Research Standing Commitee

Dr Elizabeth Moore

Chair

Dr Elizabeth Moore is Research Fellow with the Myeloma and Related Diseases Registry (MRDR) and Steering Committee member of the Asia-Pacific MRDR in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University. She sits on the Research Governance Committee of this School, and is member of the Expert Advisory Group for the MRFF-funded EpiMAP study (Epidemiological modelling to deliver better care for Australian patients with myeloma). She is investigator on the MRFF-funded MY-PROMPT-2 trial to assess whether real-time feedback of patient-reported outcomes to clinicians at clinic visits improves duration on therapy in patients with relapsed myeloma, and led the proof-of-concept trial which informed this project.

Elizabeth has over 20 years of clinical and research experience and her research focuses on improving outcomes for people living with multiple myeloma.

Adj Assoc Professor Karen Taylor

Adj Assoc Professor Karen Taylor has over 37 years of nursing experience predominately practicing in the area of haematology, stem cell transplantation, survivorship, oncology and cancer coordination. Karen has senior nursing management and directorship experience having led statewide cancer services in Western Australia. Karen has a PhD in cancer survivorship which involved a randomised controlled trial and utilised quantitative and qualitative methods. Karen is an editor on Collegian. She has lectured, presented at conferences, published in peer reviewed journals and provided peer review for journals throughout her career.

Karen has an adjunct position at the University of Notre Dame Australia.

Natalie Williams

Natalie Williams is a registered nurse and Gynaecology Nurse Researcher at the Women and Newborn Health Service in Perth, Western Australia.

Natalie completed a Master of Philosophy (Nursing) investigating nurses’ perceptions of providing psychosexual care for women undergoing gynaecological cancer treatment. She also holds post graduate certificates in Women’s Health Care and Health Professional Education. Natalie has published and performs peer review for multiple international journals.

Her 15 years of clinical experience as a registered nurse have been predominantly in the area of gynaecology. She has been a member of CNSA for over 10 years and also serves as a committee member of the Gynaecological Oncology Nurses Specialist Practice Network (GYN SPN).

Jessica Balson

Jessica Balson is an experienced cancer nurse and early-career researcher who has focused on educational research. Jessica is passionate about cancer nursing education and developing nursing capability.

Jessica is chair of the VCCCA Digital Oncology Learning Hub Program and currently a Research Project Officer at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Jessica brings a variety of experience across the cancer care continuum as a clinical nurse and nurse educator.

Jessica has completed a Masters of Advanced Nursing by research at the University of Melbourne, her thesis explored the educational needs of non-specialist cancer nurses. She also holds graduate certificates in both cancer and intensive care nursing.

Priscilla Gates

Priscilla Gates is a Research Project Officer in the Nursing Academic Unit at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Priscilla has extensive experience in haematology nursing focusing on transplantation and survivorship. Priscilla's passion is to improve outcomes for people with cancer and runs several funded research projects.

Priscilla completed a Master of Philosophy focusing on survivors of lymphoma and has recently summitted her PhD thesis to the University of Melbourne exploring cancer-related cognitive impairment in patients with newly diagnosed aggressive lymphoma undergoing standard chemotherapy. Priscilla has published peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences and received many awards and prizes for her contribution to cancer nursing research.

Ashlee Stirling

Ashlee Stirling is the McGrath Breast Care Clinical Nurse Consultant for Warwick and the Southern Downs, in rural QLD. She also holds positions as a sessional academic for the Australian College of Nursing, Griffith University and the University of Southern Queensland. She has nearly 20 years of nursing experience primarily in the fields of paediatrics, cancer care and clinical education.

Ashlee is an early-career researcher whose area of interest is women’s health, with a keen interest in improving diagnosis and management of women’s health concerns following cancer treatment. She has completed a Graduate Certificate in Breast Cancer Nursing, a Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care (both with the Australian College of Nursing) and is currently completing a Master of Public Health (Dissertation) at Griffith University. Her intention is to commence a PhD on completion of her Master degree.

Ashlee is thrilled to be a member of the CNSA Research Standing Committee and hopes to encourage and support rural nurses to engage in cancer research.

Professor Benjamin Tan

Professor Benjamin Tan is Professor of Nursing, Chair (Chronic Conditions & Cancer Care Research) and Associate Head of School (Research) in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ). He is an Adjunct Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Southwest Medical University Hospital, and Zunyi Medical University. Benjamin has been internationally recognised for his research in integrative oncology and cancer symptom management and has been named in the prestigious Stanford/Elsevier list of the World’s Top 2% Most-cited Scientists. He and his interdisciplinary team have developed and sustained intensive linkages with collaborators in Australia, HKSAR, Singapore, the UK, and China Mainland, which have so far resulted in over 130 high-quality publications in peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations, as well as more than 30 funded projects. Benjamin's research has been adopted in numerous international and national clinical practice guidelines, including those developed by the European Society for Medical Oncology, the American College of Chest Physicians, Cancer Care Ontario, the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the US Department of Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense, China Anti-Cancer Association, and the US Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Lauren Parkinson- Zarb

Lauren Parkinson- Zarb is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne. Lauren is an experienced cancer nurse, with clinical experience across a range of cancer nursing settings.

Lauren currently teaches into the Graduate Certificate of Cancer Nursing and is passionate about improving cancer care outcomes, by supporting the development and capability of specialist cancer nurses. She recently completed her PhD, which investigated the job demands and job resources of Victorian cancer nurses, prior to and during the pandemic.

Lauren remains committed to improving the wellbeing and sustainability of the cancer nursing workforce, through education and research.

Carli Shaw

Carli Shaw is a Clinical Nurse Consultant working in Oncology and Haematology Clinical Trials in Mackay, Queensland.
She has completed a Master's of Nursing (Cancer and Palliative care) with a career focus on oncology nursing and nursing education.

Carli is an early career researcher and is currently completing a PhD exploring how cancer-related cognitive impairment impacts daily life after chemotherapy.

Carli is committed to rural and regional cancer nursing and the unique opportunities and challenges this provides.