2025 Cancer Clinical Trial Unit Fellowships
The Clinical Trials Fellowship supports the recruitment of a professional to undertake a short-term research or special project that will build the capacity and capability of the clinical trials unit.
The objectives of the Fellowship are to:
- Provide the opportunity for clinical trials professionals or early career researchers to further develop their research skills
- Encourage the development of long-term careers in cancer clinical trials in NSW
- Encourage innovation in the cancer clinical trials space to increase opportunities for participation in and recruitment to trials
2025 Grant Recipients
Administering Institution: Royal North Shore Hospital
Funding (excl. GST): $200,000
Project: Funding will be used to recruit an Endocrine Cancer Clinical Trial Fellow who will serve as the central coordinator for the ACTIvate study and drive its successful implementation. The ACTIvate (Anaplastic Cancer of the Thyroid Immunotherapy) study is a groundbreaking initiative that builds on the latest global evidence to address the unique challenges of anaplastic thyroid cancer and to develop an innovative, patient-centred approach aimed at improving survival rates and quality of life for individuals diagnosed with this rare cancer.
Administering Institution: Sydney Local Health District
Funding (excl. GST): $200,000
Project: This project aims to build critical capacity and capability in cancer clinical trials within the Surgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe). The Fellowship will directly address long-standing barriers to clinical trial activity in the identified surgical departments by streamlining protocol development, embedding adaptive and pragmatic trial designs, standardising recruitment and consent processes and leveraging real-time data collection technologies. Additionally, the Fellow will lead co-design workshops, enhance engagement with underrepresented, focus populations (including participants from First Nations, CALD, regional, rural and remote communities), and foster interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure trial relevance and inclusivity.
Administering Institution: Hunter New England Local Health District
Funding (excl. GST): $196,000
Project: Since its establishment in the early 2000s, the Oncology Clinical Trials and Research Unit (CTRU) based at the North West Cancer Centre, Tamworth Hospital, has remained the only rurally-located oncology clinical trials unit operating within the Hunter New England LHD. This project aims to enable decentralised trials activities in smaller hospitals/locales outside the immediate Tamworth. It will build a geographically focused operational foundation for long-term capability and capacity development among interested staff within a broad area and ensure ongoing visibility and accessibility of locally-targeted trials opportunities - both for health service staff, and for patients.
Administering Institution: Sydney Local Health District
Funding (excl. GST): $200,000
Project: Currently, SLHD Cancer Services do not conduct any teletrials, representing a critical service gap in a time when accessibility, decentralisation, and digital innovation are essential to equitable cancer care. This project will employ a dedicated Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) Cancer Teletrials Start-Up Specialist to establish and operationalise teletrials within the SLHD.This will significantly strengthen the operational and strategic teletrials capacity of SLHD Cancer CTUs and presents a timely and impactful opportunity to modernise clinical trials infrastructure, future-proof workforce, and embed equity into the foundation of research practice.