What have patients taught you over the course of your career?

I have seen people and their families face the most stark and brutal realities they might every have to encounter, and yet somehow they can still find hope and joy. The hope might be for a miracle that never comes, and they know that, but at the same time they give so generously to try to ease the way for people who come after. They participate in clinical trials knowing that it might not help them but also knowing that everything we learn means that someone else has a better chance in future. And the joy part is often a rediscovery of what makes life so precious, especially if the remaining time they have in it is limited: to be surrounded by love, to be mindful of the beauty of the world, to find humour in the most unexpected situations, and strangely enough that often means they are providing care for me in return. It’s astonishing and it’s inspiring.

If you could solve one unanswered question in cancer research tomorrow, what would it be?

There are stock answers for this, thinking about cancer care issues at high level: better cures, easier treatments, understanding why cancers continue to work out sneaky ways around our best treatments. But the reality is that we care for people, and the most important unanswered question is the one that is causing the most disruption for the person in front of you. it might not be the question you think it is, and sometimes perhaps the patient themselves is not sure what it is they are asking. It’s easy to assume that this person has come to me for a cure or a chance to contribute to a trial, but sometimes it’s much more basic than that. What is going to happen to me? Will I be able to get the care I need? Who will look after my family? How will I manage the side effects? We can only help people’s needs if we can understand what matters most to them, and meet them there.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

Again the obvious answers are those moments when people’s lives are changed for the better, with a good outcome for the cancer treatment and a chance for them to live their life without fear of cancer. I do love those times. But, strangely enough again, the most rewarding moments that stick in my memory are when I am able to go home at the end of the day knowing that I have made a positive difference for someone, even if it’s only in some small way. There is never “nothing that we can do.” As caring humans there is always something that we can do to help, even if sometimes it is just being there with someone and sharing a silence. Those countless small moments add up and motivate me even in the difficult times.

What makes you optimistic about the future of Below the Belt cancers research?

I have worked in the oncology field for nearly 40 years and have seen changes that even the most insane science fiction writers would not have imagined. Some cancers that were previously completely untreatable are now highly treatable and sometimes even cured. I still can’t believe I’m able to say that. These amazing advances are hardly ever big “breakthroughs” but instead are the result of countless small steps achieved through careful research, performed by dedicated and meticulous health care professionals and scientists, and only possible because of the participation and support of our patients and those who love them. I am privileged in ANZUP to be surrounded by people like that, who continually give so generously of themselves, their time, their expertise, and even their money. The world in 2026 can be a frightening and unfamiliar place, and it’s even worse if you have cancer on top of it. ANZUP and its people, and everyone involved in cancer care and research, restore my hope and faith in people and give me enormous optimism for the future.