In early September we welcomed the state government’s Victorian Cancer Plan 2024-2028, and acknowledged the strong alignment with our own five-year strategy.
In particular, we strongly support the initiatives around building the workforce capabilities of the cancer sector, and system design and delivery driven by research, data and intelligence. The importance of the continuing education of our cancer workers, and innovation driven by data and intelligence, cannot be overstated.
We look forward to continuing to work alongside the Victorian government and the cancer sector to deliver the Victorian Cancer Plan 2024-2028. Many thanks to our Board Chair, Professor Sanchia Aranda AM, for attending the launch of the plan. Read more about the Victorian Cancer Plan and the VCCC Alliance strategy here.
Professor Sanchia Aranda AM with Minister for Health, the Hon Mary-Anne Thomas MP at the launch of the Victorian Cancer Plan
One of the key principles of the Victorian Cancer Plan is that Every Victorian can expect equity of access and outcomes. We’re excited about the VCCC Alliance equity programs, funded in the 2024-25 Victorian State Budget, getting underway. These programs will improve the equitable delivery of cancer care – including to culturally diverse and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – and palliative care for those affected by cancer in regional Victoria. In this edition of Alliance, we’ll introduce you to Care Plus Extend, the palliative care project.
The European Society for Medical Oncology’s annual event, held in Barcelona this year, was inspiring as always and it was brilliant to see some of our members in attendance and presenting.
It was exciting to hear that novel therapeutics continue to develop at pace and scale, with cell therapies, sophisticated protein engineering and advances in small molecule chemistry – including protein degraders that offer the potential to inhibit ‘undruggable targets’ – up for discussion. Here are a few notable presentations:
Congratulations to our new Research and Education Leads who have been announced in this edition of Alliance. We’re proud of the leadership we continue to show in the areas of primary care, cancer nursing, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, Lung cancer and lung cancer screening, and regional and rural health.
Warmest congratulations to our long-term leader, Dr Dishan Herath on his appointment as Peter Mac’s next Chief Medical Officer. Dr Herath currently chairs the VCCC Alliance Cancer Research Advisory Committee, is Acting Executive Director, Digital Healthcare Innovation at Peter Mac, Head of Cancer Services at Western Health and Clinical Director of the Western and Central Melbourne Integrated Cancer Services (WCMICS). He was formerly Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) at Peter Mac and has been instrumental in the introduction and continual adaptation of the Epic Electronic Medical Record across Parkville Precinct health services. We wish him all the best in his new role.
I was also delighted to see three NHMRC Synergy Grants for cancer - amazingly out of 10 total nationally - awarded, featuring multiple Alliance members tackling microbiome, T-cell immunology and immunotherapy (CIA Shaneen Sandhu with investigators from WEHI, Doherty Institute and Peter Mac), mechanism of immune evasion in cancer (CIA Marie-Liesse Asselin-Labat with investigators from, Doherty Institute, WEHI and ONJCRI/Peter Mac) and targeting RAS and BRAF in colorectal cancer (CIA John Mariadason with investigators from WEHI, ONJCRI and Peter Mac).
Congratulations to all - this is a clear illustration of strengths in cancer immunology and therapeutics across the Alliance, and is truly collaboration in action!
Prof Grant McArthur AO
Chief Executive Officer
