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Can't find the information or help you need? Contact the team at MPCCC for assistance. We'd love to hear from you.

Contact

Location+61 477 986 816Emailmpccc-program@monash.edu

Media Contact

If you’re a journalist, we can help with:

  • Background information for stories regarding cancer, oncology, precision medicine and molecular testing.
  • Access to oncology and precision medicine experts (clinicians and scientists).
  • Opinion pieces on cancer/oncology/precision oncology.

Contact

Communications Manager – Hannah Machin

Emailhannah.machin@monash.edu
Our Team
Governance Group
Consumer Network

Our Team

Meet the MPCCC team. Click on a name to access a short bio.

Professor Melissa C. Southey OAM

Professor Melissa C. Southey OAM

Co-Director

Professor Melissa C. Southey, BSc (Hons, Pathology) PhD (Medicine), GradDip (Law), is a molecular geneticist (FHGSA) and a Founding Fellow of the Faculty of Science, Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (FFSc, RCPA).

She is Chair of Precision Medicine, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Director of Monash University’s new Biobanking Victoria initiative, based at the Monash Health Translation Precinct and Co-Director of the MPCCC. Professor Southey’s research program has a population-based focus that has been pivotal to the establishment of large genetic epidemiological research resources that are now being utilised to address key questions in cancer research.

Melissa is best known for her work with multiple-case cancer families and heritable risk factors that has provided the evidence base for best practice guidelines for the clinical management of individuals at high risk of the disease.

Professor Southey has led multidisciplinary teams in diagnostic and research settings in Australia and internationally, supported by programmatic awards from the European Commission, the National Institutes of Health (USA), NHMRC and The National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Professor Mark Shackleton

Professor Mark Shackleton

Co-Director

Professor Mark Shackleton (MBBS PhD FRACP) is the Director of Oncology at Alfred Health, a Professor of Oncology in the Department of Medicine at Monash University, the Chair of Melanoma and Skin Trials, and a Co-Director of the MPCCC.

After training in medical oncology at the Ludwig Institute in Melbourne, Prof Shackleton undertook PhD studies at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) and post-doctoral work at the University of Michigan, USA, with resultant publications in Nature, Cell, Cancer Cell and the New England Journal of Medicine.

He was awarded the 2006 Victorian Premier’s Award for Medical Research, a 2010 NHMRC Achievement Award, a 2011 Pfizer Australia Fellowship, and the Australian Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year in 2012.

Professor Shackleton’s main clinical interests are centred on patients diagnosed with skin cancer, including melanoma. His research interests include cancer biology, developmental biology, oncogenic signalling pathways and clinical trials.

Professor Roger Daly

Professor Roger Daly

Program Lead, Discovery and Innovation

Professor Roger Daly relocated his laboratory to Monash University in March 2013, where he is Co-Head of the Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program and Program Lead of Discovery and Innovation for the MPCCC.

Professor Daly is an internationally recognised expert in growth factor receptor signalling and its deregulation in cancer.

Over the last 10 years he has established cutting-edge technology platforms in mass spectrometry-based proteomics and kinomics. These have been successfully applied to the characterisation of cancer signalling networks with the goal of identifying novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers.

Ms Lama Karroum

Ms Lama Karroum

Program Manager

Lama is the MPCCCs Program Manager, dedicated to driving advancements in cancer patients outcomes and healthcare practices. Currently, Lama manages the end-to-end delivery of MPCCC's strategic goals and priorities.

This responsibility allows her to combine her passion for healthcare with strategic thinking to achieve impactful outcomes. Lama holds an MBA in Health Management, a Master's in Radiation Therapy, an Honours degree in Cancer Research, and a Bachelor's in Molecular Biology. These qualifications have empowered her to bridge the gap between research, healthcare and management.

She's held various positions in the oncology trials and psycho-oncology research spaces, including Clinical Trial Coordinator, Research and Database Development Manager and Project Manager.

These experiences have shaped her expertise in clinical trial design and conduct including registry-trials, research development and implementation including qualitative research and treatment decision aids for people affected by cancer.

