Annual Report 2021-22 Towards Better Outcomes for All
2 VCCC AnnualAllianceReport 2021-22
The 2021-22 financial and auditor’s reports for the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Ltd can be found on our website.
Financial Reports
Acknowledgements
The VCCC Alliance acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of the lands on which we carry out our work across Victoria. We recognise and value their continuing cultural heritage, beliefs and deep connection with the land and waters.
The VCCC Alliance is supported by the Victorian Government. Supported by VCCC Alliance members
– George Kiossoglou, consumer
The VCCC Alliance is Australia’s first and most ambitious comprehensive cancer centre: a joint venture of 10 member institutions, integrating cancer research, education, and clinical care. Our members are academic, clinical and medical research institutions that are each leaders in their own right. The alliance brings the strengths of these organisations together, generating a critical mass of expertise, patient numbers and resources, underpinned by a pledge to work collaboratively towards shared goals in cancer control.
cancerOvercomingtogether
Our approach of dynamic, inclusive, system-level collaboration coupled with world-class cancer education and the involvement of consumers, helps to accelerate the translation of scientific evidence into better outcomes for all Victorians affected by cancer.
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The vision of the VCCC Alliance is that this inclusive, innovative, and collaborative integration of cancer research, education and patient care will save and improve lives. Our approach is bold, patient-centred, and aims to help ensure that all Victorians have equitable access to the best cancer care possible. By leveraging collective strengths and working collaboratively with the Victorian Government and others in the sector, the VCCC Alliance is reshaping the way we tackle cancer. “Working with the VCCC Alliance has actually allowed me to use my lived experience to provide insights into what’s important to people going through the journey.”
Vision
Towards outcomesbetterforall
Our health system has been stretched to its limits, healthcare workers have gone above and beyond to uphold standards of care and underlying it all is a pandemic that refuses to subside.
Professor Grant McArthur Executive Director
After such a disrupted year, I want to thank the many people involved in the alliance for your commitment, resilience and determination which allowed us to achieve so much.
A new Federal Government brings a new opportunity to influence the key policies and directions nationally for cancer. Improving health equity remains a key priority for our work at a state level, and I was excited to advocate for a greater focus on equity in our submission to Cancer Australia to inform the emerging framework of the National Cancer Plan.
Our VCCC Alliance Strategic Program Plan 2021-24 is now well underway, and it’s exciting to see our ambitious programs coming to life. As our maturing alliance grows, so too does the impact of our work, and I take great pride in seeing a collaboration-first mindset truly embedded within and across our members. I also want to acknowledge the generous support of colleagues from across the state who contribute to our 10 programs in the Strategic Program Plan.
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Our Teletrials networked partnership strategy proved a game-changer, delivering practice-changing results in its first clinical trial application, TARGET-TP, led by Associate Professor Kate Burbury and Dr Marliese Alexander at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
Thank you to our members, the Board, our distributed leadership team, our consumers and core staff team and everyone else with whom we have worked and collaborated, for your continued efforts as we work towards better outcomes for all.
There is no doubt the past 12 months have been full of challenges for our people and patients.
Over the past year, our ambitious alliance has really gained traction. Our work has been acknowledged in several national and international awards, spanning multiple aspects of our organisation – research, education and clinical trials.
It’s important to see our data-driven research program coming to fruition as we move towards an effective national cancer data ecosystem, where strong national data linkages open new pathways to better research, in turn leading to more equitable outcomes for marginalised populations.
One of our four core values at the VCCC Alliance is “for all”, and I’m delighted now to see clear signs of real progress towards achieving more equitable cancer care and outcomes for every Victorian.
Our award-winning SKILLED Clinical Trial Internship Program continues to flourish and build clinical trial capacity state-wide, delivering more clinical trial types to more Victorians and notably opening new avenues for cancer care to regional patients.
Consumers continue to play a central and vital role in delivering on our strategy, and their role in our work is only increasing.
It’s a challenging environment, but I’ve been encouraged by how my colleagues from across the state have rallied together to form a united front through the Victorian COVID-19 Cancer Network and Taskforce and continue to deliver for our patients.
We have established a new equity framework, as well as a partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal CommunityControlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) with an explicit focus to collaborate on lung cancer screening considerations for First Nations peoples.
