Community Advisory Group

The PC4 Community Advisory Group (CAG) provide advice on research directions and priorities from a consumer perspective.

Why become a CAG member?

Consumer input is valuable in identifying and prioritising research issues. Consumer involvement in planning and managing projects is a key priority for PC4. Consumers are the most important part of our vision and their contribution is integrated into every aspect of our work. To make sure we achieve this vision PC4 works with our Community Advisory Group. Members of this group are people interested in or affected by cancer including carers and family members. Together they help us develop new cancer in primary care research.

What might I do as part of the PC4 CAG?

  • Help decide priority areas for research
  • Reviewing research concepts and protocols from the community perspective
  • Reviewing information sheets and consent forms of PC4 supported studies
  • Joining a research team as a Consumer Investigator
  • Attending Research Development Workshops
  • Participating in working groups
  • Being an advocate for the community for PC4 trials
  • Helping share results of PC4 trials
  • Reviewing grant applications
APPLY TO BE A CAG MEMBER

 

Alison Button-Sloan

Location: Victoria

My Contribution: Alison works as a practice nurse and diabetes educator following a long career as a tertiary-based hospital midwife. She is passionate about working in partnership with other consumers, health professionals, cancer organisations and researchers so that the consumer perspective is considered during all phases of the melanoma journey.

Belinda Simmons

Location: VIC

My Contribution: Belinda works within the community services sector, and supports widely diverse clients to overcome barriers and build pathways forward. She is also a Stage 3 Colon Cancer survivor and is passionate about seeing cancer research reach its goals and achieve a higher survival rate. Belinda is also passionate about empowering people and has done community work overseas. This involved running empowerment programs for young people, which influence them to become the positive change within their community.

Eric Yeung

Location: NSW

My Contribution: Eric is a full-time volunteer. He is president of CanRevive Inc., a public benevolent institution that helps minimise the impact of cancer on patients, carers and their families. Established in 1995, CanRevive provides information and emotional support to cater to the cultural and linguistic needs of the Chinese-speaking community of Sydney. Eric had been a primary carer of his wife who succumbed to lung cancer and a brother-in-law who was lost to melanoma. Eric’s professional expertise is in financial and strategic planning and risk management as well as in corporate governance.

Makala Castelli

Location: QLD

My Contribution: Makala has a background in marketing & corporate affairs and works in strategy consulting and patient advocacy.  She is enthusiastic about making practical improvements in patient experience and ensuring research is translated to improve patient outcomes. In 2022, Makala received the PC4 Training Award for her proposal of a consumer-led systematic review to identify success factors for self-managed models of survivorship care. She is also co-host of PC4 consumer podcast, We’ve Got a Question.

George Fishman

Location: NSW

My Contribution: Cancer survivor

Monique Bareham

Location: SA

My Contribution: Originally trained as an orchestral musician, teacher, and then manager, at 37, her life was turned upside-down, first by a cancer diagnosis, then by severe early-stage cancer treatment-related lymphoedema preventing her from returning to paid employment. Monique reinvented herself as a patient advocate and now dedicates her time to improving the lives of cancer survivors and individuals affected by lymphoedema. She received the 2022 Local Hero SA and the 2022 Joy Noble Medal in recognition of her advocacy which led to the launch of the South Australian Lymphoedema Compression Garment Subsidy Scheme in 2020.

Nikki Davis 

Location: VIC

My Contribution: Nikki is a long-term breast cancer survivor. She regularly engages with cancer patients and carers as a peer support volunteer with Counterpart, a Women’s Health Victoria support service for women affected by cancer. Being entrusted with and listening to the cancer stories of others is important to her in representing the community across all of PC4’s activities.

 

Robert Herrmann

Location: VIC

My Contribution: Rob has a long history of working in rural & regional communities, providing agricultural advisory services. This has provided a first-hand experience in the challenges of regional communities accessing health services.

Sonia Markoff

Location: NSW

My contribution:  Coming soon..

Terri Byrne

Location: QLD

My Contribution: Terri brings a real perspective on what it is to live with lung cancer. She is very passionate about finding the gaps in cancer care and sharing her learnings so that others don’t have to go through the same experiences. As well as being co-host of PC4 podcast, We’ve Got a Question, Terri has also contributed to panel discussions on lung cancer at our PC4 symposium.

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