HOBART NURSE RECOGNISED AT INTERNATIONAL BREAST CANCER CONFERENCE

Ms Sue Davoren from Royal Hobart Hospital will be presented with the 2012 ANZBCTG Study Coordinator Award at a leading breast cancer conference in Hobart this week.

The award from the Australia and New Zealand Breast Cancer Trials Group (ANZBCTG), recognizes outstanding effort, achievement and commitment by a Study Coordinator in the conduct of ANZBCTG breast cancer clinical trials. Royal Hobart Hospital was one of the first institutions in Australia to be involved in the ANZBCTG’s national clinical trials research program, which began more than 30 years ago.

The ANZBCTG’s Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) will be held from 18-21 July and brings together leading national and international breast cancer researchers to discuss the latest developments in breast cancer research, future directions for clinical trials and improving patient care. This is the 34th year of the conference which will be held in Hobart, Tasmania, this year.

The ANZBCTG is Australia’s national organisation dedicated entirely to breast cancer research. It conducts a national clinical trials research program for the treatment, prevention and cure of breast cancer. The research program involves multicentre clinical trials and collaboration with 78 institutions and over 600 researchers throughout Australia and New Zealand. The ANZBCTG’s fundraising department is the Breast Cancer Institute of Australia.

The ANZBCTG’s Director of Research, Professor John Forbes AM, congratulated Ms Davoren and said the Study Coordinator Award acknowledges the outstanding work being conducted at Royal Hobart Hospital.

“This annual award pays tribute to work undertaken by Study Coordinators that is of an exceptional standard. Study Coordinators work with local women who have breast cancer or who are at risk of breast cancer. They play an important role in our goal of finding the best treatment and prevention strategies, and ultimately a cure for breast cancer, through clinical trials research,” Professor Forbes said.

Professor Forbes also paid tribute to one of the founding members of the ANZBCTG, Professor Ray Lowenthal AO, from the Royal Hobart Hospital.

“Royal Hobart Hospital has been an outstanding institution in its contribution to breast cancer clinical trials and has provided opportunities for local women to participate in this important research. Breast cancer clinical trials have made a significant contribution to the drop in breast cancer mortality rates, falling of 27% in the last two decades. We sincerely thank all local staff and researchers for their involvement,” he said.

For further information about the ANZBCTG and the Group’s clinical trials research program, visit www.anzbctg.org

Contact:
Anna Fitzgerald, ANZBCTG Communications Manager, 0488 053 659.
Please note that the ANZBCTG’s Annual Scientific Meeting is not open to the public to attend.