Consumer advocates provide a powerful voice to ensure the successful outcomes of cancer research by working together with scientists to make decisions about health research priorities, policy and practice.
It is an active partnership that is sensitive to changing needs and priorities. By working with consumer advocates, researchers are better equipped to identify the real needs of the community that can be addressed through research projects. Fundamentally, it is a commitment to conducting cancer research that is with the community rather than to or for the community.
Consumer Advocate Success Stories
Trish Fuss: “Targeting lethal metastases: finding new targets in the tumour/microenvironment interface” – Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, 2023 Synergy Grants, to a national CI team including Prof Michael Samuel
Trish Fuss: A study to investigate how a mechanism in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) allows cancer cells to readily spread around the body (Read more Here) – Funded by The Hospital Research Foundation/Australian Breast Cancer Research, 2023, to A/Prof Philip Gregory
Trish Fuss and Tania Jolley: “A novel model to investigate the role of high fat diet in breast cancer predisposition” – Funded by Cancer Council SA, Beat Cancer Project, 2023, to Prof Sharad Kumar (CIA) and Dr Loretta Dorstyn (CIB)
Trish Fuss and Paula Nagel: Fellowship to investigate a potential new class of therapies to slow or stop the spread of breast cancer – Funded by The Hospital Research Foundation/Australian Breast Cancer Research, 2023, to Prof Michael Samuel
Trish Fuss and Tania Jolley: “A novel model to investigate the contribution of fat metabolism to breast cancer” - Funded by The Hospital Research Foundation, 2022, to Prof Sharad Kumar (CIA) and Dr Loretta Dorstyn (CIB)
Trish Fuss and Paula Nagel: “Uncovering how breast cancer recruits healthy cells to grow and spread” – Funded by Worldwide Cancer Research, 2022, to Prof Michael Samuel
Steven Pendry: “Advancing a novel ‘early detection’ biomarker for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma” – Funded by Pankind, 2021, to Prof Claudine Bonder
Trish Fuss: “ROCK-Mediated Mechanical Signalling in Breast Cancer and its Stroma” – Fellowship Funded by The Hospital Research Foundation/Australian Breast Cancer Research, 2020, to Dr Sarah Boyle
Resources:
Principles for Consumer Involvement in Research Funded by the Medical Research Future Fund
About the CCB Consumer Advocacy Group
The CCB Consumer Advocacy Group (CCB CAG), co-chaired by A/Prof Claudine Bonder and Ms Paula Nagel AM, has been established to better connect our research with community experiences of cancer and consumer expectations.
The CCB CAG is a group of community volunteers who, from time to time, are invited to add value to the work of our members by:
- Sharing care experiences with researchers from a patient or carer perspective
- Providing support to influence health and legislative policy
- Commenting on the design and development of cancer research projects
- Helping CCB to ensure that the language we use in research information for the community is easy to understand and appropriate
- Raising awareness and lobbying the government for research funding
Current CCB CAG members:
CCB Researchers
- Prof. Claudine Bonder (co-chair)
- Prof. Michael Samuel
- Prof. Greg Goodall
- Prof. Michael Brown
- Dr Sarah Boyle (ECR)
CCB Consumer Advocates
- Paula Nagel AM (co-chair)
- Paul Murray
- Desi Heliotis
- Belen Mansford
- Trish Fuss
- Michelle Hasani
- Tania Jolley
- Christine Heath
- Chris Trethewey
Who can be a consumer advocate?
Anyone with a personal experience of cancer can volunteer to become a consumer advocate. Consumer advocates can be:
- cancer survivors
- patients with cancer
- carers
- family members
- members of the community that work with those affected by cancer
Interested in joining the CCB Consumer Advocacy Group?
You do not need to have had experience in cancer research to volunteer as training is provided. There are flexible options for participating, so you can nominate the level of involvement and time commitment that works best for you.
If you are interested in applying to join the CCB Consumer Advocacy Group you can:
- Download Expression of Interest form, complete and send to claudine.bonder@unisa.edu.au .
If you would like more information about the CCB Consumer Advocacy Group you can contact Prof Claudine Bonder directly
- email: claudine.bonder@unisa.edu.au
- phone: 08 8302 7833
