Governance

“We can achieve rates of cervical cancer in Australia that are so low that it can be considered to be eliminated by 2035. However, we need to address current inequities in participation and access to cervical cancer prevention and treatment services, to ensure elimination is achieved for all women and people with a cervix across the diverse communities we have in Australia. I’m very proud to chair the Expert Advisory Group for the Elimination Response (EAGER). Its members are deeply knowledgeable in their areas of expertise and passionately committed to bringing the voices of priority communities to the centre of this Strategy.”

Professor Karen Canfell, Director, The Daffodil Centre
Chair of the Expert Advisory Group to the Elimination Response

This Strategy was developed with guidance from many partners and subject matter experts.

A Department of Health Steering Committee provided strategic advice and oversight from health policy areas that are important to the success of this Strategy. Additionally, an expert advisory group and four sub-advisory groups were established to represent the health sector and community members across Australia, including priority community groups.

 

The following people have provided strategic guidance, deep expertise and support throughout the development of this Strategy.

Department of Health Steering Committee

Chair: Ariane Hermann, Assistant Secretary, Cancer and Palliative Care Policy Branch, Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care

Members:

  • Andrew Gateley, Assistant Secretary Cancer, Hearing Program Support Division, National Cancer Screening Register Branch
  • Tracey Andrews, Director Population Health Division, Preventive Health Policy Branch
  • Nick Stoney, Assistant Secretary Population Health Division, Immunisation and Communicable Diseases Branch
  • Ben Mudaliar, Assistant Secretary First Nations Health Division, Child, Family and Preventive Health Branch
  • Associate Professor Vivienne Milch, Medical Director, Cancer Australia; and Medical Advisor, Department of Health and Aged Care
  • Frances Rice, Senior Nurse Advisor, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Division

Expert Advisory Group to the Elimination Response (EAGER)

Chair: Prof Karen Canfell, Director, The Daffodil Centre (a joint venture of Cancer Council NSW and The University of Sydney)

Members:

  • Ms Nicky Bath, CEO, LGBTIQ+ Health Australia
  • Dr Tanya Buchanan, CEO, Cancer Council Australia
  • Dr Dawn Casey, Deputy CEO, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
  • Dr Paul Cohen, Gynaecologist, Western Australian Gynaecological Cancer Service, King Edward Memorial Hospital
  • Dr Joyce Jiang, Health Promotion Manager, Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health
  • Professor Dorothy Keefe, PSM, MD, CEO Cancer Australia
  • Professor Kristine Macartney, Director, National Centre for Immunisation Research & Surveillance
  • Tricia Malowney OAM, Chief Accessibility Advocate, Department of Transport
  • Ariane Hermann, Assistant Secretary, Cancer and Palliative Care Policy Branch, Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care

Health Equity Sub-Advisory Group

Chair: Associate Professor Lisa Whop, Senior Fellow, National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, Australian National University

Members:

  • Dr Lorraine Anderson, Medical Director, Kimberly Aboriginal Medical Service
  • Dr Allison Bielawski, General Practitioner, Glebe Family Medical Practice
  • Associate Professor Anna Boltong, Head of Cancer Control Strategy, Cancer Australia
  • Angela Brown, Board Member for South Australia, Australian Women’s Health Network
  • Dr Tamara Butler, Research Fellow, University of Queensland
  • Brione Craven, Director First Nations Health Division, Department of Health
  • Linda Davidson, Australian College of Nursing
  • Prof Gail Garvey, Professor of Indigenous Health Research, University of Queensland
  • Dr Lucille Kerr, Postdoctoral Researcher, Cabrini Health and La Trobe University
  • Dr David Phan, General Practitioner
  • Laura Richards, Assistant Director, Health Equity Branch, Department of Health and Aged Care
  • Dr Magdalena Simonis, General Practitioner and RACGP Fellow
  • Kay Walley, Senior Aboriginal Health Program Officer, Department of Health WA
  • Dr Jared Watts, Director of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, WA Country Health Service

Vaccination Sub-Advisory Group

Chair: Professor Julia Brotherton, Public Health Physician and Epidemiologist, Australian Centre for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer

Members:

  • Dr Tamara Butler, Research Fellow, University of Queensland
  • Katrina Clark, National Indigenous Immunisation Co-ordinator, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance
  • Cristyn Davies, Research Fellow, University of Sydney
  • Professor Suzanne Garland, Director of the Women’s Centre for Infectious Diseases, Royal Women’s Hospital
  • Professor Michelle Giles, Infectious Diseases Physician, Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI)
  • Associate Professor Charlotte Hespe, RACGP Representative
  • Associate Professor Steve Lambert, UQ Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland
  • Professor Helen Marshall, Medical Director VIRTU, University of Adelaide
  • Georgina Papoutsi, Immunisation and Communicable Diseases Branch, Australian Department of Health and Aged Care
  • Catherine Radkowski, Senior Technical Specialist/Senior Manager, Immunisation Unit, Department of Health (Victoria), Jurisdictional Immunisation Coordinators Representative
  • Professor Rachel Skinner, Professor in Child and Adolescent Health, University of Sydney
  • Aleena Williams, Director of Immunisations and Notifiable Diseases, Jurisdictional Immunisation Coordinators Representative

Screening Sub-Advisory Group

Chair: Associate Professor Megan Smith, Co-lead Cervical Cancer and HPV Stream and Principal Research Fellow, The Daffodil Centre (a joint venture of Cancer Council NSW and The University of Sydney)

Members:

