Education Standing Committee

Dr Carla Thamm

Incoming Chair

Dr Carla Thamm (Incoming Chair) is currently an academic in the school of nursing at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane. She has 20 years of clinical experience as a registered nurse, most of this in cancer care in Queensland, Victoria, and England.

Carla has spent over 10 years in leadership and advanced practice cancer nursing roles. Her PhD research investigated how discourse influences the head and neck cancer experience. Carla is currently part of the cancer survivorship research group at QUT and is particularly interested in toxicity management and survivorship care. Carla is a member of the CNSA Education Standing Committee, and the Knowledge and Development Committee for ISNCC.

Phone:

0430 201 669

Dr Doreen Tapsall

Outgoing Chair

Dr Doreen Tapsall (Outgoing Chair) has over 40 years’ experience as a nurse with over 30 years as a cancer nurse. She has worked within the private and public sector, in both the inpatient, ambulatory and educational areas of care.

The focus of Doreen's research was to understand what are the driver’s cancer nurses need, to participate in professional development activities and the resultant capabilities of the competent cancer nurse. Additionally, Doreen has presented this research via the ONS and the ISNCC. She is also involved in the scope of the advanced practice nurse and how this practice shapes health service delivery.

Michelle Rosano

Michelle Rosano is a current member of the CNSA Education Standing Committee and Genitourinary Cancer Specialist Network Committee. Her oncology career commenced when she joined the Oncology Unit at the Children’s Hospital, Westmead. After more than a decade working in paediatric oncology, she took a position at The Westmead Breast Cancer Institute before moving into the position of McGrath Breast Care Nurse for Blacktown/Mt Druitt. Michelle moved to regional NSW in April 2019 and took a position as a Registered Nurse in the Oncology Unit at Griffith Base Hospital where she is now the Clinical Nurse Consultant.

Michelle is passionate about ensuring equal care is provided to people with a cancer diagnosis regardless of where they live or what their background is. She has a keen interest in educating oncology nurses to ensure they are the best they can be and believes that as nurses, we never stop learning.

Monique Richter

Monique Richter has been an oncology nurse for the past 30 years, with a brief break in practice. while she worked in regional and remote Qld.

Monique is passionate about cancer nursing education and developing novel educational approaches to delivering nursing education at the bedside. She has worked as a nurse educator in both the private and public sectors, and have an appreciation of the challenges nurse educator face in designing and delivering relevant and timely education to cancer nurses in this ever-developing and changing area of nursing.

Robyn McIntyre

Robyn McIntyre has held an education position in healthcare since  2014 and has recently completed her postgraduate certificate in clinical  education. Her role involves many aspects of clinical education in cancer care from the development and delivery of continuous professional education for nurses in the Grampians region, to the development, of course, curricular for postgraduate studies in association with the Australian Catholic University (ACU). This requires good communication and IT skills, as well as a professional demeanor to work well within a team. 

Robyn have also participated in committees to review course content she use within her role such as the online EviQEd CVAD modules and ACAC modules. 

Lindsay Adriaansen

Lindsay Adriaansen was the Nurse Educator for Western Australia Country Health Services. She has over ten years of experience working as a Cancer Nurse both across oncology and hematology (medical, surgical, and radiation) settings, in a variety of leadership roles including education, program management, and strategic development. Lindsay has completed her Master of Nursing with a specialisation in leadership, change management, and adult education. 

Lindsay is passionate about providing high-quality person-centred care to patients affected by cancer, with a particular interest in addressing the inequalities that our more vulnerable patients face. She has a keen interest in the development of cancer nurses to ensure they are equipped to deliver safe high-quality care. 

Nikki Dean

Nikki Dean is a highly experienced clinician with over 15 years dedicated to Cancer Nursing, with amassing expertise in Haematology, Transplantation and Clinical Trials across both inpatient and ambulatory settings. Nikki is currently working as a Clinical Nurse Educator within the Academic Nursing Unit at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.  Prior to this role, Nikki was a Practice Development Nurse, where her focus was on both the development of nursing practice within the Haematology setting as well as the professional development of Nurses. 

