Meet the Cancer Network Forum presenters

Key speakers are now confirmed for the free Cancer Network Forum on 22 May and interested parties are encouraged to register their attendance.

The second annual forum, hosted by Cancer Network WA in collaboration with the WA Clinical Oncology Group at Cancer Council WA, will feature more than 30 expert presentations recognising the research, achievements and collective efforts of organisations contributing to care of patients throughout their cancer journey.

Attendees will have a chance to network with peers and participate in their topics of interests during breakout sessions. All interested parties are encouraged to attend this educational event and hear about cancer care improvement initiatives in WA.

Key details:

Date: Thursday 22 May 2025 from 9am to 3pm (registrations from 8.30am)

Venue: The University Club of Western Australia, Banquet Hall

Theme: Cancer care across a lifespan

This will be a complimentary full day event including lunch and light refreshments.

Registrations: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/cancer-networkforum-tickets-1117079327339

Please RSVP by Friday 15 May for catering purposes.

Meet the speakers

We would like to acknowledge and thank all our presenters for their valuable contributions.

Professor Fraser Brims - Topic: The National Lung Cancer Screening Program: What it means for WA

Fraser is a Consultant Respiratory Physician at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Director of Research at Curtin Medical School. He is chair of the WA Mesothelioma Registry and Deputy Director of the Institute for Respiratory Health, where he heads the Occupational and Respiratory Health Research Group. He has clinical and research interests in occupational and asbestos-related diseases, and early lung cancer detection. He leads the WA Asbestos Review Program, the largest lung cancer early-detection research program in Australia. Fraser was the co-chair of the scientific committee for the Australian Lung Cancer Conference (2025).

Lindsay Adriaansen - Tele-chemotherapy in country WA: A novel approach to deliver cancer care in the country

Lindsay is a Clinical Nurse Consultant working within a multidisciplinary team to support TeleChemotherapy in the WA Country Health Service.  The team provides timely, appropriate, and equitable access to evidence-based treatment and supportive cancer care. Lindsay is involved at both a clinical and strategic level and provides clinical leadership to TeleChemotherapy Teams in the Wheatbelt, Kimberley and Pilbara regions of WA. Lindsay received her Baccalaureate Nursing Degree in 2011 and a Master of Nursing at the University of Manitoba, Canada in 2019. Her clinical interest is in providing cancer care close to home and developing a skilled cancer nursing workforce in country WA.

Julie Adams - The role of Chemo@home in supporting WA cancer patients

Julie is the Director of View Health, Chemo@home. She graduated from Curtin University with a Bachelor of Pharmacy in 1986, later completing a Post Graduate Diploma in Hospital Pharmacy and earning US Board Certification in Oncology Pharmacy. She has over 25 years’ experience in oncology and haematology across public and private hospitals in WA. In 2000, Julie secured funding to launch a home-based chemotherapy and supportive care service, which she managed for 12 years. In 2013, she co-founded View Health – chemo@home, delivering cancer therapies and medical infusions to patients with chronic illnesses. Julie has received numerous accolades, including the 2016 WA Telstra Entrepreneur and Business Woman of the Year, a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2024, and induction into the WA Women’s Hall of Fame in 2025. She also led cancer pharmacy education for the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia for a decade.

Dr Claire Forde - Clinician Assist WA Cancer project overview 

Claire is a WA trained General Practitioner and GP Clinical Editor for Clinician Assist WA. She holds a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Notre Dame, as well as bachelor’s degree in Podiatric Medicine and Science with Honours in Anthropology, from the University of Western Australia. Prior to commencing General Practice training, she worked at a number of hospitals in Perth and regional WA and formerly had a career as a podiatrist in the Mid-West.  Her current work with Clinician Assist WA is focused on cancer-related pathways and providing primary care practitioners with point-of-care clinical information and referral pathways to best support patients across their cancer journey.

Dr Claire Munsie - Positive benefits of group-based exercise for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors; a co-presented approach.

Claire is an ESSA-accredited Senior Exercise Physiologist with more than 15 years of clinical experience and a PhD in Clinical Exercise Oncology. She has worked clinically with the adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients for the last decade and holds a lecturing position specialising in clinical exercise oncology. Claire is an active researcher with multiple peer-reviewed publications and collectively with her strong foundation in clinical practice brings expertise in evidence-based exercise prescription for AYAs.

