Committees

Clinical & Research Advisory Committee (CRAC)

MSCAN has established a Clinical and Research Advisory Committee (our CRAC Team).

Our CRAC Team reflects the complexity of skin cancer and covers relevant disciplines including dermatology, nursing, oncology, research, clinical trials and surgery.

The CRAC team provide regular and ongoing advice to the MSCAN Board to:

Provide feedback on MSCAN’s proposed projects
Provide advice regarding key gaps in melanoma and skin cancer (including prevention, early detection, treatment and supportive care)
Provide updates on pertinent matters for melanoma and skin cancer patients
Review MSCAN materials as appropriate
Provide feedback and insights into issues raised by patients in clinics/ appointments/ treatment rooms (i.e. what are the greatest needs and concerns for patients).

Associate Professor Sid Baxi

Radiation Oncologist. Regional Medical Director at GenesisCare Gold Coast

Associate Professor Siddhartha (Sid) Baxi is a Radiation Oncologist and Regional Medical Director at GenesisCare Gold Coast. He works within the clinical oncology network of specialists at John Flynn Hospital, and in the Southport, Tweed and Pindara regions. His academic links are with Griffith University and Menzies School of Health Research. A/Prof Baxi is a member of the Faculty of Radiation Oncology branch of medical college, RANZCR, and Chair of the Targeting Cancer Campaign.

Professor Monika Janda

Behavioural scientist. University of Queensland

Professor Monika Janda is an internationally recognised behavioural scientist with a PhD and MPhil in psychology (Univ. Vienna), and postgraduate training in behaviour therapy and health psychology. Professor Janda is a member of the Australian Psychological Society, and the College of Health Psychologists. She is the Director of The University of Queensland’s Centre for Health Services Research, and now leads the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Skin Imaging and Diagnosis (2021-25) and the NHMRC Synergy program Melanoma-ROSA (2022-26), which is developing Roadmap Options for Melanoma Screening in Australia.

Dr. Megan Lyle

Medical Oncologist. Cairns Hospital

Dr. Megan Lyle is a medical oncologist at the Liz Plummer Cancer Care Centre, Cairns Hospital and visiting medical officer at Far North Day Hospital and Cairns Private Hospitals. She holds a senior lecturer appointment with James Cook University. Dr. Lyle has a strong interest in melanoma research and has presented her research at national and international meetings, with her work published in major international peer reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Since moving to Cairns in 2014, Dr. Lyle has actively implemented strategies to improve the quality of care and access to therapies for melanoma patients in Far North Queensland. Dr. Lyle is currently principal investigator on many clinical trials and is chairperson of the Liz Plummer Cancer Care Centre High Risk Skin/Melanoma MDT.

Associate Professor Victoria Mar

Dermatologist. Director of the Victorian Melanoma Service at the Alfred Hospital

A/Prof Victoria Mar is an NHMRC Early Career Fellow at the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University. She has an interest in early diagnosis and surveillance of high-risk individuals. She a member of the Cancer Council Australia Melanoma Guidelines Working Group and Board member of the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Trials Group.

Dr. Donna Milne

Clinical Nurse Consultant, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Co-Chair of the Melanoma & Skin Cancer Nurses Organisation

Donna is a registered nurse and is a clinical nurse consultant in the melanoma and skin service at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. Her clinical role involves symptom management, support and education of people with melanoma across the disease trajectory. She is also a nurse consultant team lead. Donna’s PhD investigated the perceptions of palliative care services held by people with advanced cancer. More recently Donna’s research has focused on understanding the experiences of patients receiving targeted and immune therapies for melanoma with a focus on distressing symptoms and side effects.

Professor Mark Shackleton

Director of Oncology at Alfred Health. Professor of Oncology at Monash University. Chair of Melanoma and Skin Cancer Trials Ltd.

After training in medical oncology and at the Ludwig Institute in Melbourne, Professor Mark Shackleton undertook PhD studies at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and post-doctoral work at the University of Michigan, USA. He has received several major prizes for his research: the 2006 Victorian Premier’s Award for Medical Research, a 2010 NHMRC Achievement Award, a 2011 Pfizer Australia Fellowship, and a 2016 Victorian Cancer Agency Clinical Research Fellowship. In 2012, he was awarded the Australian Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year.