Ms Hannah Machin

Ms Hannah Machin

Communications Manager

Hannah is a Communications Manager with over 13 years' experience working within government, corporate and agency environments.

After starting her career at Alfred Health's Public Affairs department, she developed a passion for healthcare communications and cause driven work.

Hannah oversees the MPCCC's Media Relations, Communications and Event Management. She is dedicated to providing strategic communications guidance and maximising awareness.

Dr. Sudi Shrestha

Dr. Sudi Shrestha

Senior Project Officer

Sudi is a Senior Project Officer with more than 10 years of experience in clinical and translational research spanning across oncology and cardiovascular sectors.

Sudi graduated from University of Wollongong with a strong background in Biomedical Sciences and has a PhD from UNSW Sydney on the effects of lipid profile altering drugs in dyslipidemic patients in a phase I clinical trial.

Having worked from design to delivery of phase I-III Oncology clinical trials with key opinion leaders, investigators and consumers, Sudi brings her knowledge in protocol development, governance, database and clinical trial management to the MPCCC team.

 Mr Erfan Shakibaei Bonakdeh

Mr Erfan Shakibaei Bonakdeh

Data and Evaluation Manager

Erfan is the MPCCC’s Data and Evaluation Manager dedicated to advance cancer care outcomes through bridging the gap between research data and practice. Erfan’s strong background in Evaluation of Healthcare Interventions and Implementation Frameworks Empowers him to manage the end-to-end delivery of evaluation and impact assessment projects within MPCCC.

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Through this journey, he has excelled in designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating of healthcare interventions. He has been involved in many implementation projects working with key stakeholders and executive leadership teams that led to organisational level strategic and implementation plans. He brings his knowledge in implementation science, data management, database maintenance and design, and continuous quality improvement to MPCCC team.

Dr. Karen Harris

Dr. Karen Harris

Research Partnership Manager

Joining the MPCCC in 2022, Karen brings a strong research background to her role managing collaborative initiatives.

Having spent 18 years’ working with national and international research teams on multi-disciplinary projects that span academic research, drug development and natural history studies, she has extensive experience working collaboratively across the research sector.

Away from research, Karen can be found hanging out with family and friends, "training" her cheeky Labrador, and enjoying the outdoors.

Dr. Samar Al Bitar

Dr. Samar Al Bitar

MPCCC Project Coordinator

With a strong foundation in research and research project management, Samar recently became part of MPCCC.

Passionate about creating a positive change in precision medicine and enhancing the lives of individuals affected by cancer, she holds a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology with a focus on cancer, offering a wealth of expertise to her role as MPCCC project coordinator.

Her responsibilities encompass coordinating the Molecular Tumour Boards (MTBs), ensuring their seamless operation, and acting as a key liaison point and subject matter expert in relation to the MTB meetings progress and objectives.

Ms Sarah Mwaba

Ms Sarah Mwaba

Administration Officer

Sarah brings exceptional organisational skills within the office administration and project management space.

Sarah's professional background spreads across a variety of industries such as wealth management, mining, ICT and language teaching.

Here at the MPCCC, Sarah provides valuable insights and supports while conceptualising and implementing process improvements that optimise operational efficiency of our team as we develop and deliver our project initiatives.

Governance Group

MPCCC’s Governance group has been appointed to ensure policy alignment across the partnership, provide financial authority and prioritisation of programs and to review our deliverables. Current members include:

Professor Christina Mitchell AO

Academic Vice-President and Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University

Ms Felicity Topp

Chief Executive, Peninsula Health

Ms Sue Williams

Chief Executive, Cabrini

Professor Andrew Way

Chief Executive, Alfred Health

Mr Martin Keogh

Interim Chief Executive Monash Health

Adj. Professor David Plunkett

Chief Executive, Eastern Health

Consumer Network

MPCCC’s Consumer Network continues to play a critical role in our development, planning and governance. Current members include:

Jim Malamatinas

John Asgari

Janne Williams

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The Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium is supported by the Victorian Government

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