate Adaptive Radiotherapy utilising KIM (Kilovoltage Intrafraction Monitoring) SPARK and TROG 17.03 Liver Ablative Radiotherapy utilizing Kilovoltage intrafraction monitoring (KIM) trials. Professor Keall works closely with industry partners to broadly apply research discoveries to have a real-world impact on the lives and livelihoods of cancer patients.

BRAIN CANCER AUSTRALIA

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Robyn has been an active brain cancer consumer representative for the past 18 years, providing input into the development of brain cancer clinical trials and initiating national projects to support research and optimise patient care in brain cancer. She has a long track record as an advocate, raising awareness for the brain cancer cause through her work with Cancer Australia, Cancer Council NSW and Cancer Institute NSW. Robyn has been a member of the Cooperative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology (COGNO) since the group’s inception in 2007, and currently sits on COGNO’s International Clinical Research Subcommittee. She was responsible for establishing the COGNO Consumer Advisory Panel (CAP) and developing the CAP protocols and training. As a member of the Australian Brain Cancer Mission Strategic Advisory Group, Robyn was a strong advocate for funding to develop Australia’s brain cancer research infrastructure. She is the Founder/Director of Brain Cancer Australia.

CANCER VOICES NSW

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Murray is Deputy Chair and Secretary of Cancer Voices NSW and a board member of Health Consumers NSW (the state’s peak health consumer organisation). Previously, he worked voluntarily for Cancer Council NSW, focusing on policy and advocacy on the NSW Central Coast.

He is also a consumer representative on the Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology (TROG) Cancer Research Board, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) Interventional Radiology and Artificial Intelligence committees, the Australian Cancer Data Network Translational Panel and the Sydney Health Partners Consumer Advisory Panel.

His personal cancer experiences include the death of his long-term partner from pancreatic cancer in 2007, and successful surgical intervention for prostate cancer in 2009.

Murray’s particular interests build on his career in the NSW public sector, focussing on working with decision makers and on policy development and implementation in the education and work health and safety environments, and his involvement over many years with Sydney’s LGBTIQA+ communities, including as president of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and chair of the board of the Sydney Star Observer media company.

NGĀTI  WHĀTUA. NGĀ PUHI. NGĀTI HINE

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Elana has a diagnosis of lung cancer and has been a member of Te Rōpu Kāwanatanga (TRK) since 2022. TRK is a group of Māori patients and whānau who have guided research priorities in New Zealand's northern region and now govern over research that has the potential to benefit Māori patients with lung cancer.

TOWNSVILLE CANCER CENTRE

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Professor Sabe Sabesan BMBS PhD FRACP is a senior Medical Oncologist at the Townsville Cancer Centre and the Clinical Director of the Australian Teletrial Program, Office of Research and Innovation, Queensland Health. He led the development of state and national  guidelines for various teleoncology models including Queensland Remote Chemotherapy supervision model and the Australasian Teletrial model to improve access to high quality care closer to home for RRR communities. As the President of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia, he plans to advocate for equitable health systems and healthy workplace culture as the foundation for workforce wellbeing using the COSA workplace culture framework.

WESTMEAD HOSPITAL

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Sandra Turner is a radiation oncologist at Westmead Hospital in Sydney and Clinical Professor at the University of Sydney. She has been an active member of TROG since her early career. She was the founding lead of the Targeting Cancer campaign and a founding FROGG executive member. Sandra has been on several TROG TMCs and has recruited many patients to TROG trials. She has held several volunteer education/training and other roles, notably Chief Censor, within FRO, RANZCR. Sandra has a strong passion for the practice of evidence-based medical education and educational scholarship. She is the course director of the successful interdisciplinary Foundations of Leadership in Radiation Oncology (FLiRO) program, a joint ESTRO-CARO-RANZCR initiative. More recently, Sandra was appointed as Clinical Lead of Professional Education across Western Sydney. In this role, Sandra leads a team focused on interdisciplinary leadership development programs for health professionals of all disciplines. Central to her advocacy, research and education/leadership development work has been the inclusion of the patient/consumer voice, drawing on their expertise and experience. Sandra is enthusiastic about promoting healthy partnerships with consumers for shared decision-making, as well for achieving successful health service and research outcomes.