YOUNG ONCOLOGISTS GROUP OF AUSTRALIA (yoga) cOMMITTEE
Young Oncologists are consultant medical oncologists who are working in all States and Territories of Australia, are financial members of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA) and who are within five years of receipt of their fellowship (FRACP or equivalent).
YOGA SUB-COMMITTEE ROLE
The role of the YOGA Sub-Committee is to provide young medical oncologists with a networking framework and assistance to facilitate their transition from advanced trainee to consultant. This is achieved through:
Creating and implementing educational and professional programs relevant to young Australian oncologists in their daily practice and/or research activities.
Informing and advising the MOGA Executive about workplace, professional challenges and career development issues concerning Australian young oncologists.
Encouraging and facilitating the professional development, peer support and representation of young oncologists.
Promoting opportunities for developing research skills and conducting research among young Australian oncologists.
Working and collaborating with global young oncologist networks and organisations.
YOGA Committee MEMBERS
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Dr Andrew Parsonson is an early career medical oncologist affiliated with the Nepean Cancer Care Centre in Sydney, Australia. He was the inaugural advanced trainee representative on the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) council and has a strong interest in the education and professional development of trainees and young oncologists. His current research interests are in the role of digital health in cancer care and clinical trials and he has recently commenced a part-time PhD through the Australian Institute of Health Innovation (AIHI) at Macquarie University. He has recently been appointed to be a member on the drug utilisation subcommittee (DUSC) to provide advice on oncology drug utilisation to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).
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Dr Mark Nalder is a Medical Oncologist and early career researcher. He is currently the Medical Oncology Fellow at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, QLD. He has strong clinical interests in thoracic, gastrointestinal, genitourinary and melanoma malignancies. His research interests include precision medicine, pharmacogenetics and the utilisation of real-world evidence to guide treatment decisions for patients with cancer. He is currently completing a PhD at the University of Queensland, investigating the real-world outcomes of patients treated with immunotherapy. He is passionate about reducing treatment related toxicity and is the principal investigator on a multi-site trial of prospective DPYD genotype guided dosing for patients receiving fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy.
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Dr Connolly is an early career medical oncologist and clinician researcher who is affiliated with Chris O Brien Lifehouse (COBLH), the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) and the University of Sydney. She is currently undertaking full time PhD research in sarcoma proteomics after completing a sarcoma clinical research fellowship at COBLH. Her interests include sarcoma, rare cancers and AYA care. She is passionate about education and professional development of trainees and young oncologists. She is a current member of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Young Oncologists Committee (YOC) and has been an inaugural member of the NSW/ACT Medical Oncology Advanced Trainee Committee (MOAT) and several Royal College of Physicians (RACP) education committees. Through these she has facilitated the development of a number of physician education resources and programmes.
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Dr Tim Slattery is an early career medical oncologist, currently working at Fiona Stanley Hospital and Geraldton Regional Hospital. He completed his training across Fiona Stanley Hospital and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Western Australia, as well as the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London, United Kingdom. His interests include genitourinary, colorectal, lung and skin cancers, as well rural & regional cancer care, and exercise & well-being in cancer. He also has a passion for education, career equity, advocacy & mentorship, and is involved in various related service improvement programs. He is currently working across many solid tumour clinical trials, including the active development of a phase 1 trial looking at the addition of chemotherapy to radionuclide therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer.
Tim is also a qualified general & acute care physician with significant regional experience, having received RACP fellowship in 2020.
If you have any state-specific questions please feel free to email the MOGA secretariat and it will be forwarded to the appropriate person
Join our network of over 600 medical oncologists who receive:
get involved
There are many ways for members to get involved in supporting our work and help us in shaping the future of the Australian Medical Oncology profession.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Members enjoy exclusive professional development programs specifically designed for medical oncology trainees and consultants
JOIN THE COMMITTEE
Exercise your team and leadership skills by applying to join the Committee
become a member
Young oncologists receive discounted rates - explore the many benefits of MOGA membership
YOGA IN THE NEWS
Cancer trials, and the need for a greater diversity of participants
Dr Abhi Pal is a young medical oncologist at Bankstown and Liverpool Hospital who is currently undertaking his PhD and advocating for the pertinent issue of equity and inclusion in cancer clinical trials. Trial participants are significantly less likely to be from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Listen to Dr Pal talk about his important research and the need for change on ABC listen.
Dr BEN Shum awarded the best poster award in translational science section at ESMO Congress
Dr Ben Shum is a young medical oncologist currently working at the Royal Marsden Hospital, conducting research and completing his MD at the Francis Crick Institute in London. Dr Shum completed his medical oncology training at Westmead, Blacktown and Nepean Hospital. Dr Shum was recently awarded the best poster award in the translational science section at the ESMO Congress for his poster entitled MHC-II neoantigens and copy number alterations drive immune checkpoint inhibitor response in metastatic melanoma. Congratulations Dr Shum!