This year’s Cancer In Australia report showed that survival rates in Australia are continuing to improve, and the rate at which Australians are being diagnosed with cancer has been declining since 2008. Five-year survival rates from all cancers combined have improved from 51 per cent in 1988–1992 to 70 per cent in 2013–2017. This inarguably good news is testament to advances in public health and prevention, as well as medical research and treatments. These improvements, however, have not been experienced equally across the community and there are still some cancers, including lung, where only one in four patients survive five years.
The VCCC Alliance has matured quickly as an organisation, and I know I speak for the rest of the Board, when I say that we are excited and optimistic about what the future holds.
Moving into the new financial year, the alliance has dynamic new leadership in place with Associate Professor David Kok stepping into the role of Chair of our Cancer Education and Training Committee and Dr Dishan Herath takes the reins as Chair of the Cancer Research Advisory Committee. We are delighted that Ms Jo Cockwill will become the inaugural Deputy Chair of the Cancer Consumer Advisory Committee.
It goes without saying that 2021-22 has been a year like no other. The impact of the pandemic continues to be felt across the community and nowhere more so than by the healthcare sector. Against that challenging backdrop, and in tandem with other major events on the international stage, it’s notable that the alliance community has resolutely retained its focus on the work we are doing for people affected by cancer. This is further evidence of the importance of this work and the dedication of the cancer consumers, scientists, clinicians, educators and administrators who are striving together towards better outcomes for all.
On behalf of the Board, I offer particular thanks to Professor Grant McArthur, his excellent team and to all 250+ members of our various committees and program steering groups for their expertise and dedicated contributions. Thank you as well, to my Board colleagues, for your stewardship of this important alliance that continues to serve our Victorian community. And finally, I offer our appreciation to the Victorian Government for the generous financial support and shared commitment to our mission.
The presence of this alliance as a change-maker and innovator in the cancer sector has been quite remarkable, indicating both the need it has met and highlighting the value of a truly collaborative approach.
With recent announcements of Comprehensive Cancer Centres to be built in several other states, Australia now has an opportunity to forge a system that really could shift the dial on those inequities at a population level, while investing in cutting edge research and vital initiatives such as data-sharing, that are critical to overcoming those low-survival cancers.
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Overcoming inequities in outcomes – the differences experienced by people living in rural and regional areas and some groups in our community, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – is the very reason why system-wide, system-changing initiatives such as the VCCC Alliance are needed.
Looking ahead
Emeritus Professor Linda Kristjanson AO Board Chair
Reshaping connections
Chair’s report
The work being delivered through the current Strategic Program Plan 2021-24 is reshaping connections, conversations and building new collaborations that are vital to driving this change. This year this work included a new Implementation Science program to help ensure evidence is successfully translated into practice; a landmark data linkage project, plus a suite of projects that are improving access to cutting-edge cancer care for people in regional areas.
6 VCCC AnnualAllianceReport 2021-22 Special mentions
The winning piece, ‘Stereotactic Radiotherapy’, is an educational film produced for the Master of Cancer Sciences, delivered by Peter Mac’s Associate Professor David Kok, co-convenor of the course, and co-written with Dr Sathana Dushyanthen from the University of Melbourne. It was awarded Gold in the Education and Training category
The Telly Awards honour excellence in video and television across all screens and receive thousands of entries from across the globe each year.
Telly Award Content from the online Master of Cancer Sciences, jointly facilitated by the University of Melbourne and the VCCC Alliance won gold in the International Telly Awards 2022.
What is the VCCC Alliance?
According to the results of a brand perception survey we ran in 2021, there was quite a bit of confusion about exactly what the VCCC Alliance is, and what it is not. To help clear things up, our new brand campaign, Introducing the VCCC Alliance, ran across social media channels and some sector media from April – June 2022.
Now that we are officially named VCCC Alliance (differentiated from the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre which refers to the building), this simple campaign is focused on clear messages about the alliance, highlighting the 10 members and our unique, collaborative characteristics. The campaign is made up of five animated and still graphic ads and social posts communicating different aspects of the alliance and our ‘reasons for being’.
To date we have achieved over one million social media impressions for the campaign, so we hope the answer to the question is a lot clearer now.
