Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre News
April 2014
This message follows the April Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) Board
meeting, and summarises the topics discussed by members and other important news. The
VCCC welcomes new members
Dr Sue Matthews, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Royal Women’s Hospital, and Mr Ben
Fielding, CEO, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, to the Board (see page 4).
Current VCCC Project site billboard
Strategic direction 2014–15
The Victorian Government has confirmed ongoing VCCC funding until mid-2016. The VCCC
Cancer Program aims to build the VCCC structure and function, to address the key
deliverables within the VCCC Business Case. The new structure will focus on cancer
prevention, early detection and referral pathways; cancer services and tumour stream
development; cancer research and industry engagement; cancer education and training; and
cancer information and analysis (see diagram below).
VCCC Board
Director
Cancer Advisory Board and
Expert Advisory Panel SubCommittee
Cancer Prevention, Early
Detection and Referral
Pathways
Cancer Services and
Tumour Stream
Development
Business Support
Cancer Research and
Industry Engagement
Cancer Education and
Training
Cancer Information and
Analysis
Under the current funding arrangements, most of the effort for the next two years will be
directed at developing cancer services with the Western & Central Metropolitan Integrated
Cancer Service (WCMICS), investigating cancer research impact, improving funding success
and establishing further depth in education and training.
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Cancer services and tumour stream development
The VCCC, in close collaboration with WCMICS, will develop the cancer services and tumour
stream program across the network of hospitals, with a focus on using audits to measure
quality of care and then integrating the results with research. The VCCC Parkville Clinical
Operating Model will also inform the tumour stream development for the VCCC overall.
Cancer Information and Analysis Program
The emerging information and communications technology (ICT) capability will eventually
develop the Cancer Information and Analysis Program. The proposed VCCC Centre for Health
Services Research is being established during the next two years to provide more depth in
the analysis.
Reporting on the Benefit Management Plan and our KPIs — Cancer Primary Care Program
The VCCC Cancer Primary Care Program aims to fulfil part of the outreach requirement of a
comprehensive cancer centre, based on National Cancer Institute (United States) criteria. It
will specifically address cancer risk in general practice, prevention interventions and early
detection of cancer, and — more broadly — the issue of cancer incidence and survival within
our Benefit Management Plan and key performance indicator (KPI) reports to the Victorian
Government. Professor Jon Emery (Herman Chair in Primary Care Cancer Research) has
started a number of key projects to improve cancer risk identification in general practice.
Living with Cancer Program
The VCCC Living with Cancer Program will specifically relieve the burden of cancer on cancer
patients and their families. A representative VCCC working group oversees the program,
which is linked to clinical services development and includes WCMICS representation.
Recently, patients completed a Cancer Patient Experience Survey, which was benchmarked
to around 70,000 patients in the United Kingdom who completed a similar survey. The key
findings of this work have been provided to hospital executives. Patient Reported Outcomes
Measures surveys (PROMs) for breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer, non-Hodgkin
lymphoma and melanoma are in the field in collaboration with the Victorian Cancer Registry.
Work is progressing on the two collaborative psycho-oncology research projects that were
seed funded by the VCCC. On 5 September 2014, the second annual international
conference on psycho-oncology — jointly auspiced by WCMICS, the VCCC, the Psychooncology Co-operative Research Group and The University of Melbourne — will focus on the
controversy surrounding the evidence on the value of psychological screening, as well as the
special issues of adolescents and young adults with cancer.
Building a Centre of Excellence
Leaders in Cancer Program
The Leaders in Cancer Program aims to recruit and retain the best research leaders of high
international standing to the VCCC Cancer Program. This strategy is designed to provide
research leadership across the breadth of the VCCC, increase cancer research funding to our
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group and Victoria, and provide new research findings that can be directly applied to patient
care and our population.
The Leaders in Cancer Program has now developed six new academic chairs and seven new
fellowships. Looking ahead, this program could be extended to identify future tumour
stream leaders within the VCCC.
