Professor Frances Boyle Receives 2013 MOGA Achievement Award

The Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA) -Novartis Oncology Cancer Achievement Award 2013recipient has been announced as Professor Frances Boyle AM.

“For more than a decade the Cancer Achievement Award has recognised the unique role that Australian oncologists play in

providing outstanding leadership in clinical practice, research and academic achievement," said A/Professor, Gary Richardson,

Chairman, MOGA.

This Award allows us to recognise the professional skills, commitment and achievement of an outstanding Australian medical oncologist and one of our most prominent members,

Professor Frances Boyle AM.

Professor Frances Boyle AM is Director of the Patricia Ritchie Centre for Cancer Care and Research, The Mater in Sydney; Professor of Medical Oncology at the Sydney Medical School where she is also Medical Director of the Pam McLean Communications Centre. She is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Australia and New Zealand Breast Cancer Trials Group, a member of the Board of the Breast Cancer Network Australia, and also serves on numerous national and international scientific and medical committees.

Born in Brisbane, Australia, Professor Boyle trained at the University of Queensland and Mater Hospital Brisbane. Her Medical Oncology training and PhD in Pharmacology were completed at the Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney. Since that time she has been clinically active in Breast Cancer Care at Royal North Shore and Mater Hospitals North Sydney, forming multidisciplinary teams to streamline patient care. She provided oncology services to Lismore Hospital for 10 years, and in 2005 joined the Melanoma Institute of Australia when it moved to the Mater. In 2006 a generous donation from Mrs Patricia Ritchie funded her academic position at the Mater and Sydney Medical School, where she is involved in research, medical student teaching and service enhancement.

Professor Boyle’s career has been distinguished by an extensive series of professional presentations and publications, clinical trials and research projects covering a wide spectrum of oncology and medical foci. A hall mark of her research endeavours is the ability to attract substantial funding support to ensure successful program delivery and the development of extensive cooperative professional networks to ensure project delivery. She has made a notable contribution towards the training and professional development of many Australian oncology professionals. She convenes (and has pioneered), a unique communications skills training program for oncology and related professionals that is without equal in international

oncology professional education. It is therefore not surprising that Professor Boyle has been the recipient of many distinctions and awards to date. Notably in the 2008 Australia Day Honours List she became a Member of the Order of Australia for her service as a clinician and cancer researcher, particularly in the areas of breast and brain cancer treatment, and as a contributor to medical education and professional organizations. Her advocacy work with the Breast Cancer Network of Australia has assisted in the delivery of new treatment advances to the patients who need them