The aim is to improve understanding of who is part of the alliance, and our place in the cancer medical research and health system, to enhance how we engage and contribute to cancer research translation and system change.
VCCC Alliance and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre were jointly awarded the prestigious Committee for Melbourne 2022 Melbourne Achiever Award for an outstanding contribution to health and research. The awards celebrate contributions to Melbourne that will leave a lasting legacy.
The award was presented to Executive Director Professor Grant McArthur and Professor Shelley Dolan, Chief Executive of Peter Mac, by Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria and Committee for Melbourne Patron.
7VCCC Alliance Annual Report 2021-22 Special mentions
Vale Olivia
The world lost a true icon when Dame Olivia NewtonJohn AO, passed away on 8 August 2022. A beloved actress, singer and entertainer who brought joy to millions throughout her highly successful, lifelong career, Olivia also became a legend in the cancer sector. Through her own challenging cancer diagnosis, treatments and life as a cancer ‘thriver’ she generously brought hope and happiness to others experiencing cancer. Olivia advocated for supportive cancer wellness programs and raised millions of dollars for cancer research. As Founding Champion of the Olivia NewtonJohn Cancer Research Institute and the Olivia NewtonJohn Cancer Wellness and Research Centre at Austin Health – members of the VCCC Alliance – her generous support provided hope and changed the lives of thousands of patients.
Olivia was a driving force to ‘win over cancer’, for treating the whole person and looking after their mind, spirit and body. Everyone who met her was infected by her joy, kindness and light. Her legacy will live on through all she invested in the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre at Austin Health, as well as other cancer organisations, with ripple effects that spread far and wide, including across the VCCC Alliance. Thank you and vale ‘Livvy’.
Melbourne Achiever Award
8 VCCC AnnualAllianceReport 2021-22 EngagementConsumer Toolkit 2.6K users 7.5K page views Education programming overall satisfaction rate 4.64/5 TrialsinitiatedInvestigator-Toolkit 17.3K users 36K page views 8.2K participants at 119 education events 89K website users 240.4K page views 95% of SKILLED graduates employed in clinical trials 11.5K followers 1.2M impressions 7 Data projects seed funded
Four years on, the resulting Teletrials networked partnership strategy has proved a game-changer. The first Victorian clinical trial using the teletrials framework was TARGET-TP, a targeted intervention to mitigate the risk of cancer-associated thromboembolism. The trial was led by Peter Mac’s Associate Professor Kate Burbury, current chair of the VCCC Alliance Teletrials Project, and Dr Marliese Alexander, and has delivered practicechanging results.
Equity Closing the gap for all Victorians
In 2018, supported by funding from the Victorian Government, we set out to enable broader access to cancer clinical trials across regional areas via teletrials.
Embedding an equity-first mindset
A problem as complex and multi-faceted as inequity in cancer care and outcomes requires an experienced, strategic leader to guide our approach. In November 2021, we were delighted to welcome our first Research and Education Lead in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Dr Kalinda Griffiths, a Yawuru woman, to drive this important work.
Indigenous leadership at the forefront
Threaded throughout our Strategic Program Plan 2021-24 is a major focus on building capability across the VCCC Alliance and beyond to improve equity in cancer outcomes. We need to better understand why our current systems of cancer care do not provide adequate treatment and care for some members of our community. With this knowledge we can embed effective responses for all people, regardless of geography, social, cultural, physical or economic circumstances.
In the past year we have laid the foundations of collaboration, allyship and reciprocity on which the health equity program is based: 1. A newly formed Equity Advisory Group (EAG) has been established to provide strategic direction to our Health Equity Program on the development and implementation of strategies to address inequities in cancer outcomes across Victoria, 2. We have a specific goal to contribute to improving cancer outcomes with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as part of our Strategic Program Plan, and partnered with the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) to support the implementation of their cancer journey strategy, and 3. We have utilised a strengths-based approach to map and collate novel equity initiatives in cancer control across the alliance and beyond.
Victoria has some of the best cancer outcomes in the world and is recognised as having a leading cancer healthcare system. However, these positives are not experienced equally by all Victorians, and that gap is widening.
