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Level 1, B2 2 Burke St Woolloongabba Qld 4102 Australia
Cancer Alliance Queensland’s 20th anniversary
We celebrated our 20th Anniversary on the 27th June 24 with colleagues and friends, both new and old.
We took the opportunity to reflect on Cancer Alliance Queensland, from where we began to where we are today. Looking back over the past two decades, we celebrated our achievements and looked forward to the future.
The session commenced with warm greetings from Janine Walker AM and Noelle Cridland, followed by a Welcome to Country delivered by Steven Coghill.
Professor Euan Walpole and Dr Shoni Philpot started the presentations by providing a retrospective overview of Cancer Alliance Queensland. They highlighted the significance of how data is our strength, the increase in MDT reviews, and the numerous reports developed. They also spoke about our 2024-26 strategic plan and what are plans are for the future.
Claire Howlett from Cancer Australia discussed the Cancer Plan and provided a glimpse into the future of cancer care in Australia.
This was followed by the launch of Cancer Insights: A Focus on Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities. Craig Carson and Cassandra Vujovich-Dunn launched the report of behalf of Prof Gail Garvey. This work specifically addresses cancer among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders.
The presentations concluded with the inaugural Award of Distinction: Quality and Safety in Cancer Care, presented by Professor David E. Theile and Dr Hazel Harden. Euan Walpole and Shoni Philpot were our deserving awardees.
We concluded this remarkable evening with drinks and canapés.
We would like to thank all the team members at Cancer Alliance Queensland, past and present, for their dedication and hard work in everything they do.
We would like to extend our gratitude to all the clinicians and teams who have contributed to our achievements. Your commitment and willingness to embrace new systems have been instrumental in our progress. Together, we will continue to strive towards a future where every person affected by cancer receives the highest quality of care and support.
"I’ve been impressed with the culture and philosophy at the Cancer Alliance over the years. It has always been centred around the patients and how to best improve outcomes for them. The approach is thus not punitive but allows hospitals to reflect on areas where they could do better for their patients. The team of the Cancer Alliance work studiously to collate and interpret the enormous volume of data and support evidenced based research utilizing these data."
"Cancer Council Queensland is committed to leading Queenslanders in a partnership against cancer. In doing so, our program of research seeks to understand and minimise cancer-related burden, with much of this research being reliant on data collected by Cancer Alliance Queensland. We therefore very much appreciate Cancer Alliance Queensland’s ongoing efforts and are well-positioned to recognise their importance in improving the lives of those diagnosed with cancer."
"It has been a pleasure to collaborate with Julie and Phoebe on my research projects. They have made the process easy and smooth to navigate and have been helpful throughout. It has been a positive and successful partnership, and pivotal to the success in conducting high quality cancer research in Queensland."
"The QSKIN Study has enjoyed a rewarding and productive collaborative relationship with the Queensland Cancer Register since the cohort launched in 2011. The QCR provides high-quality, timely data that supports QSKIN in its quest to understand the drivers of melanoma and skin cancer. Without question, the QCR has enabled QSKIN to produce globally significant research findings that are translating into policy and practice. Sincere thanks from the QSKIN team for the work you do, and your instructive and professional advice!"
"From the Cancer Alliance Queensland, there is no doubt that the quality of data acquired, analysed, and then discussed by the relevant clinicians in the State, has led to recommendations and improvements in the outcomes for patients with complex upper gastro-intestinal cancers. This is evidenced from the longitudinal analyses performed by the Alliance as well as from in depth research assessing the data and the associated outcomes.” “To maintain the quality of outcomes across all cancer streams, the need for constant overview and assessment cannot be underestimated – we lead this aspect in Queensland due directly to the work from CAQ."
"Happy 20th birthday CAQ! It’s been lovely working with you and all the dedicated team at CAQ. Such a professional and patient-centred, outcome-driven group that is focussed on analysing big data to help improve outcomes for our patients affected by cancer. It’s been great to see how the team has grown over the years and we look forward to many more projects and quality-improvement activities in the future! I am particularly grateful for your collaborative efforts with establishing and administering the Sunshine Coast Rare Cancer Care and Research Trust Fund, our program for helping local patients with rare cancers access genomic sequencing through our work with Australian Families 4 Genomics (AF4G) and The Australian Rare Cancer (ARC) Portal."
"The Queensland Brain Cancer Quality Index presents the best data available anywhere in the world for brain cancer care: It is comprehensive, pertinent and up to date."
"The Statistical Analysis and Linkage Unit would like to say Thank you to CAQ for attending and presenting at the Data Linkage Symposium over the years. We look forward to continuing our collaboration on data linkage, analysis and research projects. Congratulations CAQ on your 20 year anniversary!"
"Cancer Alliance Queensland rise to the challenge every time. The team are innovative yet practical. You never shy away from a new idea and as a result have pushed the boundaries of big data, clinician centred technology solutions and collaboration. It's always a pleasure working with you because you show up big every time. Happy birthday CAQ, 20 years is major milestone, take your time to enjoy the moment."