  • Associate Professor Lyndal Anderson, Pathologist, RPA, NSW Health
  • Professor Deborah Bateson, Professor of Practice, The Daffodil Centre (a joint venture of Cancer Council NSW and The University of Sydney)
  • Phoebe Crosbie, Assistant Director Preventive Health Policy Branch, Australian Department of Health and Aged Care
  • Professor Jon Emery, Herman Professor of Primary Care Cancer Research, University of Melbourne and Western Health
  • Kristine Falzon, Executive Manager – Comprehensive Care/Clinical Services, Waminda South Coast Women Health & Welfare Aboriginal Corporation
  • Jan Gale, Nurse Colposcopist, Gold Coast University Hospital
  • Yesim Karasu, MindOUT Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Officer, LGBTIQ+ Health Australia
  • Kellie Kerin, Registered Nurse and Clinical COVID Advisor, Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT)
  • Dejan Krstik, Director, Screening Policy Section, Australian Department of Health and Aged Care
  • Kym Lang, Team Leader, Screening and Cancer Prevention, Department of Health Victoria
  • Camilla Leaver, National Cervical Screening Program Manager, Department of Health SA
  • Nikki McGrath, National Cervical Screening Program Manager, Department of Health Victoria
  • Associate Professor Vivienne Milch, Medical Director, Cancer Australia; and Medical Advisor, Department of Health and Aged Care
  • Julie Patterson, National Cervical Screening Program Manager, Department of Health SA
  • Karen Price, Deputy CEO, ACON
  • Professor Marion Saville AM, Executive Director, Australian Centre for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer
  • Gail Ward, Director, Population Screening & Cancer Prevention, Tasmania Health Service
  • Associate Professor Lisa Whop, Senior Research Fellow, Australian National University
  • Mr David Wrede, Consultant Gynaecologist Lead for Dysplasia, Royal Women’s Hospital

Treatment Sub-Advisory Group

Chair:  Professor Yee Leung, Gynaecological Oncologist, The University of Western Australia

Deputy Chair: Assoc Prof Pearly Khaw, Radiation Oncologist, ANZGOG Board Director and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Members:

  • Cath Adams, Psycho-oncologist, GenesisCare
  • Professor Sanchia Aranda, Professor of Health Services Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
  • Dr Jeffrey Goh, Medical Oncologist and Chair of ANZGOG Cervical Tumor Working Group, ANZGOG and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
  • Dr Surbhi Grover, Radiation Oncologist, Daffodil Centre (a joint venture of Cancer Council NSW and The University of Sydney)
  • Alison Hamill, Consumer representative
  • Kim Hobbs, Clinical Specialist Social Worker, Westmead Hospital NSW
  • Professor Lynette Joubert, Professor Direct Practice, University of Melbourne
  • Associate Professor Orla McNally, Gynaecological Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Royal Women’s Hospital
  • Anne Mellon, Clinical Nurse Consultant Gynaecological Oncology, Hunter New England Centre for Gynaecological Cancer
  • Dr Paula Moffat, Palliative Care Consultant, Bethesda Health Care WA
  • Mike Stephens, Director Pharmacy, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO)
  • Dr Sam Saidi, Gynaecological Oncologist, Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG)
  • Ashlee Williams, Consumer representative
  • Dr Mei Ling Yap, Radiation Oncologist, South Western Sydney Local Health District

National Elimination Project Working Group

Chair: Professor Marion Saville AM, ACPCC Project Sponsor & Chair of Project Working Group 

Members:

  • Professor Julia Brotherton, Public Health Physician and Epidemiologist, ACPCC  
  • Associate Professor Lisa Whop, Consultant, Australian National University 
  • Associate Professor Megan Smith, Consultant, Daffodil Centre (a joint venture of Cancer Council NSW and The University of Sydney)
  • Dr Julie Torode, Consultant and co-chair of the WHO Global Guideline Group for Cervical Cancer
  • Michelle Mollard, Project Manager, ACPCC
  • Kate Wilkinson, Project Manager, ACPCC
  • Kim Lee, Project Co-Lead, ACPCC  
  • Lena Elkman, Project Co-Lead, ACPCC
  • Kanwal Saleem, Project Co-Lead, ACPCC
  • Callum Hensman, Research Assistant, ACPCC

Special Contributions

University of Melbourne (VIC) for their contribution to the consultation activities and qualitative analysis of the consultation data:

  • Dr Claire Nightingale, Senior Research Fellow
  • Dr Tessa Saunders, Research Fellow
  • Dr Alison Brown, Research Fellow
  • Claire Bavor, Research Assistant
  • Lucy Boyd, Research Assistant
  • Claire Zammit, Research Assistant


For support and contribution to the consultation activities:

  • Dr Dorothy Machalek, Kirby Institute, University of NSW
  • Dr Lexie Young, Kirby Institute, University of NSW
  • Heather O’Donnell, Department of Health Victoria
  • Clare O’Reilly, Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation Inc
  • Heather McMinn, National Disability Services
  • Matthew Bowden, Matthew Bowden Consulting
  • Rowen De Lacy, Thorne Harbour Health
  • Peter Locke, Thorne Harbour Health
  • Liz Ham, Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation
  • Rajendra Pandey, Vishva Hindu Parishad of Australia Inc.
  • Deepti Pandey, Vishva Hindu Parishad of Australia Inc.
  • Jacqueline Riviere, Wellbeing SA
  • Noor Anooz, Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services
  • Rachel Pearce, Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Service
  • Andrea Creado, Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services
  • Alexandra Stephanie Brooks, University of Melbourne
  • Holly Ellis, WH&Y Commission
  • Maia Giordano, WH&Y Commission
  • Kate Munro, Youth Action
  • Courtney Venaglia, Youth Action

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