World Cancer Day 2025
On February 4th, 2025, Maridulu Budyari Gumal (SPHERE) Cancer Clinical Academic Group, Sydney Cancer Partners and The University of Sydney Cancer Research Network, teamed up once again to host World Cancer Day. This impactful gathering brought together 130 attendees made up of clinicians, consumers, researchers, and the broader community.
This year’s theme,‘United by Unique’ focused on ‘Your Story Will Be Heard’ providing a platform for consumers to truly showcase their unique perspectives and experiences, which in turn helps build a far more authentic and effective person-centred approach.
Professor Tracey O’Brien AM, NSW Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of the Cancer Institute NSW, delivered her opening address.
We were privileged to have five fantastic keynote speakers who addressed various aspects of cancer research and care, emphasising the importance of patient stories and experiences. To truly bolster the theme, our first keynote was Mr. James Butler OAM, a two-time cancer survivor and advocate, who emphasised compassion in supporting a person-centred approach. Following James, we heard insightful and informative talks from speakers across the translational research continuum:
- Professor Vanessa Hayes, Petre Chair of Prostate Cancer Research, University of Sydney
- A/Professor Nicolas Hart, NHMRC Research Fellow in Cancer Survivorship, University of Technology Sydney
- A/Professor Natalie Taylor, Director of Implementation to Impact (i2i), UNSW Sydney
- Dr Anna Singleton, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, Daffodil Centre, a joint venture between the University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW.
A panel on ‘Uniting Unique Perspectives to Navigate the Future of Person-Centred Cancer Care’ chaired by Dr Joanna Fardell, followed the keynotes. Dr. Fardell, a Senior Research Fellow, SPHERE Cancer CAG, who facilitated discussions from both a clinical and lived-experience perspective. The panel featured:
- Ms. Lillian Leigh, Consumer Representative
- Ms. Mary Hayes, Cancer Nurse, St Vincent's Hospital
- Dr. Luciano Dalla-Pozza, Paediatric Oncologist, Head – Cancer Centre for Children, The Children's Hospital at Westmead
- Ms. Olivia Rizk, an AYA Consumer Representative
After engaging discussions, a networking lunch provided a great chance for attendees to connect and share insights. Receiving direct feedback from participants was a joy:
“Another great event … an excellent program and presenters and very open and honest discussion. The networking opportunity was also great. Thanks to SPHERE for the opportunity to be there!”
Undoubtedly, World Cancer Day Sydney 2025 serves as a strong foundation to build upon for the ‘United by Unique’ campaign. We look forward to working together with the broad cancer research community to explore different dimensions of people-centred cancer care and new ways of making a difference in 2025 and beyond!