Tuesday, 11th November 2025 Joint Meeting of the COSA ASM and IPOS Congress

What to Expect

This interactive workshop invites participants to reflect, connect, and collaborate in ways that move beyond tokenism. Together, we’ll explore your role in relation to:

Power and Positionality in Engagement

• How assumptions and context shape consumer-researcher partnerships and what it means to lead with awareness of relational and role dynamics

Navigating Complexity and Building Rewarding Research Partnerships

• The emotional and interpersonal realities of connecting and collaborating through lived experience.

Partnership In Practice

• Translating critical reflection into concrete action. Through a case-study, we’ll share practical strategies to make engagement more impactful.

Who Should Attend

Researchers, healthcare professionals, and people affected by cancer with interest in the design, delivery, or evaluation of cancer-related research, services, or advocacy.

'From Patient to Partner Unlocking the power of consumer engagement' workshop

This short video captures key moments from the ‘Patient to Partner’ workshop at the National Cancer Survivorship Conference in March 2025. Hear from researchers and individuals with diverse lived expertise in cancer as they reflect on what meaningful, ethical engagement looks and feels like and why it matters.

Sponsored by

Chair: Christian Nelson, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center/International Society of Sexual Medicine (ISSM)

Speakers: 

• Philip Odiyo Ouma, A Fresh Chapter in Kenya/International Society of Sexual Medicine (ISSM)
• Francesca Rogers, Men’s Health Collective & Thyer Urology
• Evie Mertens, Bendigo Health Hospital/The Australian Prostate Centre/Western Urology

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the biopsychosocial impact of prostate cancer treatments on the patient and their partner(s)
2. Apply the 5As framework in sexual health counseling
3. Enhance communication skills for effective sexual health counseling

Chair: Georgina Schlub - Lecturer, Graduate School of Health, Discipline of Genetic Counselling, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia

Speakers:

• Georgina Schlub - Lecturer, Graduate School of Health, Discipline of Genetic Counselling, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
• Lucinda Freeman - Head of Discipline, Genetic Counselling, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia

Learning Objectives: 

1. Learn how to arrange mainstream genetic testing including: Identifying eligible patients, genetic test types and interpreting results
2. Develop awareness of the ethical issues associated with genetic testing including: privacy, consent, and the potential impact on family members.
3. Practice having a conversation about genetic testing and test results with patients.

Chair: Christina Prickett - Clinical Psychologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia

Speakers: 

• Jess Crowe - Clinical Lead Physiotherapist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre & Barwon Health, Melbourne, Australia
• Lisa Nguyen - Physiotherapist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia
• Fiona Lynch - Senior Clinical Psychologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia
• Anna Beaumont - Senior Dietitian, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia
• Catherine Sinton - Clinical Nurse Consultant, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia
• Rajib Ahmed - Consultant anaesthetist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre & The Alfred, Melbourne, Australia

Learning Objectives: 

1. Increase knowledge in identifying and applying risk stratification and assessment strategies to tailor multidisciplinary care for patients undergoing cancer surgery
2. Increase skills to implement evidence-based frameworks and interventions to support the standardisation of prehabilitation practices and promote health equity
3. Develop awareness of the Prep-4-Cancer Surgery toolkit to contribute to knowledge sharing and build a community of practice in cancer prehabilitation

Chair: Ella Sexton - Senior clinical psychologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia

Speaker: Lauren Schairer - Manager of Social Work, Music Therapy & Art Therapy, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Learning Objectives:

1. Gain evidence-based, actionable strategies and data-driven recommendations for supporting carers of people with cancer. 
2. Develop skills to implement these best practices in clinical care and hospital/community systemic considerations
3. Learn how to evaluate the effect of interventions for carers on carer, patient, and system outcomes.

Speaker & Chair: Sue Morris - Senior psychologist and Director of Bereavement Services, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Learning Objectives: 

1. Participants will be able to describe the central psychological factors of grief.
2. Participants will be able to list the risk factors for poor bereavement outcomes.
3. Participants will be able to outline four psychological strategies for working with the bereaved based on cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) that can be used with individuals or in group settings.

Chair: Lisa Guccione - Post Doctoral Researcher, Implementation Science, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Speakers:

• Camille Short - Behavioural scientist, The University of Melbourne
• Lara Edbrooke - Physiotherapist, The University of Melbourne and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
• Prue Cormie - Exercise physiologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Learning Objectives: 

1. Learn from successful implementation case studies showcasing how exercise has been embedded into oncology care across various healthcare settings.
2. Analyse current barriers and enablers to implementation identified by the COSA working group and refine national recommendations through collaborative group work.
3. Use the APEASE framework alongside consensus-building methods to identify and prioritise actionable next steps for embedding exercise as standard care in cancer treatment across varied settings.

Sponsored by

Co-Chairs:

• Jenelle Loeliger - Chair of the COSA Nutrition Group, Advanced APD and Joint Manager of Nutrition and Speech Pathology Department, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
• Judy Bauer - Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, Monash University

Speakers:

• Carla Prado - Distinguished Professor, Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Integrative Nutrition, Body Composition and Energy Metabolism, University of Alberta, Canada
• Kate Lambell - Clinical dietitian, Manager of Nutrition and Dietetics, Peninsula Health
• Merran Findlay - Clinical Associate Professor, Executive Research Lead—Cancer Nutrition and Oncology Specialist Dietitian, RPA and Chris O’Brien Lifehouse
• Nicole Kiss - Associate Professor, Nutrition and Dietetics, Deakin University

Learning Objectives: 

1. Improve knowledge and awareness of the impact of cancer-related malnutrition and muscle health on patient care and outcomes and of evidence-based approaches to assessing body composition and physical function
2. Increase confidence in how to complete bedside body composition and physical function assessment techniques and learn about strategies to implement these into clinical practice
3. Improve interpretation of assessment results and support multidisciplinary decision-making, including how to communicate findings and guide tailored nutrition and supportive care interventions

Sponsored by

Co-Chairs:

• Jenny Casanova - Senior Pharmacist in Cancer Services, Flinders Medical Centre
• Kimberley-Ann Kerr - SHPA Specialty Practice Group member, Lead Pharmacist, ECPS Project, Digital Health SA, SA Health

Speakers:

• Philip Selby - Senior Clinical Pharmacist in Haematology, Royal Adelaide Hospital
• Angela Yong - Consultant haematologist, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Lyell McEwin Hospital and Adelaide Blood Specialists
• Bradley Menz - Senior Pharmacist in Medical Oncology, Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders University
• Tiffany Foo - Medical Oncologist, Flinders Medical Centre and Calvary Hospital

Learning Objectives: 

1. Understanding of therapeutic drug monitoring of antiinfectives in haematology patients
2. Knowledge of new developments in the management of gynaecological malignancies
3. Enhancing clinicians’ interactions with patients who use AI to obtain health information

Sponsored by