Discovery, Acceleration, Equity and Leadership are the four pillars of the VCCC Alliance Strategic Research Plan (SPP) 2021-2024 released last week.
I’m inclined to add a fifth pillar of flexibility given the plan’s development during the height of the pandemic and at a time when patients and the healthcare workforce have been challenged in so many ways. It is the most extraordinary achievement, and I am grateful to everyone who has held the vision and persisted in the development of the plan in difficult circumstances.
Consultation for the SPP first began in early-2019 involving hundreds of contributors from across the alliance membership, regional affiliates, academic institutions, metropolitan and regional health centres, and the cancer sector in Victoria. Our wheels are now firmly on the road forward with the plan driving the agenda to ensure that more Victorians benefit from cutting-edge cancer research, education, and care. A major focus will be on greater equity for people affected by cancer across the state.
I am grateful to The Hon Martin Foley, Minister for Health for his part in the launch. Minister Foley acknowledged consumer involvement in the reimagining of care as central to the goals of the Victorian Government and the alliance and validated the great pride and sense of achievement we can all share in where we have got to.
In what was a significant week of announcements and celebration, we also welcomed Professor Sanchia Aranda to the VCCC Alliance as Deputy Chair of the Board. Professor Aranda hit the ground running, joining us for the launch and highlighting health equity as the overriding reason for why we need a strategic program plan. She reinforced the perspective of Professor Chris Wild, former director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) who maintained that every discovery should be measured by the extent to which it either widens or narrows the equity gap.
Professor Aranda’s 40 years of experience in leading cancer control nationally and internationally will be an invaluable asset as we grow and mature as an organisation. The Deputy Chair has a crucial role to play in support of strategic goals and Professor Aranda will work closely with Chair Linda Kristjanson and the rest of the Board to guide our vision, strategy, and direction during the next three years. We are delighted to welcome her to the team.
Although it is generally recognised that innovation underpins future economic growth, Australia lags in most international assessments that compare the conversion of research outputs to business enterprise. Australian cancer research is among the most cited in the world at 2.7 times the global average but by current world standards, we are losing ground in converting research to business opportunities. To help to address this gap, and in exciting news for the alliance, Professor Andrew Scott AM has been appointed to a newly created position of Research Translation and Commercialisation Lead.
Professor Scott is Director Molecular Imaging and Therapy, Austin Health and is Head of the Tumour Targeting Program at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI). He has demonstrated leadership and success in scientific discovery and translation spanning the last 20 years. He was previously Director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (Austin Branch). As a clinician-scientist Professor Scott has an international track record of translating basic discovery research programs, both for his own laboratory and in collaborative efforts that have national and international connections.
As we continue to be challenged by the pandemic, I wish to thank everyone across the VCCC Alliance, government and the cancer sector for staying the course as we maintain our strong resolve for people affected by cancer, and strive for research-led improvements in cancer care and outcomes.
Prof Grant McArthur
Executive Director
