Researchers

Associate Professor Lisa Horvath, Director of Medical Oncology & Acting Director of Research, Chris O'Brien LifehouseChris O`Brien Lifehouse research director and prostate cancer medical oncologist Lisa Horvath first became interested in medical research in her first year of training in medical oncology.

Professor Catherine Cole Professor of Paediatric Haematology and OncologyUniversity of Western Australia, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, PathWest and the Telethon Kids' Institute.The improvements in outcomes for children with cancer and leukaemia in the last half century have been phenomenal. From almost universal fatality before 1965, now over 80% of children will be cured.

Working in clinical trials means that every day brings a new set of challenges and a sense of achievement. It is highly rewarding to see ideas transition into study designs, industry standards, results and benefits for patients.The World Health Organization predicts that depression and cardiovascular disease will be the top two leading causes of disease burden by 2030. Furthermore, patients with major depressive disorder are at an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease.

I am preparing clinical trials for two vaccines we have been developing — for malaria and rheumatic fever.This is an important area of medical research. While Australia is not a malaria country, malaria is a major world health problem. The World Health Organization has estimated that malaria causes over 200 million cases of fever every year. In 2010, around 655 000 people died from the disease, most of whom were children under the age of five. Most deaths occur among children in Africa where a child dies every minute from malaria.

I am a clinical researcher working in the field of obesity research. My research program examines the mechanisms of nervous system dysfunction in obese people and the benefits of lifestyle changes — such as weight loss and exercise — and drug treatments.Clinical trials address specific questions relevant to our understanding of disease processes or to the benefits of specific treatments. Ultimately, health care practice is based on knowledge derived from clinical trials.

For patients who are thinking about being in a clinical trial, I would like to tell them that their participation is an important way we improve our health care. Knowing what works and what doesn’t is fundamental to the evidence base that underpins medicine. Without it, we are just snake oil salesmen.And it’s important to realise that everyone benefits from clinical trials. Every clinical trials patient has been the beneficiary of previous medical advances brought about by clinical research.

I am fortunate to have been involved in the coordination of a research project from the time it was designed, all the way up to when the results of the project changed clinical practice, with the approval of a Medicare item number for a new type of radiotherapy for early breast cancer.

Put simply, clinical trials allow researchers, clinicians and patients to improve healthcare outcomes.I’m a Medical Oncologist so I support patients on their cancer journey. I specialise in breast and melanoma cancer, two of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in Australia.

Over the past 20 years I have had the privilege to have been able to undertake a number of large scale community based clinical trials focussing on the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and healthy aging.  We call these “Public Good” Trials as they are often not going to be the topic of major commercial interest to companies but are of immense interest to practising doctors wanting to know what strategies or treatments will give the best results.  These trials have involved more than 30,000 volunteer participants from virtually all States of Australia.  Each and every one of them makes

I feel very privileged every day in my role as a researcher in dealing with clinical trial participants. It is a unique relationship between researcher and the participant, the exchange of personal information and the level of comfort that they feel in the rapport building, enabling them to be frank, honest and trusting.