Nikki is deeply passionate about the development of the Cancer Nursing workforce and is focused on ensuring that Nurses are appropriately prepared to deliver patient care that is both safe and of high quality, anticipating and managing the complex needs of people with a cancer diagnosis. Nikki has completed post-graduate studies in Cancer and Palliative Care Nursing.

Suzanne Bishaw

Suzanne Bishaw is currently an academic in the School of Nursing at Curtin University in Perth. Suzanne has 20 years of experience in cancer nursing as a registered nurse, nurse manager and nurse educator. She has worked predominately in Northern Territory, Queensland, United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Whilst in the UAE Suzanne was a founding member of the Emirates Oncology Nursing Society.

Suzanne has spent the last 10 years in cancer nurse education and is interested in cultural care especially at end of life. Her research has explored the experiences of expatriate nurses in the UAE providing end of life care to Muslim patients. Her PhD will explore what are the interactions that nurses providing care in the context of a life-limiting illness have to happen to create a transpersonal caring relationship. Suzanne is a member of the CNSA Education Standing Committee and Chair of the ISNCC Conference Management Committee, member of the ISNCC Membership Development Committee.  

Erin Shooter

Erin Shooter is the Cancer Nurse Educator for the Central Adelaide Local Health Network and has 17 years’ experience as a Registered Nurse within the Cancer program. Her career started in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at the Royal Adelaide Hospital where she has worked in a variety of roles such as associate nurse unit manager, student facilitator and clinical practice consultant across Oncology and Haematology and more recently she established the clinical educator role within the Enterprise Data and Information team for SA Health. 

Erin is passionate about the development of the cancer nursing workforce to ensure nurses are equipped to deliver patient care that is safe and of high quality whilst managing the complex needs of people with a cancer diagnosis. She is committed to the challenges of nurse education in designing and delivering relevant and timely education to cancer nurses in this continually evolving area.

She is committed to and strongly believes that as nurses, we never stop learning.

Wendy Han

Wendy Han has over 12 years of experience in clinical research and nursing, and has developed a deep understanding of the Australian healthcare system, covering both private and public sectors. Wendy's career has been marked by a strong passion for oncology research, education, and leadership. Wendy is dedicated to advancing patient care through innovative research and effective team management, combining my clinical expertise with a commitment to fostering professional growth and excellence in the field.

Guat Leng Tan

Guat Leng Tan has over 30 years work experience in cancer nursing of which the first 14 years were in Singapore, Guat Leng then continued her nursing career in Perth since year 2005. Guat Leng completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Oncology Nursing in that time and and is currently a Nurse Unit Manager in Chemo Day Hospital.

Guat Leng was actively involved in Clinical Education, creating and updating Clinical Practice Policy and also took part in Root Cause Analysis. Guat Leng has a great interest in Clinical Safe Practice.

Victoria Calder

Victoria Calder has 17 year’s experience as a Registered Nurse, with 16 of these years in cancer nursing. She currently works in an Oncology CNC position for Illawarra Shoalhaven Cancer and Haematology Network, providing care for patients with colorectal cancer across medical and radiation oncology specialties.  Previously, her experience has also included haematology, BMT, palliative care, gynaecology oncology and melanoma. Victoria’s experience extends across both paediatrics and adults and has included inpatient and outpatient settings. She completed a Graduate Certificate in Cancer Nursing in 2010 with Queensland University of Technology (QUT). 

Victoria is passionate about developing cancer nurses to their full potential with the design and development of professional education and strategic opportunities to support wellbeing, resilience building, career progression and individual fulfillment. By focusing on the development and education of cancer nurses, she believes this in turn will ensure a robust cancer nursing workforce delivering high quality, patient centred care that elevates the human experience for patients, their loved ones and nurses.  

Sujin Im

Sujin has 16 years’ experience of oncology and haematology nursing, having worked in both Australia and South Korea. She now works as a Cancer Nurse Educator at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. Sujin holds a Graduate Diploma in Cancer and Haematology Nursing and a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Facilitation. 

Supporting cancer nurses for clinical education and professional development is Sujin’s strong passion. She believes that providing a culture of life-long education is one of the best ways to ensure the quality of nursing care and patient safety in cancer care.