Our People

Sydney Catalyst is comprised of a large and diverse membership of individual researchers, clinicians and students with a shared commitment to improving outcomes for people affected by cancer.

The members and staff from the Sydney Catalyst central office team listed here are all involved in the leadership, scientific, and governance groups that are responsible for driving the Sydney Catalyst program. Full access to a list of all other Sydney Catalyst members is available HERE.

Name

Role

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Governing Council, Scientific Advisory Committee, T2/T3 Working Group

Associate Professor Philip Beale

Background: Philip is the Clinical Director of Cancer Services at the Concord Repatriation General Hospital and Associate Professor Medicine, Concord Clinical School. Philip obtained his m...

Executive, Governing Council, Scientific Advisory Committee

Professor Michael Boyer AM

Background: Michael is the Medical Director of the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, a Clinical Professor, within the Central Clinical School of the University of Sydney and a medical oncologi...

Governing Council, Scientific Advisory Committee

Dr Karen Briscoe

Background: Karen is a medical oncologist in the Mid North Coast Local Health district. Karen obtained her qualifications from UNSW and trained in the Illawarra and St George region and la...

EnRICH Flagship Program Manager, T2/T3 Working Group

Dr Bea Brown

Background: Bea has been working in health research and research management since the early '00s and in health services and implementation research since 2009, with a brief interlude spent teachi...

Executive, Governing Council, Scientific Advisory Committee, T2/T3 Working Group

Professor Phyllis Butow

Background: Phyllis has worked for over 20 years in the area of Psycho-Oncology and has developed an international reputation in this and the area of health communication. She is curr...

Scientific Advisory Committee, SCITCRS 2019 Working Group, T2/T3 Working Group

Merran Findlay

Background: Merran Findlay is the Executive Research Lead - Cancer Nutrition and Oncology Specialist Dietitian across the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital - Chris O'Brien Lifehouse partnership. ...

Scholarship Review Panel Chair, Scientific Advisory Committee

Associate Professor Peter Grimison

Background: Peter Grimison is currently Staff Specialist in Medical Oncology at Chris O'Brien Lifehouse in Sydney; Visiting Medical Officer at Royal Prince Alfred and Dubbo Base Hospitals;...

Executive and Operations, Governing Council, Pilot and Seed Review Panel Chair, Scientific Advisory Committee, T1/T2 Working Group

Professor Philip Hogg

Background: Phil is an NHMRC Senior Principle Research Fellow. He graduated with a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Queensland in 1987. His post-doctoral training was in the...

Scientific Advisory Committee, T1/T2 Working Group

Professor Lisa Horvath

Background: Having completed medical school at the University of Sydney and trained in medical oncology at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Lisa subsequently worked at the Garvan Institute com...

Scientific Advisory Committee, SCITCRS 2019 Working Group

Dr Anthony Joshua

Background: Anthony completed his medical oncology training at the Royal Prince Alfred hospital in Sydney, Australia before moving to Toronto, Canada to complete a PhD under the super...

T2/T3 Working Group

Dr Jessica Lee

Background: Jessica is a palliative medicine physician and clinician-researcher at the Concord Centre for Palliative Care. She is a PhD candidate at University of Technology, Sydney, study...

T2/T3 Working Group

Professor Jane Phillips

Background: Jane is Director of the Centre for Cardiovascular & Chronic Care, Faculty of Health at UTS and a professor of nursing with experience in delivering evidenced-based palliative care...

Scientific Advisory Committee

Dr Nicole Rankin

Background: Nicole has more than 15 years experience working in cancer control, primarily in psychosocial and behavioural aspects of patient care. She has undergraduate qualific...

Executive and Operations, Governing Council, Scientific Advisory Committee

Professor John Simes

Background: John, MBBS, MS, FRACP, MD is Director of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Clinical Trials Centre based at the University of Sydney. He is a Senior ...

Scientific Advisory Committee

John Stubbs

Background: Holding degrees in Accounting and Arts John is a regular speaker at medical conferences and seminars on cancer policy, advocacy, clinical trials and related issues. John is cur...

