We’re moving
The Cancer Council Australia is moving. From 11 November, The Cancer Council Australia, the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia (COSA) and the Australian Cancer Network (ACN) can be found at the University of Sydney’s Medical Foundation Building in Camperdown. Our contact details are:
Level 5, Medical Foundation Building
92-94 Parramatta Road
Camperdown NSW 2050
GPO Box 4708, Sydney NSW 2001
Telephone: (02) 9036 3100
Facsimile: (02) 9036 3101
Email: info@cancer.org.au
Website: www.cancer.org.au
Clinical Oncological Society of Australia
Telephone: (02) 9036 3100
Facsimile: (02) 9036 3101
Email: cosa@cancer.org.au
Australian Cancer Network
Phone: (02) 9036 3120
Fax: (02) 9036 3121
Email: acn@cancer.org.au
Website: www.cancer.org.au/acn
New staff
ACN Medical Director
The Australian Cancer Network welcomes Professor Bruce Barraclough as Medical Director. Prof Barraclough is Chairman of the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care. He is also Chairman of the Board of the Institute of Clinical Excellence in New South Wales, a member of the Australian Medical Council and the Medical Services Advisory Committee, and is immediate pPast President of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. His hospital appointments include Professor and Director of Cancer Services for the Northern Sydney Area Health Service based at the Royal North Shore Hospital, a clinical school of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney. His clinical and research interests are in the field of endocrine surgery.
New Finance and Business Manager
Our new Finance and Business Manager, Robert Firth, comes to The Cancer Council after spending 15 years in the not-for-profit sector. Most recently he held the position of Deputy General Manager and Financial Controller with Musica Viva Australia, the fine music presenter and educator. Prior to Musica Viva, Rob was Financial Controller at the University of Sydney Union, the services organisation providing food, retail, recreational, social and welfare services to campus users. Rob holds a Bachelor of Business degree from the University of Technology Sydney, and a Superannuation Certificate. He is a Justice of the Peace, and advanced to Fellow with CPA Australia this year.
Clinical trials open forum for consumers
On 24 October, The Cancer Council Australia hosted an open forum for consumers to discuss clinical trials in cancer. The forum, held at the Sydney Opera House (the venue hire was generously waived), was attended by about 70 people who heard background briefings on clinical trials; discussed the benefits and challenges associated with them; and how consumers can become involved.
The meeting was aimed at boosting understanding and awareness of clinical trials in cancer, and harnessing support for increased participation.
Keynote speakers included Professor Martin Stockler, from the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre who explained what clinical trials are, why they are run, who runs them, and who takes part in them; Professor Alan Coates AM, Chief Executive Officer of The Cancer Council Australia, who discussed the benefits of trials and why participation rates are so low; and Dr Norman Swan, from Radio National’s Health Report, lead ethics experts and a pharmaceutical industry representative in discussion of the ethics involved in clinical trials.
A full report of the open forum will appear in the March issue of Cancer Forum.
Parliamentary briefing – tobacco control
‘Tobacco control – an investment in Australia’s future’ was the subject of the second breakfast meeting this year of The Cancer Council’s Parliamentary Cancer Information Network. Speakers David Hill, Director of The Cancer Council Victoria and Chair of the National Expert Advisory Committee on Tobacco, and Michelle Scollo, Co-Director of the VicHealth Centre for Tobacco Control and author of Tobacco Control: A blue chip investment in public health, addressed federal MPs at the meeting in Parliament House, Canberra.
For a copy of the newsletter Cancer Update – which summarises the presentations given at the briefing – please email info@cancer.org.au
Hope blooms on Daffodil Day
Throughout August daffodils were in full bloom, helping The Cancer Council Australia spread the message of hope for all touched by cancer.
Daffodil Day continues to be the largest national cancer awareness day in Australia, raising over $9 million to fund the cancer control initiatives, patient support and education services of our eight state and territory member organisations.
Daffodil Day relies heavily on the supporting retail outlets to sell event-related merchandise. These products include silk ribbons, pens, enamel pins and the popular Dougal teddy bear. The continued dedication and support from our national corporate partners ensures our event-related merchandise and corporate message remains visible to the public.
The Cancer Council Australia would like to thank Coles, Kmart, Bi-Lo, Mobil QUIX, First National Real Estate, Amcal, ANZ, Katies, Rockmans, Spotlight, the HIC network of Medicare offices, Miller’s Fashion Club, 1626, Crossroads, Silhouette and Ezibuy.
