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Dr Amit Oza is a medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PM), Scientist at the Ontario Cancer Institute, and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr Oza is Head of Division of Medical Oncology & Haematology and Director of Clinical Research at PM, as well as co-Director of the Robert & Maggie Bras and Family New Drug Development Program. He serves as Chair of the NCI Investigational Drug Steering Committee (from June 2014) and co-chair (from June 2016) of NCI Gynaecologic Cancer Steering Committee. He is on the Executive Board of the international Gynaecologic Cancer InterGroup and Chair Elect (commencing June 2019). As well as co-founder and Director of the Fields Institute Centre for Mathematical Modelling.

Dr Oza’s academic interest is the design and development of early phase clinical trials for targeted agents with a defined research interest in gynaecologic malignancies and focus on translational science. Since 2006, he has been Principal Investigator of the Phase II Consortium N01-cnotract (2006-16) sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. This program has developed, designed and led over 100 early phase clinical trials since its inception in 2001 and enrolled over 3500 patients from across Canada and US. Under Amit’s direction, Princess Margaret is home to one of the largest early phase ovarian cancer clinical trials programs enrolling 150 patients/year onto clinical trials at the Institute. A highly productive program, he has been responsible for $17.4M in new funding over the last five years from peer-reviewed agencies such as the U.S NCI, Department of Defence, Cancer Care Ontario, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.

Professor Nicoletta Colombo graduated in medicine in 1980, completing specialty training in obstetrics and gynaecology in 1984 at the University of Milan, Italy.

After a training period at Charing Cross Hospital and Royal Marsden Hospital in London, she became a Clinical Research Associate at the Kaplan Cancer Center, New York University, where she worked from 1984 until 1986. Professor Colombo then worked as a member of the Junior and later the Senior Faculty at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Milan. In 1994 she became Deputy Director and in 2001 Director of the Medical Gynaecologic Oncology Division, European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan, Italy. Since 2002 she has held the position of Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Milan-Bicocca. In 2008, she became Director of the Ovarian Cancer Centre at IEO and in 2014 Chair of the Program of Gynaecology.

Professor Colombo is also author of several publications in the field of gynaecologic oncology, and a member of various professional societies such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the Society of Gynaecologic Oncologists (SGO) and the International Gynaecological Cancer Society (IGCS). She is also Past President of the European Society of Gynaecologic Oncology (ESGO) and was Chair of the first ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO Consensus Conference in endometrial cancer (2015)  and the first ESMO-ESGO Consensus Conference in ovarian Cancer (2018). Since 2016 she is Subject Editor of ESMO Clinical Guidelines for Gynecological Malignancies.

Wui-Jin Koh, MD, is the Senior Vice President/Chief Medical Officer at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). In this role, Dr. Koh oversees the NCCN Oncology Research Program (ORP), which strives to improve and prolong the lives of people with cancer by advancing collaborative research. Dr. Koh also helps oversee the flagship NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines^®) program. In addition, he is responsible for medical leadership and oversight for NCCN’s continuing medical education program and represents the organization at clinical and scientific meetings.

Prior to his role at NCCN, he served as Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Washington and Medical Director for Radiation Oncology at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

Dr. Koh earned his medical degree at Loma Linda University School of Medicine. He conducted his post-graduate training at the University of Washington Medical Center, completing a residency and internship in radiation oncology and a clinical fellowship in tumor imaging. He is board-certified in radiation oncology. 

Dr. Koh’s research interests include combined chemo-radiation strategies, cancer management guidelines development, and the role of imaging in radiotherapy and cancer care. He specializes in gynecologic tumors, lung cancer, ocular tumors, and sarcomas, as well as intraoperative radiotherapy, brachytherapy including radioactive implants, high-dose radiation and low-dose radiation implants. He also treats rectal, esophageal, stomach, pancreas, colon, and biliary tract cancers.

Dr. Koh is well-published and involved in numerous professional societies, including the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Gynecologic Oncology Group, the Western Association of Gynecologic Oncology, and the International Gynecologic Cancer Society.

Bernadette is the Manager, Safety and Quality Improvement Systems and Intergovernmental Relations at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission). The Commission is an Australian government agency that leads and coordinates national improvements in safety & quality of health care based on best available evidence. The Commission works in partnership with the Australian Government, state and territory governments, private sector, patients, clinicians, managers and health care organisations.

