“You're always a student,” says Professor Richard Kefford, 2017 NSW Outstanding Cancer Researcher of the Year.

A world-leading researcher and clinician specialising in the causes and treatment of melanoma, Professor Kefford says it is actually what his trainees and fellows are teaching him that is vital.

“Medicine research is a journey that is continuous education; you never stop learning.

“Nobody has a right to say ‘I'm better than you are’, or ‘I know more than you’. No question is stupid.

“These principals have really enlightened my life, and I can't begin to imagine how much these people have taught me.”

An early-career fellow and mid-career researcher in NSW, Dr Heather Lee agrees.

Having recently started exploring epigenetic modification at the University of Newcastle, she says anyone can be a mentor.

“Everyone can teach us something. We need to listen and learn from everyone.

“I've just recently started working in blood cancer research, and I really enjoy collaborating with clinicians to learn more about how they manage cancer in their clinics.

“I have learnt a lot from my mentors, which has really helped me in my career.

“One of the main lessons has been to be brave and think big. I've also learnt about cross-disciplinary collaboration and clear communication.”

Drive your own success

While mentors can be incredibly influential, Dr Lee says self-motivation is also very important.

“I've changed direction a few times now, and I've learnt to ask everyone for help.

“Don't just rely on your mentor; rely on yourself. Don't be afraid to ask, and don't be afraid to look stupid.”

For Dr Patric Jansson, his greatest lesson came from learning to embrace what happens when things don’t work out.

A Cancer Institute NSW career-development fellow and cancer researcher at University of Sydney, Dr Jansson is exploring cancer-developed drug resistance.

He admits, “You actually fail a lot of experiments. My previous mentor said: ‘If you succeed one out of ten times, you’re an excellent researcher’.

“You have to get used to the failure, and really embrace it. You’ve learnt something, so you can do the next thing.

“I still have a lot to learn, and I think what drives me is constantly discovering new things that I didn't know.”

Different mentors, different lessons

Professor Kefford says the key for early-career researchers is to remember that every researcher is human, and you have to surround yourself with many influential colleagues.

“There's no single person who will fulfil everything you want in a mentor. I drew the good stuff out of about four or five people.

“César Milstein taught me about tolerance and teamwork and working with people; he taught me about lateral thinking and fairness.

“Gerald Milton taught me that it should always be about doing the best thing for this team, the best thing for this family, and the best thing for this group.”

The Cancer Institute NSW is proud to support the work of Professor Richard Kefford, Dr Patric Jansson and Dr Heather Lee.

The Fellows’ Forum series is about connecting cancer researchers from across the state to build collaboration and advance translational cancer research in NSW.