Cancer Research Division provides opportunities for post-graduate research supervised by senior staff with affiliations to Australian universities.
PhD Opportunities
Scholarship opportunities are advertised on SEEK. Potential students should submit enquiries to crd@nswcc.org.au.
Current Postgraduate Students
Benjamin Gallagher
PhD Candidate – School of Public Health, University of Sydney.
Benjamin holds a Centre for Research Excellence in Prostate Cancer Survivorship Scholarship.
PhD Title:
Sociodemographic inequities in prostate cancer treatment and mortality
Description of PhD project
In Australia, men from lower socioeconomic backgrounds face poorer outcomes following diagnosis of prostate cancer. This includes receiving less curative treatment, having lower survival and higher rates of mortality. There is emerging consensus that differences in health and healthcare management may drive outcome inequities, however, the risk factors are not well understood. The aim of my PhD is to investigate how features of a disadvantaged background contribute to healthcare utility, treatment, and risk of death after a prostate cancer diagnosis. To do this, I will be studying men who completed the baseline questionnaire from the 45 and up study and then developed prostate cancer. These questionnaires will then be linked to health information from cancer registries and government data sets, which will then be further analyzed with multivariate modelling and survival analyses. When completed, this investigation may provide evidence for the development of more effective interventions and policy to help improve the outcomes for those with prostate cancer from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Qualifications
B.Sc (Hons) (Pharmacology)
Ankur Arya
PhD Candidate – School of Public Health, University of Sydney.
Ankur holds a Australian Rotary Health PhD Research Scholarship.
PhD Title:
Geographical and Temporal Distribution of Prostate Specific Antigen Testing Across Australia
Description of PhD project
Prostate cancer (PC) is the most diagnosed cancer among Australian men aged over 50 years. Where a man lives is associated with both risk of diagnosis and risk of death. Using Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) testing data for over 29 million records covering 5 million men over 20 years, can help in reducing confusion about PSA testing and variation in survival of men. This study will explore, geographical patterns of Medicare reimbursed PSA tests across Australia and over time. It will help explain how characteristics of where a man lives is associated with patterns of PSA testing data, PC diagnosis and survival.
Qualifications
Masters of Statistics Master of Mathematical Studies
Elvin Cheng
PhD Candidate – School of Public Health, University of Sydney.
Elvin holds a Cancer Council PhD Scholarship.
PhD Title:
Epidemiologic risk factors for lung cancer in never smokers in Australia & China
Description of PhD project
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths globally and in Australia. Given that tobacco smoking is the primary risk factor for about 80% of lung cancers in Australia, lung cancer in never smokers has not been researched widely. Yet, with smoking prevalence decreasing and lung cancer rates rising among never smokers, lung cancer in never smokers is predicted to be in the top ten for cancer mortality in Australia and becomes an emerging health problem with major cancer burden. This research aims to identify the demographic characteristics and quantify the potential demographic, environmental and lifestyle risk factors for lung cancer in never smokers. As lung cancer in never smokers is predominant in women of Asian ethnicity, by analysing two large cohort datasets which are accessible in Australia (the 45 and Up study) and China (China Kadoorie Biobank), this study aims to bring awareness to the growing cancer burden attributed to lung cancer in never smokers, and inform more comprehensive strategies and programs for lung cancer prevention and early detection in both countries.
Qualifications
BSc(Med), MBBS, MPH
David Goldsbury
PhD Candidate – School of Public Health, University of Sydney.
PhD Title:
The costs of cancer in New South Wales, Australia.
Description of PhD project
There are many costs associated with cancer, but there is relatively little published information about these costs in Australia. This research aims to assess various health system costs, productivity costs and patient out-of-pocket costs, using the 45 and Up Study and a number of linked health data collections, to help guide economic analyses of cancer care in New South Wales and Australia.
Qualifications
Bachelor of Science (Hons)
Master of Public Health.
Michaela Hall
PhD Candidate – School of Mathematics and Statistics, UNSW, Sydney.
Michaela holds an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.
PhD Title
Population-level harms, benefits and cost-effectiveness of vaccination and screening in populations with a high burden of HIV
Description of PhD project
The global human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic has taken the lives of over 35 million individuals, and the death toll continues to rise. Africa is one of the most severely affected regions in the world, where HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among adults. Many regions with a high burden of HIV also have high prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, which is the pathogen responsible for cervical cancer. The overarching theme of my PhD is to utilise mathematical modelling to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions, such as vaccination and screening, targeted at reducing the burden of both infections in a range of settings
Qualifications
Master of Mathematics
April Morrow
PhD Candidate – School of Public Health, University of Sydney.