Currently less than a third of patients recruited to a Victorian clinical trial live in a regional or rural area, and the teletrial model aims to overcome inequities through state-wide collaboration and innovation.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience inequities at every point of the cancer continuum, and these inequities are cumulative in effect. System change that challenges the status quo at all levels is required to drive measurable gains, and Dr Griffiths’ outstanding knowledge and leadership ensures our trajectory towards equity for Indigenous populations has impact, momentum and sustainability.
Teletrials strategy brings practicechanging results
9VCCC Alliance Annual Report 2021-22 Equity
“As a proud Wemba Wemba woman, and a person living with cancer for more than a decade, I have witnessed the difference in cancer care for people in vulnerable groups. By listening to the voices of patients and their communities this program can build sustainable health equity: a human right for all.”
– Melissa Sheldon
Discovery
“This data linkage allows us to understand the meaningful contributions of general practice to end-of-life care for the first time.”
Research
The Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy (CCI) – a joint initiative by Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the University of Melbourne and the VCCC Alliance – is an incubator space for 10 research groups totalling around 60 researchers from organisations across the alliance. In 2021, a ground-breaking study, SAFRON II, became the CCI’s latest achievement. Led by Peter Mac’s Associate Professor Shankar Siva and funded by the VCCC Alliance, the study found that a single dose of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) treatment has the same clinical outcomes as multiple smaller fractions of SABR to patients with low volume metastatic (oligometastatic) pulmonary disease.
Data improving end-of-life care
“The Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy is delivering high impact studies just 18 months after launching. Its scientists and clinicianscientists have extensive technical and academic experience in cancer immunology and immunotherapy, leading to high-impact collaborative studies and ultimately, better clinical care for cancer patients.”
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A landmark data linkage-based project, enabled by the infrastructure and expertise of our Data-Driven Research Hub, is enabling an intricate understanding of the impacts of primary care services at the end-of-life for patients with cancer.
The large privacy-preserving data linkage, incorporating primary care, hospital, emergency, outpatient and mortality data, covers the past ten years and incorporates approximately 20,000 patient records. It is thought to be the largest international data linkage ever undertaken that incorporates primary care and hospital clinical data at the end of life.
The Precision Oncology Forum was relaunched in June 2022 and we look forward to revamping this essential component of the genomic pipeline. Meetings average over 50 attendees per month, and the database has grown to over 475 contacts from across Australia.
A major focus for the VCCC Alliance is to enable and accelerate the translation of cutting-edge research discoveries into treatments delivered to patients in the clinic. Over the past year, we’ve taken steps to ensure this research pipeline is as effective as possible to transform cancer outcomes for more Victorians.
After 10 years, the Molecular Tumour Board has been rebranded to the VCCC Alliance Precision Oncology Forum. This change was made to reflect the monthly meeting’s expanded multidisciplinary content and coverage and provide scope to progress from genomics to include technologies as they emerge.
“I know first-hand the value of having viable treatment options, and the work that we are doing stands to increase the opportunities to provide more treatment options for people facing a cancer diagnosis.” – Natalie Diepenhorst, consumer
– Associate Professor Paul Neeson
Centre for ImmunotherapyCancerdelivers
– Dr Matthew Grant, Principal Investigator Launching the Precision Oncology Forum
11VCCC Alliance Annual Report 2021-22 Acceleration
TrialsinitiatedInvestigator-Online Toolkit 17,370 users from 160 countries Total visits up 26%
Challenging barriers in the clinical trial landscape Regional, rural and culturally diverse populations can experience poorer outcomes, with issues such as access, support and resources affecting a range of factors including quality of life and cancer survival rates. We’re focusing on the emerging trial methodologies making a difference to these groups: registry-based trials and Theseteletrials.clinical trial methodologies allow for research and clinical trials to expand their reach and provide opportunities for new and underrepresented groups, including allied health and palliative care to participate in clinical research. Improving representation in these groups at more sites provides greater access to clinical trials statewide.
Greater participation in clinical trials can mitigate existing issues with equity of access and enable representative populations across rural, regional and culturally diverse communities. A key focus of our work is to reduce the barriers to clinical trial participation to ensure that the greatest number of patients can access trials across Victoria. By strengthening clinical trial workforce knowledge and capability, identifying and removing patient barriers to participation, and enhancing clinical trial units’ capacity to deliver more trials via novel methodologies, we’re boosting the number of Victorians accessing clinical trials.
