Professorial Advisory Council
Distinguished Professor Patsy Yates
Distinguished Professor Patsy Yates, AM, PhD, RN, FACN, FAAN is the Executive Dean of QUT’s Faculty of Health and Co-Director of QUT’s Centre for Healthcare Transformation. Patsy is a Registered Nurse with extensive experience as a leader in education and research in cancer care. She is an NHMRC Investigator Fellow who leads a large competitively funded research program focused on developing workforce capacity in cancer, palliative and aged care, advancing the management of cancer-related symptoms and treatment side effects, and strengthening the nexus between research, policy and practice in cancer, palliative and aged care. Patsy is the immediate past-President of the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care, a past-President of Palliative Care Australia and the inaugural President of CNSA from 2000-2004.
Prof. Gemma McErlean
Gemma is a registered nurse with over twenty years’ experience in cancer‑related health care, research and education, spanning inpatient, ambulatory and community settings in Australia and the UK. Her career includes direct patient care, clinical research, evidence‑based practice, quality and service improvement, project management, medical writing, higher education teaching and HDR supervision, supported by extensive postgraduate study including a PhD (USYD Medical School), a Master of Public Health (Health Promotion) and a Graduate Certificate in Cancer Nursing. She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and a Winston Churchill Fellow, having travelled to leading US cancer centers, including MD Anderson Cancer Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, to study models of care for cancer and haematopoietic stem cell transplant survivors.
She has led and collaborated with expert cancer groups for state agencies such as the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation and the Cancer Institute NSW, including as Project Lead for the Blood and Marrow Transplant Long‑Term Follow‑Up Project, one of the Agency for Clinical Innovation’s most research‑productive programs. Gemma now combines her clinical, academic and governance expertise in the conjoint Professor of Cancer Nursing role and as Co‑Vice President of CNSA, where she focuses on advancing survivorship care, strengthening the cancer nursing workforce, and building nurse‑led research and models of care nationally.
- Phone:
- 0403 776 117
Professor Benjamin Tan
Professor Benjamin Tan is Professor and National Head of School (Nursing and Midwifery) at The University of Notre Dame Australia, and Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Oncology Nursing. He also holds Adjunct Professor appointments at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the University of Southern Queensland, Southwest Medical University Hospital, and Zunyi Medical University. Benjamin is 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. Working with an interdisciplinary research team, he has established and sustained strong international collaborations across Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, the UK, and China Mainland. These partnerships have resulted in more than 140 peer-reviewed journal publications and conference presentations, as well as over 30 funded research projects. His research has informed and been incorporated into numerous national and international 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, the China Anti-Cancer Association, and the US Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
Professor Catherine Paterson
Prof Catherine Paterson is a Professor of Cancer Nursing at Flinders University and the Central Adelaide Health Network. Prof Paterson Co-Chairs the Cancer Survivorship Program at Flinders University.
Prof Paterson is a national and internationally recognised as a researcher, clinician, supervisor, and teacher in cancer care. Her program of work addresses complex unmet needs of people affected by cancer and deliver innovative real-world solutions. Prof Paterson has published >151 peer review publications, and recently, was listed in the top 2% of scientists globally in 2024 in the 6th annual Standford-Elsevier standardized citation index (published: Oct 2024).
Professor Jane Phillips
Professor Jane Phillips, PhD, RN, FACN, FPCNA, FAAN is the Head of the QUT School of Nursing and a distinguished leader in palliative care, nursing education, and health sector research. A Registered Nurse with decades of clinical and academic experience, Professor Phillips has consistently driven impactful change nationally and globally. In 2021 and again in 2022, she was recognised as Australia's leading hospice and palliative care researcher, further cementing her position as an authority in the field.
Professor Phillips has been at the forefront of advancing cancer and palliative care practices. Her interdisciplinary research program focuses on optimising care delivery, ensuring that individuals can spend more time in their preferred settings, transition seamlessly between care environments, and receive high-quality, evidence-based palliative care.
