Congratulations to Dr Rosalie Stephens for receiving the Ross Craig Oncology Award from the Newmarket Rotary Charitable Foundation earlier this month.
The award is named after Auckland lawyer Ross Craig, who sadly passed away in 2014. Ross was a Newmarket Rotarian for 38 years, a founding trustee of the Newmarket Rotary Charitable Foundation and an enthusiastic supporter of our Faculty.
Auckland medical, surgical and pathology registrars who treat cancer patients are the primary recipients of the Ross Craig Oncology Award.
It provides an opportunity for mid-career doctors to step out of clinical life and undertake first-hand research into the genomic abnormalities that underlie cancer. The programme involves four to six weeks (or equivalent over a longer period) intensive research training and activity.
Rosalie is a medical oncologist and is the latest in a long line of clinicians to receive this award. Previous recipients include Deborah Wright, Jon Mathy and Nicole Kramer.
Rosalie’s study is part of the National Science Challenge 3: Healthier Lives project, which aims to identify non-invasive disease biomarkers in metastatic melanoma patients to improve patient outcomes by detection of relapse, earlier than current tests.
The clinical element of the study involves the collection of blood and tumour tissues from consented patients with advanced melanoma, who are undergoing treatment in the Auckland region.
Typically, these patients are treated by surgery or drug therapy, but relapse from failed treatment is common.
Early detection of relapse could lead to improved patient outcomes by allowing a patient and their oncologist to reconsider treatment options more rapidly.
I am delighted to congratulate Dr Stephens and to extend our gratitude for Newmarket Rotary’s ongoing support of this award and of the faculty.