VCCC Annual Report 2018-19
This year's triumph has been bringing to life the innovative, game-changing programs that make up the VCCC Strategic Research Plan 2017-20.
The Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) is a powerful alliance of 10 leading research, academic and clinical institutions working together to accelerate and amplify leading-edge cancer research, knowledge and expertise to benefit the Victorian community.
VCCC programs support and enable the alliance members to work strategically and collaboratively together, integrating cancer research, clinical trials and education, to enable and accelerate the translation of scientific evidence into patient and community benefit.
With the support of the Victorian Government, the VCCC seeks to reinforce Victoria’s position at the forefront of research-led, consumer-informed, cancer prevention, detection, treatment and patient care.
Peter Mac is Australia’s only integrated cancer research, treatment and education centre, with multidisciplinary teams that provide care informed by precision in fundamental, translational and clinical research.
The Royal Melbourne Hospital (Melbourne Health) provides high-quality cancer treatment programs, translational research, and surgical and medical expertise, as well as other key support services such as clinical care and emergency medicine.
Australia’s first ranked research university and medical school, the university provides academic and research expertise to the alliance.
The Women’s provides specialist cancer services for women with breast and gynecological cancer and conducts research into the treatment and care of women with cancer, as well as the specific impacts of gender on cancer.
The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute is one of Australia’s leading biomedical research organisations, with a strong national and international reputation for performing highly influential basic and translational research.
The Children’s Cancer Centre is the only provider of complex children’s cancer care and stem cell transplantation in Victoria and is a leader in the research and treatment of childhood cancer.
Western Health is the largest provider of treatment for colorectal cancer and a leader in the treatment of upper gastro-intestinal cancers with programs in breast, lung, genitourinary, gynaecology and haematological cancer.
Western Health has on-site radiation therapy and chemotherapy facilities and has a strong palliative care service.
A leader in palliative care practice and complex cancer surgery, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne also provides oncology and haematology services, on-site radiation therapy and chemotherapy facilities, in addition the hospital houses the Victorian-wide psycho-oncology service.
The hospital shares its campus with St Vincent's Institute, which has fundamental and clinical researchers working on mechanisms of cancer and diseases of cancer survivorship.
The Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre at Austin Health provides world-leading specialist treatment and holistic care including clinical trials both independently and in partnership with the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) – a leader in the development of experimental and breakthrough cancer treatments only metres from where patients are cared for.
The MCRI is a leader in understanding the underlying mechanisms and treatment of paediatric cancer and is home to the Children’s Cancer Tissue bank; a world class resource for researchers studying rare solid tumours and leukemia.
Peter Mac is Australia’s only integrated cancer research, treatment and education centre, with multidisciplinary teams that provide care informed by precision in fundamental, translational and clinical research.
The Royal Melbourne Hospital (Melbourne Health) provides high-quality cancer treatment programs, translational research, and surgical and medical expertise, as well as other key support services such as clinical care and emergency medicine.
Australia’s first ranked research university and medical school, the university provides academic and research expertise to the alliance.
The Women’s provides specialist cancer services for women with breast and gynecological cancer and conducts research into the treatment and care of women with cancer, as well as the specific impacts of gender on cancer.
The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute is one of Australia’s leading biomedical research organisations, with a strong national and international reputation for performing highly influential basic and translational research.
The Children’s Cancer Centre is the only provider of complex children’s cancer care and stem cell transplantation in Victoria and is a leader in the research and treatment of childhood cancer.
Western Health is the largest provider of treatment for colorectal cancer and a leader in the treatment of upper gastro-intestinal cancers with programs in breast, lung, genitourinary, gynaecology and haematological cancer.
Western Health has on-site radiation therapy and chemotherapy facilities and has a strong palliative care service.
A leader in palliative care practice and complex cancer surgery, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne also provides oncology and haematology services, on-site radiation therapy and chemotherapy facilities, in addition the hospital houses the Victorian-wide psycho-oncology service.
The hospital shares its campus with St Vincent's Institute, which has fundamental and clinical researchers working on mechanisms of cancer and diseases of cancer survivorship.
The Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre at Austin Health provides world-leading specialist treatment and holistic care including clinical trials both independently and in partnership with the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) – a leader in the development of experimental and breakthrough cancer treatments only metres from where patients are cared for.
The MCRI is a leader in understanding the underlying mechanisms and treatment of paediatric cancer and is home to the Children’s Cancer Tissue bank; a world class resource for researchers studying rare solid tumours and leukemia.