For the first time, a limited number of Dougal bears were available online at wishlist.com.au. This promotion was an instant success and we would also like to thank wishlist for their support.
Following the loss of his younger brother, Robin to cancer in 1999, John Williamson committed himself to assisting The Cancer Council Australia raise additional funds for Daffodil Day. $1 from each sale of his new single, “Salisbury Street”, written in memory of his brother, will be donated to the cause by John’s record company, EMI Music Australia.
For more information on the event, please visit the Daffodil Day website – www.daffodilday.com.au – or call 1300 656 585.
Australia’s Breast Cancer Day
ABCD went extremely well for all states, who are confident that they will reach their fundraising targets. Merchandise was extremely popular and the introduction of the new ABCD website, www.breastcancerday.com.au, and the community service announcement also assisted in making the event a success.
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea was a success again in 2002, raising $5.82 million and beating the national target of $5.5 million. More and more Aussies are taking time out to enjoy a cuppa for cancer research during May and support The Cancer Council Australia.
2003 celebrates marks the tenth year of ABMT, and we are confident the event will continue to be successful for many more years to come.
National Skin Cancer Action Week: 17-23 November 2002
Eight out of 10 cancers diagnosed in Australia are skin cancers and as a result, over 270,000 Australians are being treated with the disease each year.
Through media communications strategies, National Skin Cancer Action Week aims to increase the awareness of the need for sun protection and to encourage greater sun protection activity.
This year, The Cancer Council is celebrating 21 years of the Slip Slop Slap message, which first featured in television announcements in 1981.
National Skin Cancer Action Week is an initiative of The Cancer Council Australia’s National Skin Cancer Steering Committee.
Find a specialist
A “Find a specialist” page is now live on The Cancer Council Australia’s website. The page provides consumers with information on types of cancer treatment available, the specialties within cancer care, how to choose a specialist, where to get more information, and a list of links that direct consumers to membership lists of five medical colleges and societies. The page can be found at: www.cancer.org.au/specialist
Currently listed is the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia, the Australian and New Zealand Head and Neck Society, Australasian Chapter of Palliative Medicine, the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Urological Society of Australasia. We hope that information from other bodies will soon be added to this important consumer resource.
UICC Translational Cancer Research Fellowships (TCRF)
Three fellowships a year: US$55,500 each
In 1997, the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) launched an international fellowships scheme aimed at improving the translation of basic, experimental, and applied research insights into their clinical or population applications in the form of new ideas, diagnostics, drugs and treatments, vaccines, and other effective cancer prevention or intervention strategies. The three fellowships currently offered are funded, by AstraZeneca UK Limited, Aventis Pharma Recherche-Développement, France, and Novartis Pharma AG, Switzerland.
Potential candidates and hosts are invited to submit (together) project proposals in the bridging areas that effectively connect cell and molecular biologists to patients in the clinic or to populations in the field.
The award value for the each 12-month long fellowship is US$55,500. Selections will be made by an international panel of experts and based on the scientific evaluation.
Completed applications, including all supporting documentation, must reach UICC by the annual application closing date of 1 December 2002.
Further information and an application form is available from http://fellows.uicc.org
American Cancer Society UICC International Fellowships for Beginning Investigators
Six to eight fellowships a year: US$40,000 each
These fellowships are funded by the American Cancer Society with the objective of fostering a flow of knowledge, experience, expertise, and innovation between countries. The (previous requirement for hosts to be located in the USA no longer applies.
The 12-month long fellowships are intended for beginning investigators and clinicians, who are in the early stages of their careers. Funding preference will be given to candidates who propose to conduct cancer research projects in the following areas: pre-clinical, clinical, epidemiology, psychosocial, behavioural, health services, health policy and outcomes, and cancer control.
Eligible candidates should hold assistant professorships or similar positions at their home institutes and have a minimum of two and a maximum of ten years of postdoctoral experience after obtaining their MD or PhD degrees or equivalents.
Between six to eight Fellows are selected each year for awards with an average value of US$40,000 for travel and stipend support. A competitive selection takes place once a year, based on the scientific review of the submitted material by an international panel of experts. Completed applications with all supporting documentation must reach UICC by the application closing date of 1 December 2002.
Further information and an application form is available from http://fellows.uicc.org