NATIONAL BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION (NBCF) OUTLINES PINK HORIZON RESEARCH STRATEGY AT BREAST CANCER FORUM Breast Cancer Awareness Month demonstrates integral role of NBCF in research and clinical support
Filmed in Brisbane, Queensland | November 2024
Associate Professor Cleola Anderiesz, Chief Executive Officer of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, leads an organisation dedicated to funding world-class breast cancer research in Australia. The Foundation has a bold vision of achieving zero deaths from breast cancer.
Every October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the foundation uses this time to raise awareness about breast cancer and its impact in Australia. It also emphasises the critical need for funding breast cancer research to improve outcomes.
The National Breast Cancer Foundation collaborates with researchers, providing essential funding while also engaging them, clinicians, and consumers to establish research priorities.
Australian Health Journal met with Assoc Prof Anderiesz to hear of the new 5 year Pink Horizon research strategy. Those with lived experience of breast cancer, along with researchers, clinicians, and other funding organisations, have contributed to the development of the foundation’s new five-year Pink Horizon research strategy. This ambitious plan aims to invest $125 million to accelerate research efforts towards the vision of ending deaths from breast cancer.
Recently, Assoc Professor Anderiesz presented at the Public Breast Cancer Research Forum hosted by The University of Queensland and the Translational Research Institute, where she highlighted the accomplishments of the National Breast Cancer Foundation over the past 30 years. During this time, the Foundation has invested over $200 million into more than 600 research projects across Australia, supporting 1,800 researchers at 120 institutes to advance impactful breast cancer research.
Professor Anderiesz believes it is essential for all members of the breast cancer community to consistently seek opportunities to raise awareness about the disease’s impact. This awareness should extend beyond October and include efforts to inform primary care physicians and specialists. Additionally, there is a need to promote groundbreaking research and advocate for changes in policy and care to improve outcomes for individuals affected by breast cancer.
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Patient-paramedic trust can help free up emergency departments
Dr. Robbie King is a Senior Advanced Care Paramedic with the Queensland Ambulance Service and a community paramedic. He is also a lecturer at the Australian Catholic University in Brisbane. After studying paramedicine and working as a student paramedic since 2009, he recognised that most patients attended by ambulance services did not require emergency interventions.
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Continuing education program leads to better conversations
Medicines Australia’s Continuing Education Program (CEP) is designed to educate medical representatives to a recognised industry standard. Dr Tristan Ling, CEP Academic Lead and Project Manager at the College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania talks about the 900 students that come through the program each year.
The CEP is primarily directed at medical representatives working within the prescription medicines industry, but is also recommended to people who may not be currently employed within the industry but would like to pursue a career as a medical representative. It is also available to personnel working for organisations interacting with the pharmaceutical industry.
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How I Became an Emergency Physician
Dr Kim Hansen was initially attracted to emergency medicine because of its dynamic and chaotic environment. She enjoyed organising the chaos of the emergency department and working with a variety of patients, from newborn babies to centenarians. Dr Hansen found it fulfilling to help people get better or provide them with assistance and guidance when they couldn’t be cured. The unpredictability of the work was also part of the appeal, and she dedicated herself to developing the skills required to be a good emergency doctor.
