Level 6, 75 Talavera Road
Macquarie University NSW
Accelerating knowledge into practice for cancer care
The Centre of Research Excellence in Implementation Science in Oncology (CRE-ISO) brings together experts in implementation science and oncology to enhance cancer care, accelerating the transformation of knowledge into practice.
Project sponsor: National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence Grant
About the project
The NHMRC CRE-ISO, running from 2018 to 2023, contributed to supporting cancer care by focusing on improving the translation of evidence into policy and practice in Australia and internationally.
CRE-ISO undertook research to facilitate the efficient provision of evidence-based cancer service provision. As cancer services are overwhelmingly provided in hospital outpatient settings, much of the initial work focused on characterising care in these settings and exploring clinician views of cancer clinical practice guidelines. CRE-ISO also sought to facilitate the shift from a narrow focus on morbidity and mortality – outcomes where Australia has long excelled – to increase focus on patient experience.
Qualitative research with young people living with bowel cancer in Australia and the UK explored their diagnostic journey, learning about:
- the healthcare professionals they met
- how they felt cared for or let down
- where they thought the system could have served them better.
This research was published and went on to underpin the national awareness campaign of Bowel Cancer Australia and saw a change in Australian clinical guidelines to lower the bowel cancer screening age from 50 years old to 45
The centre was led by Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite along with leading Australian and international cancer clinicians, cancer researchers and health system researchers.
Chief investigators
- Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite – AIHI, Macquarie University
- Professor Phil Crowe – University of New South Wales
- Professor David Currow – University of Wollongong
- Professor Geoff Delaney – South-Western Sydney LHD
- Professor Jonathan Karnon – Flinders University
- Professor Richard Kefford AM – Macquarie University
- Associate Professor Winston Liauw – South-Eastern Sydney LHD
- Professor Ian Olver AM – University of Adelaide
- Professor Robyn Ward AM – University of Sydney
- Professor Johanna Westbrook – AIHI, Macquarie University
Associate investigators
- Professor Robyn Clay-Williams
- Associate Professor Louise Ellis
- Associate Professor Robert Farnsworth, The Prince of Wales Hospital
- Professor Nicholas Hawkins, University of Queensland
- Professor Peter Hibbert
- Professor Mei Krishnasamy, University of Melbourne
- Associate Professor Bettina Meiser, University of New South Wales
- Hon Associate Professor Natalie Taylor
- Professor Jennifer Tieman, Flinders University
- Professor Karin Verspoor, University of Melbourne