GP circle invites you to join Dr Anna Singleton, Dr Larry Myers and Dr Kristi Milley as they present insights into their work in cancer research and the importance of consumer involvement throughout the entire research journey.

Often when we hear ‘cancer research’ we jump to ideas of a fancy new treatment or an expensive experimental drug. But the journey of diagnosis, treatment and recovery from cancer involves much more than that. And here at PC4 we are interested in the whole journey.

The research PC4 supports is all conducted in a primary care setting, so anything that happens outside of hospital treatment. Things like: does your GP regularly remind you to conduct bowel screening? Or, if the local doctor sent a text reminder about BreastScreen, would you be more likely to attend? Or if there was an app for sharing new lung cancer symptoms, would that help reduce lung cancer deaths?

So it’s not a headline on SkyNews, but we’re passionate about it because it brings real and widespread change to people living with and affected by cancer.

Speakers

Anna Singleton is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sydney. Dr Singleton’s research aims to use digital health strategies to improve health outcomes for people living with and beyond cancer. Anna will present on the EMPOWER-SMS clinical trial, which was awarded the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance’s Trial of the Year for Consumer Involvement in research. This trial found that a health and wellness support program delivered via text messages was acceptable, useful and engaging for breast cancer survivors.

Larry Myers started his post-doctoral research position in the Health Systems and Behavioural Research team at Cancer Council Queensland in May 2021. He investigates behaviour change interventions to promote participation in population bowel cancer screening programs. Larry is currently investigating ways to increase participation in the Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program. Larry also plays a key role in projects aimed to improve outcomes for cancer survivors living in regional and remote Australia.
 Larry will present on his PC4 Training Award-funded project which aims to understand the mechanisms underlying the socioeconomic disparities in cancer screening.

Kristi Milley is the National Manager of the Primary Care Collaborative Cancer Clinical Trials Group (PC4). She will present on the rural research initiative: PARTNER. PARTNER is a national collaboration between rural GP clinics and primary care researchers across Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland. It will recruit 15 rural practices in each state to ultimately form an Australian rural clinical trials network to boost access to trials for rural patients.

Questions?

Sarah Nagorcka, Communications Coordinator, PC4

E: sarah.nagorcka@unimelb.edu.au