This session features a dynamic panel of five emerging leaders in survivorship research, healthcare, and consumer advocacy. They will explore their visions of leadership and discuss how they are shaping the future of cancer survivorship. Topics include defining leadership in this field, overcoming barriers, and leveraging enablers to build capacity. Panellists will share practical strategies and recommendations to enhance leadership development in survivorship care, aiming to inspire transformative change.
Speakers: Ashley Bigaran, Harry Gasper, Jodie Lydeker, Mijan Rahman, Anna Ugalde
Dr. Ashley Bigaran, PhD is a dynamic leader in supportive and survivorship cancer care, serving as the Operations Manager and Senior Accredited Exercise Physiologist for the Wellness and Supportive Care Program at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer & Wellness Centre, Austin Health. She leads a highly regarded multidisciplinary team of medical, nursing, allied health professionals, and complementary therapists, delivering transformative, person-centred care across all stages of the cancer experience.
Dr Bigaran's clinical and research expertise centres on assessing the effectiveness and economic impact of integrative oncology and supportive care interventions throughout the cancer journey, with a recognised specialisation in pre-surgical optimisation and exercise oncology.
In addition to her leadership roles, Dr Bigaran holds adjunct academic appointments with the Department of Surgery at the University of Melbourne and the Clinical Innovations Laboratory at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute. She also contributes her expertise to organisations, including the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia, the Australian Centre for Transplantation Excellence and Research, Exercise & Sports Science Australia, and Ovarian Cancer Australia. Dr Bigaran has established herself as a strategic and compassionate leader, championing person-centred models of holistic cancer care for all people with cancer.
Before being diagnosed with breast cancer at 40 and again at 42, Jodie Lydeker was a public sector executive leading national and state-wide changes in criminal justice, education, mental health, and anti-corruption. Her diagnoses led her towards public health and consumer leadership with organisations such as BCNA and Western Health.
Jodie now owns a consulting company working with health organisations. She holds tertiary qualifications in law, business, and implementation science and has certifications in clinical governance, change management, community engagement, and board directorship. Jodie is also a part-time statutory decision-maker for the national child sex abuse redress scheme.
I am a research fellow at the Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW. My primary research focus is cancer epidemiology and health service research, with a particular focus on disparities in survival outcomes of cancer patients, social determinants of health and health outcomes, health trajectories, patterns of care and health research use. He has a strong interest in the development and applications of statistical methodology for the analysis of multivariate event history data. I completed PhD in Clinical Epidemiology and Medical Statistics from the University of Newcastle in 2020, following the completion of a Master of Science in Gerontology from the University of Southampton.
I am also a COSA Survivorship Fellow 2023. Under this fellowship, I am currently coordinating and leading a project titled ‘Chronic disease GP Management (GPMP) and Team Care Arrangements (TCA)’ over the next year under the mentorship of Prof Gail Garvey (The University of Queensland) and A/P Nicolas Hart (University Technology Sydney). Using multiple linked administrative datasets, our project will identify GPMP and TCA item use, frequency and healthcare use post-cancer diagnosis for First Nations People and non-Indigenous Australians in Queensland.
Professor Anna Ugalde leads a research program delivering improvements in cancer care at Deakin University. She is a Victorian Cancer Agency fellow and is the principal investigator of the ECORRA Program (Equitable Cancer Outcomes across Rural and Remote Australia), which consists of a series of projects aiming to reduce cancer inequities for rural Australians. She provides research consultation to state and federal government, is the recipient of several national and international research awards, and leads an interdisciplinary team of 10 academics at various career stages.
This session delves into strategies for tailoring cancer care to the individual needs of people affected by cancer. Speakers will explore cutting-edge scientific approaches to survivorship care management, focusing on personalised plans that address unique health profiles and risk factors. Topics include the integration of genomics and symptom science to inform personalised cancer care; modulation of the gut microbiome to target treatment toxicity and responses; modulation of treatment efficacy; tumour biology, and cancer-specific outcomes through exercise medicine; and pre-clinical research to understand the mechanisms underpinning symptoms that may form the basis of future therapeutic targets.
Attendees will gain insights into innovative methods for monitoring and supporting cancer survivors; and equip healthcare professionals and people affected by cancer with actionable knowledge to improve survivorship outcomes through individualised care strategies.
Learn from one of our experts about their highlights and key takeaways from the posters
Many survivors are at risk of long-term and late effects as a result of cancer and cancer treatments. Many survivors are unaware of the risk of significant effects occurring, months or years after completing treatment at the time when their involvement with cancer service may be reduced. While late effect clinics are available in the paediatric setting, they are not routinely available to adult survivors and delivering at scale can be challenging given the numbers of people at risk. This session will consider how best to manage the risk of late effects using endocrine dysfunction as an example and consider potential models of care delivery for adult and paediatric survivors.
The COSA Model of Survivorship Care advocates care that is: survivor centred, coordinated and integrated across multiple levels of care, and equitably accessible. Amplifying the patient voice using patient reported outcomes, empowering patients to understand the complex health system using patient navigators, and enabling patients to choose models of survivorship care that suit their needs have enabled steps towards this ideal. But how much progress have we made towards implementing these advances in the real world, especially for priority populations? Are we walking the walk or just talking the talk?