PCPA Media Release – Thursday 25 May 2023

Private Cancer Physicians of Australia launches its debut Live MDT Masterclass with cancer care industry leaders

Sydney: The inaugural PCPA Live Multidisciplinary Teams (MDT) Masterclass in cancer treatment, was successfully launched this week, by the peak body for private cancer clinicians and its Strategic Alliance Partner, GenesisCare.

Under the leadership of PCPA Board member and leading GenesisCare Medical Oncologist, Professor Stephen Clarke and his colleagues, Dr Katrina Moore and Dr Sally Baron–Hay, healthcare leaders from Gilead Australia (Gilead) experienced, first-hand, what a day-in-the-life of a breast cancer patient, undergoing complex treatment, really entails for them and their MDT teams.

The two-day interactive Masterclass was held at the North Shore Campus in Sydney, which incorporates GenesisCare and Royal North Shore Hospital.

More than 15 cancer care industry leaders were immersed in the on-site application of surgical interventions, genomic profiling and ground-breaking medical and radiation oncology treatments. After a curated lecture series, participants engaged, first hand, with the Breast Cancer MDTs, through  a radiation oncology clinic, hospital pharmacy and a busy chemotherapy day suite. They even learnt insider tips about oncology cold caps that many patients opt to use to minimise hair loss.

“Our biopharmaceutical leaders rightly focus on the creation, data analytics and market access of new and innovative cancer therapies but we want them to truly understand the experience of Australian patients undergoing those very tests and treatments,” Professor Clarke said. “Physically joining the journey of a cancer patient, and their respective team of cancer clinicians and breast care nurses, not only deepens the empathy and appreciation of the daily challenges facing our patients but it ultimately leads to more effective collaboration between all of us, in this delicately balanced cancer care eco system.”

Professor Clarke and the PCPA Board, paid tribute to Gilead and its healthcare professionals, for ensuring the debut Live MDT Masterclass was a truly empowering experience, whilst showcasing the outstanding MDT healthcare professionals and facilities of the North Shore Campus.

One of the leaders in the Masterclass, Ms Lisa Perry, Senior Business Unit Director Oncology of Gilead agreed.

“Our team now has an exponentially better understanding of the full breast cancer patient experience because we have seen, first-hand, the multidisciplinary team approach across both campuses,” Ms Perry said. “We can’t thank the PCPA enough for this immersive experience that will, no doubt, help us to deliver better outcomes for patients.”

PCPA also applauded its Education Partners, ScienceToLife, for the design and smooth delivery of this unique education initiative.

“This bespoke PCPA MDT Masterclass underscored the importance of multidisciplinary teamwork, delivering the gold standard treatment for breast cancer patients in two world-class cancer care centres,” Professor Clarke said. END

NB: Full patient approval and confidentiality was maintained.

More details about the PCPA’s Strategic Alliance Partnership, and its immersive education platforms, can be found here

Media enquiries:

Jannette Cotterell. Executive Counsel Australia +419 204 059 jcotterell@executivecounsel.com.au

Download a copy of this Media Release in PDF.

 


About Us

The Private Cancer Physicians of Australia (PCPA) is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the improvement of the health system for all cancer patients, but particularly for private cancer patients in Australia.

Our mission is to promote and work towards a health system that provides high quality, fair, integrated cancer treatment