Professorial Advisory Council
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.
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 Debbie Kirk
Professor Debbie Kirk has an extensive background spanning 30 years as a registered nurse and 25 years as an endorsed nurse practitioner. Professor Kirk has a diverse clinical portfolio, specializing in hematology/oncology, chronic illness, health promotion, and palliative care/symptom management. In addition to her clinical background, Professor Kirk has made significant contributions in academia, excelling in leadership and team development roles. Her scholarly contributions include over 30 refereed manuscripts and approximately 32 book chapters, where she has served as both author and editor, particularly focusing on oncology symptom management and workforce. Her dedication to excellence in clinical practice, teaching, research, and service has earned her international recognition, culminating in her appointment as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
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 Marion Eckert
Professor Marion Eckert is the Foundation Director of the Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre (RBRC), University of South Australia since 2016. As Professor of Health Innovation and Enterprise and the Inaugural Professor of Cancer Nursing in South Australia, she has driven RBRC's growth from a single employee to a robust team of over 70 members. Under her leadership, the Centre has significantly impacted nursing and midwifery practices through translational research that prioritises community health and healthcare system improvements.
Professor Eckert's achievements include a Churchill Fellowship, and Leslie Fleming award for research into quality-of-life post cancer diagnosis. In 2024 she was awarded the Sigma Theta Tau International Hall of Fame Nurse Researcher award, was a finalist in the Federal Health Minister’s Award as a Nurse Trailblazer for driving change in primary health care, through nurse led skin checks to improve early detection and prevention of skin cancer and has co-led the establishment of the first Australasian Nursing and Midwifery Clinical Trials Network (ANMCTN), a unique global network. With 30 years in public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, she brings expertise in healthcare strategy, implementation science, and quality of life post-chronic disease diagnosis. Her recent partnerships include the Global Research Network (Oxford University) and the School of Washington, underscoring her commitment to advancing healthcare innovation and evaluation on a global scale.
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.
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.
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.
