Workshops & Symposiums

Monday, 22 April | 11.00am – 12.30pm

Workshop with Indigenous and Pacific people – Opportunities?
Chairs: Michael Burling & Lois Eva

Cancer is a growing problem in the Pacific Region but also noted in indigenous populations in Australia and New Zealand.  The International Agency for Research on Cancer estimates that there will be a doubling of new cancer cases in the Pacific by 2040. ANZGOG has a role to play in helping us breakdown barriers to address some of these challenges. The talks in this workshop will highlight some of the current challenges that is seen in the region and how we as a group may be able to help address these challenges and find the opportunities to make a difference. A concept that underlines this workshop is one from the Disney Movie ‘Moana’ where the character Maui talks about “Wayfinding”: It's seeing where you're going in your mind. Knowing where you are, by knowing where you came from!

Monday, 22 April | 1.30pm – 5.00pm
Unlock Your Potential in Clinical Research: A Workshop for Emerging Clinical Scientists and Trialists
Chairs: Michelle Wilson & Gwo-Yaw Ho

Are you a clinician scientist? Or are you a clinical trialist? Perhaps you are both? Are you considering pursuing a career in research? The early career researcher workshop connects you with international and local clinician scientists across various career stages; from rising early-career talents to globally acclaimed experts such as Prof Emma Crosbie, renowned for her ground-breaking work in early detection of gynaecologic cancers, Prof Paul Cohen, a world authority in gynaecologic oncology, and Prof Clare Scott AM, celebrated for her pivotal translational research in ovarian and rare cancers. Our panel will share their journeys, motivations and practical advice to thrive in today’s competitive research landscape. Our interactive panel discussion, “Meet the clinician-scientists”, invites your most challenging questions, offering personalised insights into building a successful research career. By the end of the session, be inspired by the possibilities within Australia and New Zealand and leave the workshop equipped to unleash your full research potential. 

Nurses Workshop
Chairs: Gwyneth Capes, Anne Mellon & Bronwyn Jennings

The ANZGOG Nurses Workshop is an opportunity for nurses working in the area of Gynae-oncology to participate in professional development with a specialty focus. The educational content of the workshop will closely align to the meeting theme of “Breaking Down Barriers in Gynaecological Cancer Care.” The speakers will include a range of health professionals and researchers including clinical nurse specialists, a health researcher and dietician discussing the epidemiology of gynaecological cancer from a cultural perspective, the role of the Māori cancer nurse coordinators, barriers to vulval cancer treatment, navigating patient conversations about cardiovascular risk after treatment for endometrial cancer as well as Gynae-oncology nursing education resource.

The workshop will not only increase nurses’ knowledge but will also provide a networking opportunity for nurses working within the Gynae-oncology specialty.

Radiation Oncology Workshop
Chairs: David Chang & Alison Salkeld

Dr Gemma Eminowicz, from the University College London, will provide an update on the role of induction chemotherapy (INTERLACE) for cervical cancer and which patients would be most suited to this approach. Radiation Oncologists will have the opportunity to raise questions regarding challenging gynaecological oncology clinical situations (e.g. small cell Ca of cervix) and discuss the optimal management with both Dr Eminowicz and radiation oncology colleagues from Australia and New Zealand.

Study Coordinators Workshop
Chair: Kathryn Jenkins

The study Coordinator workshop aims to delve into the intricacies of creating safe spaces for Māori and Pasifika peoples, while exploring how this knowledge can be leveraged to enhance diversity and inclusion. Furthermore, we will navigate the ethical considerations surrounding research and data collection for indigenous communities, in particular to cervical cancer screening data and share in a presentation from a health researcher and dietician discussing the epidemiology of gynaecological cancer from a cultural perspective. The workshop will foster a deeper understanding of cultural sensitivities and through engaging discussions and practical insights, participants will gain invaluable tools to ensure respectful and inclusive practices in our work and interactions.

Community Volunteer Workshop
Chairs: Wanda Lawson & Lisa Finucane

This workshop aims to foster closer relationships between our Australian and New Zealand community membership. 

It offers a combination of

·       An introduction to ANZGOG and its members.

·       Education on clinical trial perspectives and considerations for Māori.

·       A collaboration session (to brainstorm ideas for overcoming barriers to clinical trials in NZ).

·       And an opportunity for sharing stories and experiences by people with a lived experience of gynaecological cancers on both sides of “the ditch”.

·      A collaboration session to brainstorm ideas for overcoming barriers to clinical trials.

MSD Breakfast Symposium | Tuesday 23 April | 7am – 8am

Closing the Gap in Cervical Cancer: Tackling a preventable disease.
Chairs: Dr Michelle Wilson & A/Prof Kate Webber

This interactive breakfast symposium sponsored by MSD, will highlight the challenges and opportunities in treating and eradicating cervical cancer across Australia and New Zealand, with special focus on rural/regional, lower socio economic and migrant/first nations communities. The program will begin with a broad overview of the issue, setting the scene around the available published data and then moving on to the ‘real picture’ and concluding with an agreed way forward to close this gap in the inequity of diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of cervical cancer.  This will be an opportunity for our ANZGOG community to come together with a multidisciplinary lens and discuss the underlying issues and brainstorm a means of making a difference in tackling this preventable disease.

AstraZeneca Breakfast Symposium | Wednesday 24 April | 7.15am – 8.15am 

Ask Me Anything in Ovarian Cancer Care with Prof Isabelle Ray-Coquard.

For further details on the program: