Showcasing Research Excellence at the Cancer Nursing Society Conference
At the joint Cancer Nurses Society of Australia (CNSA) and International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care (ISNCC) meeting in Adelaide 18-21 June 2025, there was strong representation from the Department of Nursing at the University of Melbourne.
The meeting hosted 1100 cancer nursing delegates from across the Asia Pacific, UK, Europe, China, Africa, USA and Canada. The theme of the conference was from innovation to implementation focusing on clinical practice, education, research, leadership and advocacy across the cancer control continuum.
Representing the Department of Nursing (DoN) were Lauren Zarb, Trevor Saunders, Prof Mei Krishnasamy and Emily Ellis, one of our wonderful nursing students attending her first CNSA meeting. In addition, two current PhD candidates, Nicole Kinnane and Melissa Warren, presented aspects of their work. Sharon de Graves, a member of the VCCC Alliance and The Nursing Research and Innovation Collaborative at the DON, joined the team of presenters, as did Holly Chung, a key member of the cancer nursing research team based at Peter Mac and a casual staff member in the DoN, and Shu-Yi Soong, a powerful consumer member of the cancer nursing research team.
"This is Me"
Mei Krishnasamy and Nicole Kinnane presented their work on the development of and acceptability testing of a new resource “This is Me” – co-designed with older people affected by cancer to ensure that what matters most to them is incorporated into decision making about their care and treatment. The presentation was delivered to a packed audience and was very well received with lots of interest to implement the resource nationally.
Workplace Integrated Learning
Lauren Zarb presented on behalf of herself and Trevor Saunders, data reporting the value of workplace integrated learning as a unique feature of the Graduate Certificate courses in the DoN, focusing specifically on the Cancer Nursing course. Again, this work was presented to a packed room and Lauren’s excellent talk was met with considerable interest, generating lots of visits to the DoN booth in the exhibition hall.
Nursing Equity Assessment Tool (NEAT)
Mei Krishnasamy, Holly Chung and Shu-Yi Soong presented work on the Nursing Equity Assessment Tool (NEAT), reporting data on its cultural validation, and on the development of co-designed resources to enable nurses and people. There was national interest in the NEAT with discussions with leading cancer policy organisations about embedding the NEAT as a component of usual care for nurses across the country. Shu-Yi’s presence and contribution to the talks made a powerful impression and impact.
Online Education Module for Cancer Supportive Care
Sharon de Graves presented work on behalf of herself and Mei Krishnasamy, describing development of a new online (and recently launched) education module for Cancer Supportive Care. The resource was met with considerable interest and will be embedded into new state -wide policy through engagement with the Department of Health, Victorian Integrated Cancer Services Supportive Care Working Group.
Co-designing follow-up care models
Nicole Kinnane presented on aspects of her PhD work, exploring opportunities to co-design new models of follow up care for women who have completed adjuvant therapy for endometrial cancer. This was a very well presented and prescient paper, with lots of focus on transformation of and opportunity for nurse-led models of care across several of the plenary sessions at the conference.
Diagnosing colorectal cancer
Melissa Warren also presented on aspects of her PhD work, examining routes to diagnosis for colorectal cancer in New Zealand, again focusing on an important area of attention across the conference program- with particular attention to equity of access to and timeliness of care.
Research Knowledge and Skills for Practice Change Workshop
Finally, Mei Krishnasamy and Sharon de Graves ran a pre-conference workshop building research knowledge and skills for practice change to a sold-out workshop! The workshop was informed by the emerging Nursing Research and Innovation Collaborative program being pioneered by the DON. Feedback on the workshop and the Collaborative initiative was very positive.