Clinical trials Driving a high-impact, highperformance clinical trial sector
Investigator-initiated trials toolkit extends value Investigator-initiated trials (IITs) are established and managed by non-pharmaceutical researchers, such as clinicians and researchers working in a health institution. Launched in early 2020, the IIT toolkit provides these investigators with a one-stopshop for setting up an IIT, offering clear guidance for the trial team on roles and responsibilities and providing resources to enable adherence to regulatory requirements and best practice. The IIT toolkit continued to build momentum in FY 21/22, attracting over 15 per cent of monthly website visits year-round. Traffic to the IIT toolkit has grown in every key metric: we had 17,370 users (+28.7%) from 160 countries and total visits were up by over 26 per cent from the previous year.
“It’s making sure that we can bring the most innovative trials to patients and consumers all the way around Victoria and then hopefully around Australia.” – Wendy Benson, consumer
As a group drawn from across member organisations, disciplines and specialties, they also work collaboratively to contribute to longer term targets such as improved survival rates in poor outcome cancers.
forRoadmapschange
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Distributed leadership model in action
The leaders in this program are charged with harnessing the collective potential to achieve maximum gain.
Implementing change
One of the key initiatives in the Distributed Leadership program has been the development of a collaborative Implementation Science in Cancer program. Central to this was the appointment of Associate Professor Stephanie Best as Senior Research Lead, Implementation Science, a joint role across Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the VCCC Alliance. Stephanie is an acknowledged leader and expert in this rapidly growing field driving meaningful practice change in the sector. She will play a critical role in embedding transformational change programs across the VCCC Alliance.
One of the unique features of the VCCC Alliance is the model of distributed leadership. This is a key driver of change across the cancer pathway and a fundamental pillar of our collective impact approach, bringing together key stakeholders to work towards a shared goal: better cancer outcomes for all.
Stephanie’s primary focus is on facilitating a learning health systems approach in cancer care. She is working with members of the Distributed Leadership program, advising and designing implementation science methodologies and strategies for key research projects to support delivery of strategic roadmaps to reduce the research evidence-practice gap. A cross-cutting demonstrator project will be developed and launched in 2023. “Implementation science is simply smart, pragmatic science. Every scientist and health care professional wants the best for their patients and to see good ideas fly.”
– Associate Professor Stephanie Best
Moreover, success is not solely measured by progress in an individual tumour stream or cross-cutting theme.
Integrating and unifying leadership, research, education, advocacy, knowledge translation and the involvement of consumers is a defining characteristic of our work and a demonstration of how and why an alliance model achieves more than a single organisation can on its own.
Acceleration
> Melanoma: Routine measures of quality care for melanoma patients
13VCCC Alliance Annual Report 2021-22 Acceleration
Data for impact Seed funding has been allocated to data projects that have specifically identified evidence to practice gaps.
The data projects will demonstrate how the collection and sharing of clinical data has the power to inform and influence practice change.
Data projects that VCCC Alliance have provided seed funding towards that are currently underway include:
> Publication of multiple high impact papers that foster knowledge translation
> Lung: Trial of Lung Surgery Registry with focus on Lung Cancer Screening
> Total of 50 research education activities across all streams with 4,472 participants
> Genitourinary: Development of a Victorian Bladder Cancer Dataset
> Development and implementation of strategic roadmaps for change across all 10 tumour streams and four cross-cutting themes
> Gastrointestinal (pancreatic): Analysis of PURPLE Translational Registry (Pancreatic cancer: Understanding Routine Practice and Lifting End results) data of VCCC Alliance sites Other achievements in FY21/22 include:
“We have welcomed the opportunity to work more closely with the leaders of the various projects and look forward to developing some collaborative opportunities to strengthen consumer involvement across all levels to help improve survival.” – Sophy Athan and Keith Donohoe, consumers
> Breast: Linkage of RUTH breast cancer dataset and DCISion RedCap dataset to the Victorian Cancer Registry
> Brain: Consumer Sourced Information for Treatment And Research (CoSTAR)
> Head and Neck: VCCC Alliance Data Linkage for Tongue Cancer
The SKILLED Clinical Trials Internship Program was acknowledged with an ARCS 2022 Innovation Award (Organisation). As the first and only initiative of its kind in Australia, the program has generated significant national and international interest and is inundated with applications each year. After four years, the program is now poised for expansion across state borders.
