Melanoma Institute Australia shines at prestigious Cancer Research Awards
3 November 2018
Leading researchers from Melanoma Institute Australia have taken out the top accolades at the NSW Premier’s Awards for Outstanding Cancer Research.
Professor Georgina Long, Co-Medical Director of Melanoma Institute Australia, has won the top award for Outstanding Cancer Researcher of the Year. One of the world’s pre-eminent melanoma clinicians and researchers, Professor Long has changed the face of melanoma treatment around the world with her ground-breaking clinical trials tripling life expectancy for patients with advanced melanoma and curing a significant subset.
Fellow MIA Co-Medical Director, Professor Richard Scolyer, has been awarded The Professor Rob Sutherland AO Make a Difference Award, which is awarded in recognition of lasting impact and sustained progress to cancer care or research practice. Professor Scolyer is the world’s leading melanoma pathologist, each year receiving more than 2,000 cases for review and opinion from around the world. He recently co-edited the new WHO Classification of Skin Tumours, 4th Edition.
Also awarded were MIA’s Associate Professor Alex Menzies, who won the Outstanding Cancer Research Fellow Award with less than five years post-doctoral experience in research, and Associate Professor Anne Cust, who was awarded Outstanding Cancer Research Fellow with more than five years post-doctoral experience in research.
Associate Professor Menzies is a Medical Oncologist with research interest in clinical trials of new systemic therapies for melanoma, biomarkers of response and resistance to systemic therapy, and immunotherapy-related toxicity. Associate Professor Cust is an epidemiologist whose research focuses on melanoma epidemiology, prevention, early detection and survivorship and has a strong emphasis on translational outcomes.
Melanoma Institute Australia CEO Matthew Browne said it was a proud moment to see Melanoma Institute Australia’s research and clinical team centre stage at the prestigious awards night.
‘This is well deserved recognition for not only these award winners, but also the multi-disciplinary teams across MIA that work tirelessly to develop new treatments to save lives from melanoma,’ Mr Browne said.
‘My particular congratulations go to Professor Long for taking out the prestigious Outstanding Cancer Researcher of the Year Award. This is testament to her research and global thought leadership which has set the world on the path towards advanced melanoma becoming a chronic disease rather than a terminal one.
‘She was gracious in acknowledging the award was recognition of the whole team’s efforts at MIA, and particularly her long research partnership with Professor Richard Scolyer.
‘With the breakthroughs in melanoma treatment also set to revolutionise treatments for other cancers, Professor Long’s legacy will potentially impact millions across the globe.’
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