Professor Peter Soyer

Chair and Director of the Dermatology Research Centre, The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute

Professor Soyer is the Chair and Director of the Dermatology Research Centre, The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute. His expertise is in dermato-oncology and dermatologic imaging. His research group’s main focus is skin cancer, both melanoma and keratinocyte skin cancer. He established and is co-leader of the Australian Skin and Skin Cancer Research Centre. He was co-president of the 9th World Congress of Melanoma, Brisbane, 2017. He is lead investigator of the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence for the Study of Naevi and leads the ACRF Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis. He is a MRFF Next Generation Clinical Researchers Program Practitioner Fellowship, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

Community Action Team (ComAct)

MSCAN is informed by a Community Action Team. It includes consumers with lived experience in both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. They provide incredibly valuable insights and opinions into our work program.

The ComAct provides regular and ongoing advice to MSCAN to:

The CRAC team provide regular and ongoing advice to the MSCAN Board to:

Provide feedback on MSCAN’s proposed projects
Provide advice regarding key gaps in melanoma and skin cancer (including screening, diagnosis, treatment and supportive care)
Provide updates and insights on pertinent matters for melanoma and skin cancer patients such as what are the greatest needs and concerns for patients
Review MSCAN materials

Melissa Sheldon

A survivor of stage IV melanoma, first diagnosed at age 29 in 2009. She has lived with melanoma for over a decade, fortunate to ride the wave of new treatments including targeted cell therapy and immunotherapy. She has been in palliative care and learnt to walk and talk again. She has witnessed the power and side-effects of treatment and seen the devastation when patients don’t respond. She believes in the power of science, research, education, and the multidisciplinary approach needed to treat cancer.

Melissa was active in media, helping Ipilimumab and Pembrolizumab gain PBS listing. She campaigned to have solariums banned from Victoria, carrying on Clare Oliver’s heroic stance. Other advocacy activity included SBS Insight “Cancer Breakthroughs”.

Passionate about equitable healthcare for all, Melissa shares her story hoping to pay it forward to improve outcomes for patients and carers.

Phoebe Wilcox

Phoebe watched the decline in health from her dear mum, Nicky, who devastatingly lost the battle to stage IV melanoma in 2022 after only 26 days from diagnosis.

Being an Emergency and Intensive care nurse in the Northern territory and Emergency nurse in WA, Phoebe knew only too well the hospital system, and is now more passionate than ever about ensuring melanoma patients receive the best holistic care throughout their diagnosis and treatment.

Tom Leworthy

Tom was first diagnosed with Stage III metastatic melanoma in 2015. He was living his best life in Abu Dhabi with his young family and pregnant wife before his world was turned upside down when he found 3 big lumps under his arm while out cycling.

He returned to Queensland for treatment and began immunotherapy. After 10 months, he developed severe rheumatoid arthritis and Type 1 diabetes and ceased treatment. However, three months later the cancer had progressed to Stage IV. Tom trialed a new treatment that saw amazing results after two months. His recent five year clear PET scan was a successful outcome for the second treatment.

Tom is a strong advocate for men’s health, and through his love of fitness is able to share his journey of survivorship with many that cross his path.

Doug Phayer

Doug Phayer, lifelong fisherman, was was first diagnosed with skin cancer at age 50, and since then he has been through 23 invasive and difficult surgeries, and radiation therapy to remove squamous cell carcinomas (SCC’s) from his body.

Doug is passionate about advocating for the prevention of skin cancer and to help raise awareness of the risk of non-melanoma skin cancers.

Listen to Doug on the Spot On Podcast here.

Pauline Ryan

Pauline was 37 weeks pregnant with her second daughter when she discovered what she thought was a mole, was in fact a melanoma. Despite undergoing an operation when her baby was only two weeks old, Pauline later discovered the melanoma had spread to the nearby lymph node region. After immunotherapy and a neck dissection, Pauline is now cancer free.

With a background as a nurse, and patient support manager, Pauline wants to help change the system and is ardent with advocating for better psychological and mental health support for those suffering from cancer.