The SKILLED Clinical Trials Internship Program was established in 2019 to address a skilled workforce shortage in the sector, namely Clinical Trial Assistants (CTA) and Study Coordinators (SCs). This shortage has been exacerbated by the impacts of COVID-19 including increased and more complex trial activity, reallocation of resources, and a lack of international expertise to support the sector.
SKILLED clinical trial internships
The 40-week program places graduate scientist interns into clinical trial environments at host sites, giving interns access to practical, hands-on training, supported by theory-based learning. Using their research skills, interns identify and implement a quality or efficiency improvement project at their site. The program is making a meaningful contribution to reducing disparities in cancer outcomes. An award-winning program
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How does it work?
The program has experienced high levels of satisfaction, with 100 per cent of interns and host sites reporting they were satisfied or very satisfied with the program. This is a testament to the strong leadership from the chair of the SKILLED steering group Marian Lieschke (Manager PCCTU) on this initiative along with VCCC Alliance SKILLED program staff.
What does it mean for Australia?
Translating the achievements of Australia’s flourishing medical research sector into better outcomes for patients relies on expanding clinical trials across the country. And this requires a highly trained workforce to meet the increased demand.
Australia is known globally as a leading clinical trials destination due to our high quality healthcare system, advanced scientific research and multicultural population, and this has only been enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent years, the sector has grown rapidly and has the potential to become one of the country’s most important and valuable service exports.
Developed by the VCCC Alliance in partnership with the Parkville Cancer Clinical Trials Unit (PCCTU), the program trains PhD, Masters and Honours-level scientists as CTAs and SCs. It aims to strengthen the clinical trials sector by introducing science-trained graduates into the workforce.
The SKILLED Clinical Trials Internship Program was acknowledged with the ARCS 2022 Innovation Award.
15VCCC Alliance Annual Report 2021-22 Regional innovations
2021 Study Coordinator intern, Sabeen Hashmi, undertook an internship placement at Parkville Cancer Clinical Trial Unit (PCCTU) and The Royal Women’s Hospital Melbourne. She is now employed as a Study Coordinator at Monash Health.
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The engine of excellence Excellence in cancer education is a foundational pillar of the VCCC Alliance’s work and a key enabler of the worldclass research translation and patient outcomes that we help foster.
Leadership and learning
Education
Associate Professor Kok takes the reins from Associate Professor Kylie Mason, who completed her four-year tenure in June 2022. Professor Mason oversaw an extraordinary period of growth for the VCCC Alliance’s education offering, which – despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – delivered an ambitious program of work and went above and beyond to achieve new levels of attendance and participation.
“The collaborative nature of the VCCC Alliance means it is uniquely positioned to deliver world-class educational programs by bringing together the internationally renowned expertise of the 10 partners. It also enables an innovative education agenda that will provide unparalleled experiences for learners while simultaneously ensuring the knowledge can be shared broadly and equitably.” – Associate Professor David Kok, new Chair of CETAC Monday Lunch Livestream Monday Lunch Livestream (MLL) is a mainstay of our free, open access education offering. Since our first MLL in February 2017 we have now delivered 213 of these popular lectures attracting a total audience of 18,704 viewers. Every week, we provide a platform for cancer researchers, clinicians, advocates, consumers, and educators to share updates on the hottest topics in cancer, attracting a large and varied audience.
With the virtual centre set to launch by the end of 2022, we are excited about the possibilities this presents for further innovation and collaboration, and growth of our education outreach.
This year, as we implement our Strategic Program Plan 2021-24, a major, behind-the-scenes focus has been the development of a new, online VCCC Alliance Centre for Cancer Education in partnership with the University of Melbourne. This is an ambitious undertaking that will take our dynamic education programming to a new level. Importantly, it will create a platform that makes our ever-expanding catalogue of content accessible to more cancer practitioners across the state, the country and even overseas. This accessibility is fundamental to our aim of sharing knowledge and expertise so it can benefit all.
