Dr Richard L. Schilsky, M.D., FACP, FSCT, FASCO - Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, ASCO

Professor Max Parmar -  Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology and Director of MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL and the Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology at University College London

Max Parmar is a Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology and Director of both the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL and the Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology at University College London. He was for over 10 years an Associate Director of the National Cancer Research Network since its inception in 2001, an organisation which more than doubled the number of patients going into cancer studies in England. He has more than 400 publications in peer reviewed journals, many of which have had direct impact on policy, clinical practice and improving outcomes for patients. The Unit he directs is at the forefront of resolving internationally important questions, particularly in infectious diseases and cancer, and also aims to deliver swifter and more effective translation of scientific research into patient benefits.

Associate Professor Steven Lane - Head of Cancer Program, QIMR Berghofer

Steven Lane is a clinical haematologist and translational researcher, based out of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. His clinical work focuses on understanding molecular drivers of cancer and targeted therapies. He is the Director of Clincial Research in Cancer Care at RBWH, and am principal investigator on a number of national cooperative trials. Additionally, Steven is the Head of the Cancer Program at QIMR Berghofer, and lab head of the Gordon and Jessie Gilmour Leukaemia Research Lab. His lab has been supported by the CSL Centenary Fellowship, NHMRC, Leukaemia Foundation, Cancer Australia and philanthropic donations.

Professor Phyllis Butow - NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow, School of Psychology, University of Sydney

Prof Phyllis Butow (BA(Hons), MPH, MClinPsych, PhD) is Professor, and NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow, School of Psychology, University of Sydney. She founded the Psycho-Oncology Co-operative Research Group and Centre for Medical Psychology and Evidence-based Decision-making. She has won many awards, including the International Psycho-Oncology Society Bernard Fox award for outstanding contribution to Psycho-Oncology research in 2009, the COSA Tom Reeve award for outstanding contribution to cancer care in 2011, NSW Cancer Researcher of the year in 2012 and the NHMRC Elizabeth Blackwell award for the best female clinical Fellowship application in 2016. Her work has contributed to improved psychosocial care for cancer patients nationally and internationally.

Professor David Thomas - Head, Cancer Theme, Garvan Institute of Medical Research

Prof Thomas is Head of the Cancer Theme at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, and Director of The Kinghorn Cancer Centre.  He is a NHMRC Principal Research Fellow and medical oncologist whose focus is on the application of genomic technologies to the understanding and management of cancer.  Prof Thomas founded the Australasian Sarcoma Study Group, a national research organisation, and established Australia’s leading adolescent and young adult cancer unit at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.  Dr Thomas leads the International Sarcoma Kindred Study, now recruiting from 23 centres in 7 countries, and led the first international study of denosumab in Giant Cell Tumor of bone, leading to FDA and TGA approval.  He has over 150 research publications, including lead or senior author papers in Cancer Cell, Molecular Cell, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Lancet Oncology, JAMA Oncology, and Journal of Clinical Oncology. Since moving to NSW, he has established the Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Centre, a national precision medicine program for patients with rare and early onset cancers.  In 2018, he was President of the Connective Tissue Oncology Society, the peak international body in his field.

Dr Mandy Ballinger - Group Leader, Garvan Institute of Medical Research; Head of Cohorts, Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Program

Dr Mandy Ballinger is a Group Leader at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Head of Cohorts for the Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Program.  She holds a Fellowship from the Cancer Institute NSW and has a Masters in Genetic Counselling.  Mandy oversees a program of work focused on defining heritable cancer risk and using research cohorts as vehicles for intervention to impact on clinical practice and improve outcomes for families.

Associate Professor Anne Cust - Epidemiologist Lead, Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research Group, The University of Sydney School of Public Health

Associate Professor Anne Cust is a NHMRC Career Development Fellow and epidemiologist leading the Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research Group based at The University of Sydney School of Public Health. She is also a Faculty member of the Melanoma Institute Australia, where she leads the ‘Prevention, Risk and Detection of Melanoma’ Research Theme. Her main research interests are melanoma prevention and early detection, risk-stratified cancer screening, and translational cancer research. She is President of the Australasian Epidemiological Association (AEA), and a Board member of Melanoma and Skin Cancer Trials (MASC).