Samantha Coughlan - An overview of the WACHS Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurse Service 

Samantha is one of the Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurses at WACHS. She has more than 13 years of experience in Oncology, Haematology and Palliative Care in the private health sector, and spent eight years as the Clinical Nurse Educator for Oncology and Haematology at Hollywood Private Hospital. Samantha has completed postgraduate studies in Clinical Nursing and Health Professional Education and is expanding her expertise in the Prostate Cancer specialty.

Dr Jessica Buck - Developing national guidelines for cancer research and biobanking with samples from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 

Jessica is a paediatric brain cancer researcher using her training in both neuroscience and cancer research to tackle the unique challenges of this disease. Jessica completed her Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of Newcastle in 2013. Following this, she moved to the UK where she completed her MSc in Neuroscience and a DPhil in Oncology in 2019 from the University of Oxford. Dr Buck competed her postdoctoral training at The Kids Research Institute Australia in Perth, where she focussed on developing more effective and less toxic treatments for paediatric brain cancers. In particular, she focussed on using radiation-sensitising drugs in combination with radiotherapy to improve survival. She has expertise in mouse models, patient derived xenografts, small animal radiotherapy, and MRI imaging. Jessica is a Kamilaroi woman and is now using her research skills to lead the First Nations Childhood Cancer Research team at The Kids Research Institute Australia. Her research aims to close the gaps in childhood cancer outcomes, by understanding the tumour biology, pharmacogenomics, and socio-demographic factors underlying the poorer outcomes experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids.

Additional speakers and topics

• Kathleen O’Connor, The National Lung Cancer Screening Program: What it means for WA
• Sally Blane and Carolyn Minto, The impact of SunSmart mass media campaigns on sun protection knowledge, attitudes and behaviours 
• Julia Stafford, Alcohol and cancer 
• Libby Jardine and Nabeelah Mukadam, Providing smoking cessation support in oncology settings 
• Dr Hooi Ee, Early onset colorectal cancer
• Dr Thisuri Jayawardena, Post-colonoscopy colorectal cancer in WA: Analysis of patient, histopathological and molecular characteristics
• Dr Ninh Ha, Bridging the data gap in monitoring the performance of the National Bowel Cancer Program in WA 
• Dr Matt Govorko – Bricks and stones may break my... lungs? Preventing silica dust exposure in Australia
• Professor Fraser Brims, LUCAP – Monitoring the quality of lung cancer care in WA 
• Jessica Buck, Developing national guidelines for cancer research and biobanking with samples from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Chia Chia Tan, Clinical trial coordination
• Winnie Zhang, The effect of partial biopsies in the management of melanoma in WA
• Quan Tran and Sarah Heward, Charm oncology management system
• Sachin Shaji, Leveraging data and machine learning for enhanced patient care in oncology 
• Dr Nancy Tippaya, Automated Cancer Staging System (ACSS) in the WA Cancer Registry
• Hussam Al-Hakimi, Giving WA the best chance to reduce regional cancer inequity
• Danielle Thurlow and Nia Pulu, Aboriginal people and cancer: Informing future priorities for equitable cancer outcomes
• Emma Taylor and Dr Samantha Bay, Contributions to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cancer research made by university departments of rural health in Australia
• Meredith Cummins, Neuroendocrine cancer – A complex, often neglected cancer
• Cath Radford, Mentoring program WACHS
• Dr Melanie Murray, Cancer care complexity
• Aylin Yahya and Elizabeth Kernut, Can we accept routine patient-reported outcomes of common terminology criteria for adverse events as part of our standard outpatient practice?
• Claire Finley, WA Psycho-Oncology Service
• Dr Alison Parr, The necessity of palliative care and advanced care planning discussions in the lifespan of cancer
• Natalie Williams, Support for an innovative approach to delivering gynaecological cancer nursing guidance: A qualitative exploration
• Dr Margherita Nicoletti, Voluntary Assisted Dying 2025
• Tim Ryan, Beyond the diagnosis Claudine Barnes, Cancer support services at Cancer Council WA 
• Alexandra Steadman, Development of a state-wide Gynecological Cancer Survivorship Clinic in WA
• Clare Mullen and Kieran Bindahneem, How diverse consumer perspectives shape person-centred cancer services
• Dr Wei-Sen Lam, Insights from developing and implementing a cancer plan: A south Metropolitan Health Service perspective