Raising the consumer and community voice

The Management Team of the Cancer Theme (UNSW Medicine) and Cancer Clinical Academic Group (Maridulu Budyari Gumal, SPHERE) has increased its consumer and community membership to three people. This recent change acknowledges the value of different perspectives and how lived experiences can strengthen the quality and relevance of health and medical research.

Foundation community member, Giono Iori, whose brother died from pancreatic cancer, has contributed to the committee's work for more than three years. Gino is now joined by David Campbell who cared for his life wife, Edna, for several years, and Madison Ritchie, a young woman who survived a rare cancer diagnosis when she was 17 years old.

Says Cancer Clinical Academic Group Chair and Cancer Theme Principal, Prof Michael Barton, 'Having multiple community representatives provides several benefits.' Gino, David and Madison have a breadth of experience in health consumer advocacy, bring their unique perspectives to the Management Committee, and will support each other along the way.

'Our community representatives have equal standing and work alongside our clincal and research representatives. We are grateful they are willing to dedicate their time and share their experiences with us for the benefit of others through health and medical research.'

Maridulu Budyari Gumal, Sydney Partnership for Health, Education, Research and Enterprise (SPHERE) and UNSW Medicine extends our warm appreciation to all three consumer/community members for their contributions now and into the future.

To learn more about the Cancer Clinical Academic Group, click here

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