Before her appointment at QUT, she served as the Director of the IMPACCT (Improving Palliative, Aged, and Chronic Care Through Clinical Research and Translation) Research Centre at the University of Technology Sydney, where she led a groundbreaking transdisciplinary approach to improving care outcomes for vulnerable populations. Professor Phillips continues to shape the future of palliative care through her leadership in clinical practice, research, and policy development
Professor Karen Strickland
Professor Kate White
Professor Kim Alexander
Kim Alexander (PhD, RN, MEdu, GradCert(Bus)) is an internationally regarded cancer nursing researcher in personalised healthcare and holds a joint position as a Professor of Cancer Nursing with the School of Nursing at QUT and the Cancer Care Services at Metro North for Queensland Health. With over 20 years as an Oncology Registered Nurse and Researcher, she is at the forefront of genetics, symptom science, and supportive care research in cancer. She is a highly skilled educator, having taught across the spectrum of higher education and subject matter that includes research design and data analysis, genomics, and cancer nursing.
Kim is a past member and Chair of the CNSA Research Committee (2014-2018) and CNSA Board member (2018-2023). As CNSA President (2021-2023), Kim led the processes for developing and implementing several organisational changes, including the 2023-2028 strategic plan, the supporting organisational structure and management model, and the board operating rhythm and evaluation. Kim’s passion for ensuring volunteer contributions are valued continues through the number of volunteering benefits CNSA offers.
Professor Leanne Monterosso
Professor Mei Krishnasamy
Professor Natalie Bradford
Professor Natalie Bradford is a clinician researcher in child and adolescent cancer and palliative care. She is the Director of the Centre of NHMRC funded Research Excellence in Paediatric Palliative Care and manager of the Childhood Care Outcomes program at both QUT and the Viertel Research Center, Cancer Council Queensland. Her program of health services research develops, implements and evaluates novel models of care, harnessing technology, across the continuum of cancer supportive care in hospitals, homes and communities. Her expertise in digital health services, combined with her background as a registered nurse, PhD and Master in Public Health uniquely qualifies her to tackle clinical challenges and generate new knowledge.
Professor Raymond Chan
Prof Ray Chan (RN, PhD) is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Matthew Flinders Professor of Cancer Care, Systems and Policy, Flinders University. Prof Chan’s research program focuses on optimising models of care, and health service and policy responses to address the needs of people affected by cancer.
Prof Chan served on the CNSA Board of Directors during 2014-2018. As President of Cancer Nurses Society of Australia (2015-2017), Prof Chan led the organisation to transition into a Company Limited by Guarantee, establishing a strong governance framework for the organisation.
Prof Chan is a Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing and the American Academy of Nursing.
Professor Sanchia Aranda AM
Sanchia is a registered nurse and has worked in cancer control for over 40 years. She was CEO of Cancer Council Australia (2015-2020), Deputy CEO Cancer Institute NSW (2011-2015) and Professor of Cancer Nursing at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (2001-2011), including 4 years as Head of the School of Nursing/School of Nursing and Social Work at Melbourne University. She has held senior roles across the spectrum from prevention, through treatment and palliative care and held leadership of many initiatives including the first Victorian Cancer Action Plan and 8 years on the first Cancer Australia Advisory Council. In 2019 Sanchia was recognised as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Sanchia holds honorary appointments at the The University of Melbourne (Dept of Nursing), The University of Sydney (Daffodil Centre) and the University of Technology Sydney (Centre for Health Economics Research and Education). Her current board roles are as Chair of Scope Australia a large disability provider across NSW and Victoria, Chair of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Alliance and is a member of the Dust Diseases Board of iCare. She was recently appointed Advisory Committee Chair for the review of Breast Screen Australia.
Sanchia has worked in international cancer control (1992-current), serving on the boards of the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care for 16 years (President 2006-2010) and Union for International Cancer Control (President 2016-2018). She was the inaugural Board Chair for the City Cancer Challenge Foundation (2019 – Jan 2024). Her current international work focuses on the elimination of cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific as part of the Daffodil Centre, University of Sydney where she provides leadership for the treatment pillar of this work.