“Those working at the forefront of cancer research and care deserve accurate, effective, engaging and accredited education, as well as access to up-to-date information regardless of location.” – Rochelle Serry, consumer
Most MLL lectures are recorded and shared via our website and YouTube channel, providing a back catalogue of educational content that is a comprehensive resource for all.
Passing the leadership baton Guiding the strategy for this exciting new phase will fall to the new Chair of the VCCC Alliance Cancer Education and Training Committee (CETAC), Associate Professor David Kok, Campus Director and Head of Radiation Oncology Service at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Monash Campus, and Associate Director of Radiation Oncology (Education) at Peter Mac Parkville.
17VCCC Alliance Annual Report 2021-22 Leadership and learning SKILLED Internship Program 77 graduates since 2019 95% of graduates employed in clinical trials sector Awards Master of Cancer Sciences: Gold Medal, Telly Awards 2022 for RadiotherapyStereotactic SKILLED Clinical Trials Internship Program: ARCS Australia 2022 Innovation Award 2021-22SciencesofMasterCancer 30 graduates 42 new enrolments 2021-22LivestreamLunchMonday 37 webinars 2.3K attendees Massive Open Online Courses Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care Practitioners 712 participants Cancer and the Older Person 1.2K participants Education at a glance
18 VCCC AnnualAllianceReport 2021-22 VCCN
As time passes, the fear is that we will start to see evidence of stage migration as cancers that may have been picked up by screening at earlier stage have progressed, or people become symptomatic due to progression of disease.
As a VCCN collaborator, Cancer Council Victoria is leading the efforts to raise urgent awareness of this issue through new public education campaigns to urge a return to screening and regular health checks. “Almost two and a half years on, the Taskforce is still meeting regularly and remains resolutely solutions-focused in how to best support our patients and our workforce.” – Professor Grant McArthur
More than two years on, this collaborative entity continues to play an influential and functional role, supporting and advocating for workforce, and ensuring the concerns of healthcare practitioners and the needs of patients are heard by decision makers.
The Victorian COVID-19 Cancer Network (VCCN) was established in March 2020 as a coordinated, real-time response to the challenges of managing cancer care in Victoria amid the global pandemic.
duringcancerOptimisingcareapandemic
Delayed cancer diagnoses now a significant men’s health issue
Initiatives during 2021-22
Throughout the pandemic, there has been a steady rise in ‘missing’ cancer cases. Data from the Victorian Cancer Registry indicates that these now number more than 7,000 in Victoria alone and men are disproportionately represented in these numbers.
In cancers common to both males and females, there are approximately 2,000 cases missing in men compared to around 100 in women. Together with the approximately 2,800 missing prostate cancer diagnoses, these figures represent a major and ongoing men’s health issue with significant ramifications in both the short and long term.
In a year that saw higher numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Victoria than the previous two combined, the VCCN Taskforce and expert groups focused on three main issues: securing best possible care for patients affected by cancer; mitigating exceptional pressures on the workforce and health services, and communicating the growing concern around the snowballing numbers of ‘missing’ cancer cases in the community. Key focus areas > Advocating for continuation of cancer surgeries during restrictions > Priority access to COVID-19 treatments for patients with cancer > Education and awareness regarding third dose/fourth booster vaccination advice > Workforce support and advocacy > Telehealth research > Advocating continuation of MBS support for telehealth consultations
VCCC Alliance –In Person Meet some of our cover stars
Underpinning all of this are the contributions of hundreds of people: consumers, scientists, educators, doctors, allied health professionals, nurses and administrators who give their time and expertise to work together towards a shared goal: better outcomes for all. Our In Person series invites you to meet just a few of these exceptional people. Find out what drives them and how their work contributes to our collective impact.
“The VCCC Alliance includes several research institutes, hospitals and universities working together. You can only do so much working alone. With collaboration we can do a lot more.”
The VCCC Alliance is so much more than the sum of its parts. We have 10 member organisations, we are supported by the Victorian Government, and we partner with multiple organisations across the health, medical and not for profit sectors as well as industry.
– Professor Peter Gibbs, Research and Education Lead, Gastro-intestinal Cancers
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Supported by VCCC Alliance members Level 10, Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre 305 Grattan Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 Telephone: 03 8559 7160 Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Ltd trading as VCCC Alliance ABN 84 140 233 www.vcccalliance.org.au790
