The inaugural ANZUP Outstanding Leadership Award - Guy Toner

History in the making – Guy Toner

The inaugural ANZUP Outstanding Leadership Award

At the ANZUP Annual Scientific Meeting held in July 2022 the inaugural ANZUP Outstanding Leadership award was presented. Associate Professor Guy Toner was the extremely well-deserving recipient of this award. There are many reasons Assoc. Prof. Toner was awarded this accolade. In addition to being an incredible clinician to many patients and their families, very few people display unwavering dedication and commitment over a lifetime, do not seek personal tributes, and always uplift and enable others. Throughout his stellar career he also made an incredible contribution and long-standing impact on ANZUP. Assoc. Prof. Toner was a Consultant Medical Oncologist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne. He is a graduate of the University of Melbourne and undertook sub-specialty training in medical oncology at the Alfred Hospital before spending 3 years at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, where he worked in the genitourinary service. He developed a special interest in testicular cancer whilst in New York, and his research there formed the basis of his MD (Doctor of Medicine) thesis. He then returned to Melbourne to take up a full-time position at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in 1990. His clinical and research interests include all urological cancers, and he also has an interest in new drug development.

In 2021 Assoc. Prof. Toner announced he would be standing down from the ANZUP Board, as well as retiring from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre after 30 years of service. He played a crucial role in A/PROF GUY TONE R the establishment of ANZUP, having chaired one of its predecessor organisations, Australia New Zealand Germ Cell Tumour Group (ANZGCTG) and was then on the ANZUP Board as Deputy Chair since ANZUP’s inception in 2008. He has been the quiet but effective force behind many of ANZUP’S initiatives, including the highly successful Below the Belt Research Fund and more recently the Discretionary Funding Initiative. Assoc. Prof. Toner’s leadership has been instrumental, and he has been a trusted mentor to many in the clinical community.

PROF IAN DAVIS AND A/PROF GUY TONER Associate Professor Craig Gedye, Chair of ANZUP’s Renal Cell Subcommittee, recently sat down with Associate Professor Guy Toner to ask him about his career, cancer research and ANZUP.

How was ANZUP started?

ANZUP began in 2008 and around that time Cancer Australia was founded. Professor Ian Davis had started a prostate and urogenital group, leaving germ cell cancers out because of the pre-existence of the germ cells trials group. And Cancer Australia said we are not going to fund two urological groups, so the groups needed to join together – and that is how ANZUP started.

Did you envisage ANZUP would be where it is today?

It is wonderful to see what ANZUP has been able to achieve over the last 14 years. It has grown dramatically well, and I never thought it would have done as well as this. It’s a great joy to see it functioning so well and see all the people involved.

What are you most excited about in below the belt cancer research?

It’s amazing to think where we have come from and where we are going. It is hard to see the future in terms of what we can achieve. The goal is still there to treat to cure prostate cancers in the future, but I think we are learning about having to live with cancer and reducing the side effects and morbidities.

How did you come to the idea of the Below the Belt Research Fund?

The idea was to encourage young investigators to be able to get some funding to do some simple things and generate data to then move to bigger ideas.

Often funding requires you to have some baseline data, something to move on with, and that first step is often very difficult for registrars, fellows, and junior faculty. The idea was to help that happen without making it too difficult for them. Below the Belt has really allowed us to do that.

Has the involvement of the Consumer Advisory Panel (CAP) been important for ANZUP? The involvement of consumers has been one of the great strengths of ANZUP and it continues to work really well.

Having the CAP involved helps the healthcare professionals to remain focussed on what the mission is.

Is there any other ANZUP initiative you have had input into that makes you particularly proud? I am most proud of the culture of the organisation. What I love about the organisation is that it is multidisciplinary. It is great to see surgeons and nuclear medicine physicians running trials within the group. Co-operative trials groups have been mainly medical oncologists, but ANZUP has been able to change that. The other thing I love about the organisation is its welcoming nature. It welcomes young clinicians into the group all the time and it is terrific to see people evolving their skills and becoming important researchers in their field. What was your ‘biggest win’ over your career?

People might think I would say a certain publication or presentation at ASCO, but I think the greatest win from my perspective is actually seeing young people coming through. I have been very privileged to have registrars and fellows coming through Peter MacCallum, where I have been for many years, a great population of people come through and see their careers develop. And I think this is the thing I have enjoyed the most.

What advice would you give to aspiring researchers? Persistence is the most important thing. You need to be able to keep going. People will often give negative feedback or not be interested or suggest you can’t do something but keep persisting with something is the most important thing. It is not enough to come along with a good idea, you have actually got to convince your colleagues it’s a good idea, write the outlines and protocols, and just keep working at it and you can be successful.

In addition to all his clinical research, Assoc. Prof. Guy Toner has been an extraordinary clinician to many patients and their families, leaving a lasting, positive impression.

ASSOC PROF GUY TONER AWARDING A BELOW THE BELT RESEARCH GRANT

PROF IAN DAVIS AND A/PROF GUY TONER

Dear Dr Toner, Laura and I (and my family and friends) would just like to say a massive thank you for everything you have done for me over the past five years. You have quite literally saved my life and given us the opportunity to have a now two-year old beautiful daughter, Ivy, with our second child expected in September. Aside from being a brilliant and knowledgeable clinician, you have always been polite, respectful and most importantly honest and factual with us throughout my diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. I was quite looking forward to celebrating (hopefully) the five-year mark with you this year and it honestly will not be the same experience without you. The words ‘thank you’ are not enough and we hope you enjoy your retirement and whatever the future may hold. Thanks again Dr Toner. Trav, Laura and Ivy.

Recognition and thank you to Guy Toner

The Consumer Advisory Panel’s (CAP) role is to provide advice from a community perspective to the ANZUP clinicians and researchers across a broad range of research proposals.

In doing this we are fortunate to have these discussions and input with leading experts in this field. The CAP would like to thank and acknowledge with gratitude

A/Prof Guy Toner for the support he has offered the group since we all came together in 2012.

We have always been impressed by A/Prof Toner’s calm and unassuming manner. We have learned much from him over the years - particularly with the wise questions and thought-provoking comments he raised at the Scientific Advisory Committee meetings, Concept Development Workshops, and many other review panels we have been CAP members on.

We know he has provided much more than this to ANZUP, with outstanding leadership and guidance overall. In standing down from his position as Deputy Chair, he will be greatly missed for the valuable contribution he has made.

On a very personal note, I can’t thank A/Prof Toner enough for the very encouraging and caring role he played in looking after our daughter for 5 years. This was challenging not only from a cancer perspective but also in helping guide our family. When we first met A/ Prof Toner our daughter was a shy 13-year-old who had been diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer. He was then on a journey with us until she was a grown up 19-year-old who never complained.

We know A/Prof Toner looked after many patients and they were all very fortunate to have experienced his kindness, patience, respect, and expertise. We hope to still see A/Prof Toner at some of the ANZUP meetings as he has much to offer in many ways, particularly in mentoring others. We wish A/Prof Toner all the best as he moves closer to a very well-deserved retirement after a rewarding but very challenging and successful career in medical oncology and research. Thank you always.

BELINDA JAGO

CAP CHAIR