April holds an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.
PhD Title
Investigating factors affecting the impact of implementation approaches used to improve identification of Lynch syndrome among colorectal cancer patients.
Description of PhD project
Lynch syndrome is a hereditary cancer predisposition syndrome conferring an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), endometrial cancer and other cancer types. Despite recommendations for systematic screening protocols to identify Lynch syndrome amongst CRC patients, the condition remains largely underdiagnosed. The Hide and Seek Project (‘HaSP’) is a cluster randomised controlled trial that will determine the effectiveness of two different implementation approaches to improving detection of Lynch syndrome amongst CRC patients at eight large Australian hospital networks. In addition to determining effectiveness of the HaSP implementation approaches, there is a further need to investigate how change occurs (or does not occur), why, in what contexts, and at what costs. The aim of this study is to conduct an in-depth, mixed methods process evaluation to gain an understanding of the factors influencing the effectiveness of the implementation approaches being tested in the HaSP trial.
Qualifications
BSc, MGC, HGSA Certified Genetic Counsellor
Preston Ngo
PhD candidate – School of Public Health, University of Sydney.
Preston holds an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.
PhD title
The costs and cost-effectiveness of targeted therapy and immunotherapy for the treatment of lung cancer in Australia.
Description of PhD project
The arrival of targeted and immunotherapeutic drugs have marked a breakthrough in the treatment of lung cancer. They will, however, come at a steep cost to the health system. The aim of this project is to determine the long-term costs and cost-effectiveness of these new agents to ensure that they represent high value care to the population.
Objectives:
1) To analyse lung cancer treatment patterns in the 45 and Up study to determine utilisation rates for anticancer drugs and companion diagnostics. The project will also analyse geographical variations in treatment, the uptake of novel drugs over time, and the market share of various drugs.
2) To perform a budget impact analysis for anticancer drugs from 2020-2040 based on long-term projections of lung cancer prevalence and the parameters identified above.
3) To obtain cost-effectiveness ratios for current and emerging targeted and immunotherapeutic agents in the Australian setting.
Qualifications
Bachelor of Science (Hons), University of New South Wales
Master of Public Health, University of Sydney
Dr Mei Ling Yap
PhD Candidate – South West Sydney Clinical School, UNSW, Sydney.
PhD Title
Factors affecting actual radiotherapy utilisation in cancer patients in New South Wales.
Description of PhD
Radiotherapy is a cost effective cancer treatment, indicated in 48% of all cancer patients. However, the actual radiotherapy utilisation rates in Australia have been previously estimated to be lower than the optimal rates. This project uses individualised data from the Sax Institute’s 45 and up study to calculate the actual radiotherapy utilisation rate of cancer patients from the cohort. It also aims to explore the socio-demographic and health factors which influence whether cancer patients receive radiotherapy. These study questions will be investigated for all patients diagnosed with an incident cancer within the 45 and up cohort combined, as well for the most common cancer subtypes in NSW, including prostate cancer.
Qualifications
MBBS BSc FRANZCR
Susan Yuill
PhD Candidate – School of Public Health, University of Sydney.
Susan holds a POSH PhD scholarship.
PhD Title
Maximising Benefits and Minimising Harms in Obstetric Outcomes with HPV Prevention.
Description of PhD project
Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in women worldwide, with ~528,000 cases and ~266,000 deaths globally. The discovery HPV is responsible for the large majority of cervical cancers has led to the recent changes in Australia from Pap smear to HPV testing for screening for cervical cancer, as well as the vaccination of adolescent girls, and more recently boys, against the high-risk HPV types. Treatment for precancerous changes in the cervix have been shown to be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm delivery. Juvenile onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JORRP) results from transmission of HPV from mother to baby, causing wart-like lesions in the respiratory tract which often recur, requiring multiple surgical procedures throughout childhood. This research will assess the impact of the HPV vaccination program on adverse obstetric outcomes in Australia in the context of the change to HPV screening and study the impact of HPV vaccination on JORRP in Australia as well as the potential impact of HPV vaccination on JORRP globally, with a focus on lower middle-income countries.
Qualifications
MMed (Clin Epi), MBBS, FRACGP, DipPaeds