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ANZUP ANNUAL REPORT 2022
AT A GLANCE
At a glance
Chairman’s Report disciplines relevant to our work, and its composition ensures that all voices can be heard. Its subcommittees (Prostate; Bladder Urothelial Penile; Renal; Germ Cell) allow in-depth thinking about the specific diseases within our remit, and our non-disease-specific subcommittees (Quality of Life and Supportive Care; Translational Research) ensure that other key questions are considered and included in research design. The SAC was expanded this year to include nuclear medicine representation, and is in the process of establishing an imaging working group.
I am honoured once again to provide this report on behalf of the ANZUP Board, and to share with you the progress made by ANZUP over the last year. ANZUP was established in 2008 to bring together clinicians and researchers of all disciplines involved in clinical care and research for all types of genitourinary cancers; together with community representatives affected by these cancers, or caring for those affected by them. Our vision is simple in concept: we want to minimise the effects of these cancers on the community and to improve the survival and the quality of life for the people these cancers impact. This vision is straightforward to state, but it is aspirational and complex to achieve. We will do so through ANZUP’s mission: to conduct and promote cooperative clinical trials and psychosocial research in these cancers. Our work requires a deep understanding of these cancers and the effects they and their treatments have; constant learning and surveillance, to understand the science and new treatments and technologies becoming available; performing clinical trials that are carefully and rationally designed to be impactful and to influence health care practice and policy; and to engage various professional disciplines as we do so. We also need to build systems and processes to support our work; ensure that the importance of research continues to be emphasised in the minds of clinicians and those for whom they care; grow opportunities for research, involving new institutions, regions, populations, and researchers; ensure that our trials provide maximum value, but designing translational, psychosocial, and other research questions linked to them; and train those who will continue ANZUP’s work into the future. ANZUP is designed to ensure it is representative, and to maximise opportunities. The Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) is comprised of representatives from clinical and scientific
The ANZUP Consumer Advisory Panel is involved at all levels of the organisation. CAP members have all been affected by genitourinary cancers in some ways, and freely and cheerfully donate their wealth of experience and personal expertise to ANZUP. CAP members attend committee meetings, workshops, our scientific meetings, and provide input and guidance to the SAC and to the Board. CAP members are frequently investigators on grant applications, and key members of trial management committees. The CAP is also integrally involved in decision-making regarding funding allocations for the Below the Belt Research Fund; the importance of their input in these processes is reflected in the fact that their opinion weights the scores given by other reviewers, rather than being one vote amongst several. This ensures that our research priorities align with the input from our community representatives. ANZUP is overseen by a Board comprising directors elected from the ANZUP membership, and appointed directors who bring specific areas of expertise to enable the company to run effectively. The Board is served by a Governance subcommittee, a Finance and Audit subcommittee, and a Fundraising and Partnerships subcommittee. The Board undertook an external review during 2021, which identified that overall the Board was performing very well but there were some points where our documentation and processes could be improved. The Board devoted several meetings to review these findings and to set up systems to implement the recommendations. The Board has also recognised that it is timely to review and refresh the ANZUP Constitution for this year’s Annual General Meeting. I am deeply grateful to my fellow Board directors, all of whom are extraordinarily generous with the time and expertise that they donate to ANZUP. We are very fortunate to have such a capable and well-functioning Board. I would particularly like to express my gratitude to two former directors. Linda Martin was appointed to the Board in late 2010 and stepped down
