The VCCC Alliance’s strategic approach to research programs has been strengthened with the appointment of internationally renowned leader in cancer research Professor Mei Krishnasamy as Deputy Chair of the Cancer Research Advisory Committee (CRAC).
Prof Krishnasamy joins Chair, Dr Dishan Herath, in this key leadership position. She has previously acted as interim Chair of the committee.
“I am excited to take on this role as Deputy Chair of CRAC,” Prof Krishnasamy said. “I am committed to advancing equitable patient outcomes through world-class laboratory, translational, and clinical research, including clinical trials,” she said. “Enhancing models and pathways of care, delivered through consumer-informed healthcare and health services research, will help achieve greater equity of care for patients.”
Prof Krishnasamy is the VCCC Alliance Research and Education Lead for Nursing, and co-lead of the Victorian Regional Research Teaching Hub program which is part of the Victorian ReVitalise initiative. She is Director of the Academic Nursing Unit at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, honorary Chair in Cancer Nursing at the University of Melbourne, and a past President of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (2014-2022) and Cancer Nurses Society of Australia.
Her research focuses on cancer supportive care, health equity and experiences of care for people with poor cancer prognoses, and the contribution of nurses to patient and system level outcomes.
She has generated new knowledge through diverse research projects and methodologies, and increasingly, on the best ways of meaningfully translating new and existing evidence into clinical practice. In addition, she has considerable teaching and post-graduate supervision experience.
VCCC Alliance Executive Director, Grant McArthur, congratulated Prof Krishnasamy on her new role. “Mei’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for the VCCC Alliance as we move into the next strategic phase of our work, and I’m delighted we have someone of her calibre on board. Her experience leading complex programs involving many institutions is a testament to her leadership in bringing multiple stakeholders together.”
CRAC Chair, Dr Dishan Herath said he looked forward to leading the committee with Prof Krishnasamy. “Mei’s vast and internationally recognised experience is an asset to this committee and to the alliance,” he said.
The CRAC was established in December 2009 and provides expert advice and recommendations to the Executive Director and the Board on the direction and development of research programs and capability across the VCCC Alliance.