Bernadette holds a PhD in health outcomes research from the University of Sydney Medical School, and has lead programs of work in the health care sector including developing and managing clinical trial services; developing quality reporting frameworks; designing and implementing clinical quality registries and mechanisms for reporting health system performance.

Currently, Bernadette is leading the development and implementation of the National Clinical Trials Governance Framework and the review of the Australian Framework for Clinical Quality Registries.  

Dr Olivia Cook is a Registered Nurse and post-doctoral researcher with 20 years of experience in the fields of women’s health and oncology. Olivia completed her PhD in 2018 which investigated the role of specialist nurses in the provision of gynaecological cancer care across Australia and New Zealand Her highly-translatable research is centred on patient experience and the health systems and professional roles that support person-centred care. Olivia holds a full time appointment as a post-doctoral research fellow within the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University and an Honorary appointment at Monash Health. Olivia actively contributes to her discipline through a number of appointments including, membership of the Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium Advisory Committee, Secretary of the CNSA Gynaecological Oncology Specialist Practice Network, membership of the CNSA Research Standing Committee, and as Deputy Chair of the Monash University Faculty of Medicine ECR Steering Committee.

Dr Catherine Adams is a Senior Clinical Psychologist who has specialised in Psycho-Oncology for the last 18 years. She works clinically in both the public and private sectors, with the majority of her practice being exclusively in Gynaecological Cancers. Cath is passionate about developing and delivering care that has the patient at its centre and strongly advocates for the patient voice in all aspects of care. She has been on the ANZGOG Annual Scientific Meeting Steering Committee since 2018.

Professor Mei Krishnasamy is Chair in Cancer Nursing in the Department of Nursing at the University of Melbourne, Research and Education Lead for Nursing for the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) and Director of the Academic Nursing Unit at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. Her research focuses on the care experiences and health outcomes of people with rare and less common cancers, and the contribution of nurse-led cancer research to patient and family, organisation and system level outcomes. In 2018, Mei was awarded funds under the auspices of the VCCC to establish the first ever Australian Cancer Nursing Research Innovation Hub and is senior CI on a recent $18.6m MRFF grant to enhance cancer capability across regional Victoria.

Quals: BA; RGN; DipN; MSC; PhD

Shannon is a Nurse Practitioner specialising in Gynaecological Oncology and works clinically at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. She has 25 years experience in gynaecological oncology nursing. Shannon holds a Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) and Graduate Certificates in Cancer Nursing and Women’s Health Nursing. Shannon is also a Lecturer and Course Coordinator of Cancer and Haematology Nursing at the Susan Wakil School of Nursing, Sydney Nursing School, The University of Sydney.

She is a member of the Cancer Nursing Research Unit, a consortium of Sydney Nursing School and the Sydney Local Health District, and on the Executive Committee of the NSW ACI Gynaeoncology Nurses’ Group.

Shannon runs a Nurse Practitioner Clinic which provides a comprehensive service to women with a low risk of cancer recurrence, and also leads the Gestational Trophoblastic Disease clinic, to provide comprehensive management and coordinated care of women with GTD. She also conducts a colposcopy clinic. Shannon has research interests in many aspects relating to the care of women with gynaecological cancers, particularly patient satisfaction and experience and fast track surgical care.

Leanne has over two decades of hands-on experience in the healthcare industry in Australia & New Zealand across all sectors including pharmaceutical, devices, and consumer. Leanne also worked in clinical medicine both in South Africa and Australia, and has a love for emergency medicine and obstetrics.

Leanne has first-hand knowledge of the significant work pressures of being in a leadership role and through her personal experience of burnout in her career, understands the critical importance of managing work-related stress in a timely and effective way.

Leanne is passionate about increasing awareness of the importance of proactively and deliberately focusing on our health (mentally, physically and emotionally) and that this responsibility lies not only with the individual but at all levels of an institution.

Leanne focuses on empowering people leaders with the knowledge, skills and resources to be great role models for managing their own stress and creating a psychological safe environment where team members can raise their hands if they are struggling.

With authenticity and humour, Leanne uses her medical, business and counselling background, together with neuroscience and evidence-based research to generate crisp insights into the acute stress response and how this can help and hinder our performance, both in our professional and personal lives.

In thought-provoking presentations and workshops, Leanne explains how our bodies function during short and long-term stress, the importance of being aware of our internal warning system when stress is becoming an issue and knowing when to raise our hand if we are struggling. Leanne has developed the REACT@WORK model which provides guidance to managers on how to recognize, and support individuals who are affected by mental health challenges at work.