VCCC Research Program development
The VCCC Research Program development increases our capability to obtain successful
multisite, multidisciplinary grants around important scientific questions in our cancer
research program. The excellence of this work will be measured by its impact on research,
and on policy and practice. Work is under way to provide greater research support to deliver
this outcome within the 2014–15 budget. A new VCCC Research Manager will be appointed
to facilitate this task. So far, the increased research support has resulted in a new $2 million
Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) grant to the VCCC and The University of
Melbourne for clinical proteomics in late 2013. To date, our group has been successful in this
type of multisite collaboration and facilitation for two Centres of Research Excellence grants,
two additional ACRF grants.
VCCC Genomics Personalised/Precision Medicine Program
The VCCC Genomics Personalised/Precision Medicine Program supports the Australian
Ovarian Cancer Assortment Trial (ALLOCATE) and the Molecular Tumour Board, which is
identifying a methodology for the clinical use of whole exome sequencing. The VCCC has
extended ALLOCATE into its second year.
VCCC Clinical Trials Program
In collaboration with Clinical Trials Australia, the VCCC Clinical Trials Program aims to
increase industry investment at VCCC sites, increase patient access to clinical trials and aid
data-sharing for clinical trials and other research. This work is being conducted in association
with the Parkville Clinical Trials Initiative, headed by Professor Ingrid Winship.
VCCC Cancer Education Program
The VCCC Cancer Education Program increases education skills and standards among cancer
professionals in the VCCC, and helps develop Australia’s most comprehensive cancer
education and training program. This program is already well established under the guidance
of the Cancer Education and Training Advisory Committee. It is making good progress on
establishing the new Master in Cancer Sciences course, improving our PhD program,
facilitating the harmonisation of learning management systems and reviewing online
education tools.
VCCC communications
Following a recommendation from a VCCC Communications Committee representative, the
VCCC Board has agreed to develop a new endorsing brand strategy. This will enable new
work on the architecture and implementation guidelines. VCCC members will be able to
implement both their own and a VCCC identity that is linked across programs and initiatives.
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New VCCC Board members
Mr Ben Fielding
Ben has recently become St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne’s CEO. Before this role, he was a
partner in a health advisory practice, leading the business in Victoria and Canberra with the
federal health account. He has a track record of leading change in health service delivery in
both Australia and the United Kingdom. Ben has a strong background in the operational
management of health services, and has a particular interest in helping organisations pursue
opportunities for performance improvement and strategic reform.
Dr Sue Matthews
Sue, an experienced healthcare leader, has recently been appointed as CEO of the Royal
Women’s Hospital. She has held a variety of nursing positions, including as staff nurse, nurse
educator, manager, director and vice president. More specifically, she was Chief of Nursing
and Professional Practice, Provincial Chief Nursing Officer for Ontario, Canada, and Interim
President and CEO of the Niagara Health System, Canada.
Sue holds an RN Diploma, a Bachelor of Arts in Health Studies, a Master of Health Science
Nursing, and a Doctorate in Public Health. She is an Adjunct Professor at Trent University,
Brock University and the University of Toronto in Canada; Adjunct Professor at Charles Sturt
University, Australia; a Clinical Associate Professor at McMaster University, Canada; and a
Fellow of the Wharton School of Business in the United States. Sue has consistently been a
leader in national, provincial and statewide initiatives, with the goal of increasing overall
population health through strong healthcare leadership.
The vision for the VCCC is to save lives through the integration of cancer research, education
and patient care. Through innovation and collaboration, the VCCC will drive the next
generation of improvements in the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer.
Contact us
Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre
PO Box 2148, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Vic 3050
Level 3, 766 Elizabeth St, Melbourne, Vic 3000
telephone: +61 3 8344 8708 email: victorianccc-info@unimelb.edu.au
website: www.vcccproject.vic.gov.au/TheAlliance
twitter: @CancerVCCC
Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Ltd trading as Victorian Comprehensive Cancer
Centre
The Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, a joint venture between:
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Royal Melbourne Hospital
The University of Melbourne
The Royal Women’s Hospital
Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne
Western Health
St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne
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