Dear colleagues,
In recent weeks, the VCCC Alliance has continued to deepen its national and international partnerships and shared reform agenda through a series of important engagements across equity, innovation and system improvement. We were also delighted to welcome Prof David Ashley, incoming CEO of the VCCC Alliance, who is visiting this week from North Carolina.
During his visit, Prof Ashley is attending the VCCC Alliance Board meeting and meeting with the CEOs of VCCC Alliance member and associate member organisations, providing an important opportunity to strengthen relationships and share perspectives on the Alliance’s next phase of leadership and collaboration.
From the Advancing Equity in Cancer Outcomes Symposium in Melbourne, to the South Australian Comprehensive Cancer Network (SACCaN) visit in Adelaide, to a follow up with colleagues from the Hospital for Sick Children Toronto, and a valuable exchange with leaders from Western Australia’s Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Precinct at the VCCC building, these conversations have reinforced the value of collaboration across jurisdictions.
Together, they reflect a shared commitment to more connected, equitable and future-focused cancer systems, built through partnership, lived-experience leadership, research, data and workforce development.
Held on 11 March, the symposium brought together clinicians, researchers, consumers, educators and policy leaders to examine the persistent inequities experienced across the cancer care continuum and the actions needed to address them.
Supported through the Victorian Department of Health’s $7.5 million investment over four years, the symposium showcased the six VCCC Alliance-supported health equity programs and the First Nations Research program and featured a powerful lived-experience panel that highlighted how lived-experience voices drive better care. Key themes included intersectionality, cultural safety and the importance of sustained cross-sector collaboration to achieve meaningful systems change.
Our visit to Adelaide provided an important opportunity to exchange ideas on comprehensive cancer care at a statewide level. Discussions highlighted SACCaN’s role as South Australia’s peak platform for connecting cancer care across the state, with a strong focus on equity, prevention, improved patient experience, research and clinical trials.
Conversations between the SACCaN and VCCC Alliance teams explored opportunities for shared learning in areas including consumer-led research, data linkage and intelligence, clinical trials, workforce capability, quality indicators and evaluation. The visit underscored how much can be gained when comprehensive cancer networks learn from one another and work together to strengthen system-wide reform.
That spirit of exchange continued at the VCCC building this week, where the VCCC Alliance welcomed representatives from the QEII Precinct in Western Australia. Attending from the QEII team were Paula Rogers, Chair, QEII Precinct Leadership Group; Adam James, Director of Innovation, Office of Medical Research and Innovation, WA Department of Health; and Sharath Sriram, Chief Scientist of Western Australia. Representing the VCCC Alliance were Prof Sanchia Aranda, Prof David Ashley, and the Executive.
The meeting provided a valuable opportunity to share perspectives on innovation, partnership and state-wide leadership, and to explore the opportunities that emerge when leaders from across Australia come together with a common goal of improving cancer outcomes.
Alongside these system-focused discussions, the VCCC Alliance education team also held a valuable exchange with colleagues from the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto. We explored areas of aligned strategy and opportunities for collaboration, particularly in relation to digital education, trusted learning platforms and the changing role of educational providers in the age of generative AI.
There was strong alignment around the importance of trust in healthcare education: trust in the quality of content, the institutions curating and delivering learning, and how new technologies are used responsibly to support clinicians, patients and communities. The conversation also highlighted the responsibility that developed nations have to support those in developing nations through partnership, capability building and more equitable access to high-quality education.
Opportunities discussed included sharing and promoting one another’s resources, amplifying areas of mutual expertise, and exploring how collaboration between trusted organisations can extend impact beyond individual institutions and across borders.
Taken together, these engagements reflect the breadth of the VCCC Alliance’s role: convening, connecting and learning with others to strengthen cancer systems for the future. Whether the focus is health equity, statewide reform, precinct leadership or the future of healthcare education, the message is consistent. Progress is accelerated when organisations work together, share what they are learning, and remain committed to improving outcomes for all people affected by cancer.
Michelle Barrett, Craig Zanker and Dr Vijaya Joshi
The VCCC Executive Team
