PROFESSOR PRUE FRANCIS AM

About Professor Prue Francis AM

Professor Prue Francis, MB BS, B MED SC, MD, FRACP, FAHMS, AM is Clinical Head of Breast Medical Oncology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and a consultant Medical Oncologist at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne.

She graduated from The University of Melbourne and completed medical oncology training in Melbourne and in New York at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre. She is a breast cancer clinician researcher committed to improving the outcomes and care for patients with early and advanced breast cancer through clinical trials, associated translational research and education.

From 2017-2021 Professor Francis chaired the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) of Breast Cancer Trials.

Professor Francis is internationally recognised in the breast cancer field and is a member of three groups that publish and influence international breast cancer treatment guidelines:

• The St. Gallen Primary Breast Cancer International Consensus Panel
• Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC) International Consensus Panel
• Steering Committee for the Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group (EBCTCG) based in Oxford

Professor Francis is known for her development and leadership of the international SOFT and TEXT clinical trials, that have led to changes in international practice in the management of young women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer.

She was the first author of publications in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2015 and 2018 detailing results of this research.

In 2015 she was awarded the Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA) Cancer Achievement award. In 2022 she was awarded Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to medical research in the field of oncology, and to education.

Awards

• 1978 AMSA Lilly Research Award, The University of Melbourne
• 1980 Thomas & Elizabeth Ross Scholarship, The University of Melbourne
• 1981 St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne Medicine Prize
• 1991 American Society Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Fellow Award
• 1992 American Society Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Fellow Award
• 2001 RACP Kincaid-Smith Research Fellowship Award
• 2005 Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Award for Team Excellence
• 2013 ANZBCTG Alan Coates Award for Clinical Trials Excellence
• 2015 Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA) – Cancer Achievement Award
• 2015 Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre: Accelerate Discovery and Translational Research Award
• 2016 Finalist, Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA) Trial of the Year Award
• 2016 Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre: Accelerate Discovery and Translational Research Team Award: Advanced Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Meeting (MDM)
• 2022 Member (AM) in General Division of the Order of Australia – for significant service to medical research in the field of oncology, and to education.
• 2022 Breast Cancer Trials Gold Medal

Professional Membership

• 1991 – Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP)
• 1994 – American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
• 1994 – Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA)
• 1997 – Breast Cancer Trials (previously ANZ BCTG)
• 1996 – International Breast Cancer Study Group (IBCSG)
• 1998 – Breast International Group (BIG)
• 2014 – European School of Medical Oncology (ESMO)
• 2016 – Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA)