Scientific Advisory Committee
ANNUAL
REPORT 2023
Scientific Advisory Committee
ANNUAL
REPORT 2023
Scientific Advisory Committee
ANNUAL
REPORT 2023
Scientific Advisory Committee: Ian Davis and Scott Williams
Ian Davis
CHAIR
Scott Williams
DEPUTY CHAIR
The ANZUP Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) was established as a means to ensure objective scientific and strategic input to the group, with a structure that ensures a wide representation of disciplines. The SAC membership includes medical disciplines (urology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, pathology, nuclear medicine), nursing, quality of life expertise, statistics, basic science, translational research, epidemiology, and consumer representation. New Zealand is specifically represented, as well as other international members, chairs and deputy chairs of the various subcommittees, and with representation ex officio of the ANZUP secretariat and deputy committee chairs. Trial principal investigators are also invited to attend. The SAC membership is reviewed annually by the Board.
The SAC agenda is designed primarily for strategic discussions. This includes consideration of partnerships and collaborations, and grant applications or other strategies for funding of planned research. It is involved in review of concepts and projects arising from its subcommittees, workshops, or other sources; and in development of recommendations for ANZUP to take further. The SAC provides strategic scientific advice to the Board to inform the overall scientific direction of the organisation. It also provides leadership and guidance to members and investigators, and oversees the various funding mechanisms including fellowships, grants, and recommendations for discretionary funding.
The SAC executive comprises the ANZUP Board chair, Board deputy chair, SAC chair, subcommittee and Consumer Advisory panel chairs, ANZUP CEO, and ANZUP clinical trials project manager. The SAC executive provides for rapid and effective responses when decisions need to be made quickly and without the opportunity for consultation with the full SAC. Decisions by the SAC executive are discussed and ratified at the next full SAC meeting.
The SAC meets virtually about three times per year, and after a hiatus stretching far too long we were fortunate once more to be able to hold a face to face meeting at the ANZUP Annual Scientific Meeting in Adelaide in July 2022.
A key recommendation from the SAC in this year was that the Board should establish an Imaging and Theranostics subcommittee of the SAC. I am pleased to report the Board agreed, and we welcome Prof Andrew Scott as the inaugural chair of the subcommittee. Another key decision was that ANZUP should endeavour to use gender-inclusive language in all its outward-facing communications wherever possible; the need for this was brought home by outcomes of ANZUP’s involvement in the “Out with Cancer” program aimed at understanding and meeting the needs of LGBTQI+ and gender-diverse people.
ANZUP welcomes and invites all its members to become involved in its scientific processes, including participation in its committees, workshops, educational and training events, career development initiatives, and the Annual Scientific Meeting. We look for opportunities to increase equitable and diverse engagement of our members, and we encourage ideas about how to do so more effectively.