T1/T2 Working Group

Associate Professor Natalka Suchowerska

Background: Natalka graduated with a PhD in medical physics from the University of Sydney, following a career in clinical physics. Her work broadly aims to use novel technologies and funda...

Governing Council, Scientific Advisory Committee

Professor Mathew Vadas

Background: Mathew trained in medicine at the University of Sydney and as a physician at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital before completing a doctorate at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institu...

Operations Team, Scientific Advisory Committee, T1/T2 Working Group

Dr Sonia Yip

Background: Sonia is a molecular biologist and obtained her PhD in signal transduction pathways in breast cancer and CML from the Garvan Institute. She has wide experience in oncology rese...

Governing Council, Scientific Advisory Committee, T2/T3 Working Group

Professor Jane Young

Background: Jane is an epidemiologist with a medical background and specialist training as a public health physician. She has appointments at the University of Sydney, where she holds the ...

Governing Council, Scientific Advisory Committee

Associate Professor Paul Timpson

Background: Paul completed his PhD with Professor Margaret Frame at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, UK in 2002 where he assessed the interplay between Src family kinases an...

Central Office Team

Ellen Brodie

Background: Ellen's undergraduate degree was in International Relations with majors in politics, French and Spanish. Ellen undertook a Master's degree in International Developme...

Central Office Team

Cara McFarlane

Background: After completing a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Marketing and Management, Cara pursued her childhood passion to work for an airline. She gained invaluable analy...

Central Office Team

Kimberley Mander

Background: Kim recently joined the Sydney Catalyst team from Adelaide. She completed a Bachelor of Psychological Science and was drawn to the biology of disease and undertook a...

Central Office Team

Spoorthi Gowda

Background: Spoorthi joined the Sydney Catalyst team as Senior Research Officer within the EnRICH Flagship program. She has a Masters degree in Information Technology with a maj...

Research Manager

Merilyn Heuschkel

Background: Merilyn has an undergraduate degree in Applied Science (Sports Management & Exercise Science) and a Master's degree in Public Health. She has 15 years experience worki...

Central Office Team, Scientific Advisory Committee, T2/T3 Working Group

Dr Alison Young

Background: Alison is a psychologist and current Masters of Clinical Psychology/PhD candidate at the University of Sydney. Alison has over five years of experience working in ps...

Central Office Team

Divya Murthy

Background: Divya completed a combined degree in Arts and Law, majoring in languages (Italian, Spanish and French) in her arts degree and focussing on media law and intellectual...

ENRICH FLAGSHIP RESEARCH FELLOW

Kirsty Galpin

Background: Kirsty began her career as a registered nurse in the UK. She has been working in health research since 2004 in intensive care and peri-operative settings. ...

T1/T2 Research Fellow

Mark Schreuder

Background: Mark Schreuder is working at the CTC as a T1/T2 Research Fellow in the field of cancer biology. During his training he gained extensive experience in cardiovascular ...

T2/T3 Working Group

Dr Brooke Nickel

Background: Brooke Nickel, BSc Hons, MIPH, PhD is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in The University of Sydney School of Public Health. She has been working as a public health res...

Central Office Team

Adeline Yap

Background: Adeline previously worked as a junior medical officer and gained clinical experience in a variety of specialties. Throughout her clinical career, she has always had ...

T2/T3 Working Group

Prof Nehmat Houssami

Background: Nehmat has worked as a breast clinician in screening and diagnostic services for >25 years, including roles as Medical Director of the Sydney Breast Clinic, and...

T2/T3 Working Group

Associate Professor Peter Malouf

Background: Associate Professor Malouf has expertise and skills in quantitative research methods, systemic review and meta-analysis, mixed method, and evaluation. Associate Pr...

Scientific Advisory Committee

Professor Jonathan Clark AM

Background: Professor Clark undertook a two-year fellowship in Head and Neck oncologic and reconstructive surgery at the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery,...