In this new decade, with female representation on Australian company boards at less than 30 per cent, the VCCC alliance challenges the national trend and women account for the majority of board members and committee chairs.
To celebrate in the lead-up to International Women’s Day 2020, join us for a special Monday Lunch Live lecture: Women in Collaborative Leadership, featuring a panel of board and committee chairs as they discuss the qualities needed by leaders in collaborative environments to drive innovation and culture change.
Congratulations to the eight nurses from VCCC member hospitals who are being supported to undertake nurse-led research training and development during the next 12-weeks.
The nurses have been successful in gaining a place in the VCCC Nurse-led Research Partnership Post program and will dedicate two days each week to honing their research skills. With the support of experienced researchers, the nurses will focus on how to transform a clinical question into a research question; effectively search and critique literature. They will also learn different approaches to clinical research; how to design and structure a project and what is required to gain ethics approval.
In 2019, the number of patients with cancer living in a regional area who received clinical trial treatment close to home increased by 34 per cent, with growth across Bendigo, Albury Wodonga, Ballarat, Shepparton, Warrnambool and Geelong, according to Victoria’s Regional Trials Network.
Almost a fifth of the total regional cancer clinical trial patients are participating in a targeted therapy trial via the teletrials model. Teletrials enable clinical trials to be conducted in regional areas using digital platforms, such as telehealth, and collaborative partnerships to establish trial treatment delivery.
The expansion of clinical trials in Victoria is offering the prospect of a fulfilling career for young science graduates.
The 2020 internships got underway this week enabling the successful participants to gain the requisite knowledge and skills to contribute to the clinical trials workforce. They will undergo a comprehensive training program and receive mentoring to competitively position them for an ongoing role in the field.
Brad McNally was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2016 while working in radio on the Gold Coast. Throughout his life he has been a keen runner and is passionate about martial arts.
“It had never crossed my mind that I would get cancer,” says Brad. “You’re just oblivious, aren’t you?
Brad underwent an awake craniotomy in Melbourne. “I have never been so scared in my life. I could hear the saw and it scared the hell out of me. I remember the surgery was scheduled for Sunday morning about 7.00am and I remarked to my surgeon that I hoped she wasn’t hungover."
A speedy way to share mutual respect
The Woodward Conference Centre felt like the foyer of one of Melbourne’s concert venues on Tuesday evening. But it wasn’t War Horse or the latest MTC play creating the buzz, it was the first-ever VCCC speed networking event between cancer consumers, clinicians, researchers, allied health and nursing professionals hosted by VCCC and the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.
Associate Professor Niall Corcoran, VCCC Research & Education Lead for GU cancers, would like to invite you to register for a special VCCC symposium addressing the rapid development of immunotherapies in GU malignancies.
Women in Collaborative Leadership
As we begin a new decade, Australian company boards remain dominated by men, with female representation still sitting at less than 30 per cent. That’s not the case at the VCCC alliance, where women make up the majority of Board Members and committee chairs. Indeed, most of these women are CEOs of their home institutions.
Cancer research projects are increasingly growing in size and complexity in terms of data sets collected and analyses performed. Genome sequencing and related technologies enable many different cellular processes to be interrogated at high resolution, and consequently new bioinformatics techniques and tools are required to interpret the data.
This forum hosted by the VCCC aims to provide an opportunity for discussion amongst those working in the field and seeks to identify collaborative opportunities. We welcome all those interested in building connectivity across the alliance and more broadly in Melbourne, regionally and internationally.
An exceptional opportunity to work in partnership with world-leading organisations to drive research, teaching and training, and clinical care delivery.
The Children's Cancer Foundation Chair is a new leadership position made possible by generous funding from the Children’s Cancer Foundation in collaboration with key Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) partners: The University of Melbourne, The Royal Children’s Hospital, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI).
Highest quality research and clinical facilities and support will be provided to ensure that you are able to drive and deliver productive, ground-breaking collaborations across the world-leading Melbourne Biomedical Precinct as well as with paediatric clinical and research groups nationally and internationally.
The Melbourne Business School is offering an open programs scholarship for a woman from a VCCC member organisation to participate in their Leading for Organisational Impact: The Looking Glass Experience program.
WEHI offers fellowships to support Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander researchers to leverage the expertise of an Institute laboratory and associated research infrastructure to advance their research and develop their scientific skills and experience. Fellows will be part of a workplace that is actively committed to inclusion and enabling all our people to flourish.
Fellows can range from PhD students who have completed their confirmation of candidature, through to mid-career researchers. Clinicians with an interest in research are also welcome to apply. Researchers not currently employed/enrolled to study at the Institute will be given preference.