The NSW Regional Cancer Research Network (NSWRCRN) is thrilled to announce that Dr Jennifer Mackney, a recipient of the NSWRCRN Shovel Ready Translational Research Grant, has been awarded $800,000 through the Cancer Institute NSW’s Accelerated Research Implementation Grant. This funding will support the scaling-up of her prehabilitation model across community settings.
Dr Mackney’s expanded program, known as C-SPRITES (Supported Prehabilitation – Improving Fitness, Ensuring Well-Being Before Surgery in People Living with Cancer), builds upon the success of her pilot project, which was funded by the Network. This pilot work helped to further develop the Newcastle prehabilitation model and laid the foundation for its larger-scale implementation in regional and rural communities.
Surgery plays a critical role in cancer treatment, with approximately 132,000 Australians requiring surgical intervention each year. Prehabilitation, which focuses on optimising patients’ physical and mental health before surgery, is a vital component of cancer care. This approach includes exercise, nutrition optimisation, and psychological support, all of which contribute to faster recovery, reduced complications, and greater patient empowerment.
Dr Mackney explains, "This grant will allow our research team to deliver the C-SPRITES hybrid model of care within regional and rural communities. The program will be delivered both in-person by local health providers and remotely via telehealth by our Newcastle-based team."
"Our goal is to improve access to multimodal prehabilitation services for cancer patients in rural and regional areas while assessing the program’s effectiveness and its acceptability for patients, hospitals, referrers, and community partners," she added.
Through this expansion of access to essential prehabilitation services, the research aims to bridge the gap in cancer care for people living in regional and rural areas, ensuring that all Australians, regardless of location, receive the support they need before undergoing cancer-related surgery.
Dr Mackney is a Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in Perioperative Medicine and a respiratory scientist at John Hunter Hospital, as well as a conjoint at the University of Newcastle. She is also an active member of the NSW Regional Cancer Research Network.
This significant achievement marks a major step forward in improving cancer care accessibility across NSW, particularly for those in rural and regional communities, and highlights Dr Mackney’s dedication to enhancing patient outcomes through innovative research and clinical practice.
Read more about the Cancer Institute NSW’s recent $10+ million grant announcement here.