Australia has a proud history of excellence in psycho-oncology care and research. The Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) and the Psycho-Oncology Cooperative Research Group (PoCoG) have fostered the field and ensured its place as part of multi-disciplinary cancer care. Consequently, our organisations are strong with many dedicated individuals contributing to ongoing development and excellence in the field. These Awards recognise outstanding contributions to psycho-oncology from among our members.

For further information about these awards please contact: Dr Laura Kirsten, [email protected], Chair, COSA Psycho-Oncology Group.

 

2025 Psycho-Oncology Award Nominations

Nominations are now open for the 2025 Psycho-Oncology Awards, closing 5:00pm (AEST) Monday 30 June 2025.

Download the nomination forms:

The Award recipients will be recognised at the 2025 joint meeting of COSA and IPOS in Adelaide in November.

Melanie Price
Psycho-Oncology Award

This Award recognises the highest level of contribution to psycho-oncology from amongst the membership of COSA and PoCoG. In 2019 we acknowledged our colleague, peer and good friend Melanie Price and named the Australian Psycho-Oncology Award in her honour.

Price Melanie 1

Award recipients

Professor Haryana Dhillon is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Psychology at the University of Sydney. She co-leads the Survivorship Research Group within the Centre for Medical Psychology and Evidence-based decision-making. Haryana is the COSA President-Elect 2025-26. She is Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Psycho-Oncology Cooperative Research Group, a member of the Scientific Advisory Committees of the Australasian Lung Trials Group and the Australia New Zealand Urogenitary Trials Group.

Her research interests are primarily in the areas of psycho-oncology, cancer survivorship, and health literacy.

Professor Gail Garvey, a Kamilaroi woman from NSW, is Professor Indigenous Health Research, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland. Prof Garvey has devoted her career to improving the health outcomes, in particular cancer, of First Nations peoples in Australia and globally.

During her career, Prof Garvey has achieved significant and impactful research outputs focusing predominately on the psychosocial aspects of cancer care and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. She is committed to embedding research translation into her projects to ensure her research efforts will lead to positive policy and practice change.

Clinical Specialist Social Worker, Department of Social Work/Department of Gynaecological Cancer, Westmead Hospital, NSW

Professor of Psychiatry and Head, Department of Psychiatry, Monash University and Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, Australia; Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; New York, NY, USA

Professor, The University of Queensland School of Medicine

Executive Director of the Translational Cancer Research Unit, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, South Western Sydney Clinical School, UNSW

Phyllis Butow New Investigator in
Psycho-Oncology Award

This Award recognises research achievements and potential for an ongoing contribution to the discipline of psycho-oncology in Australia. In 2021 we were pleased to name the New Investigator Award in the honour of Professor Phyllis Butow AM in recognition of her leadership and generous mentoring of so many psycho-oncology researchers in Australia and internationally.

 

Butow Phyllis 2021

Previous award recipients

Dr Signorelli is a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Behavioural Sciences Unit, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital and UNSW Sydney.

Dr Joanna Fardell is an outstanding psycho-oncology professional and researcher who demonstrates both breadth and depth of research experience spanning the translational pipeline. Dr Fardell is an emerging leader in implementing evidence-supported policy and practice change, who works tirelessly to translate her scientific work into real changes for young people affected by cancer.

Co-Deputy Director (Policy and Practice), Centre for Oncology Education and Research Translation, Ingham Institute and UNSW

Clinician-researcher and a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the School of Women’s and Children’s Health, UNSW Medicine, University of NSW

Clinical Psychologist and eHealth program manager, Australian Prostate Cancer Research

Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Survivorship Research Group and Deputy Director, Centre for Medical Psychology & Evidence-based Decision-making, Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney