2024 NSW Cancer Research Symposium on Data Linkage
On Wednesday, 4 July 2024, the NSW Cancer Research Network hosted the NSW Cancer Research Symposium on Data Linkage on the Central Coast. The event was delivered in collaboration with Maridulu Budyari Gumal (SPHERE) Cancer Clinical Academic Group and Sydney Cancer Partners, and attracted a diverse audience from across New South Wales and beyond.
The Symposium featured a comprehensive program focused on advancing understanding of data linkage and its application in cancer research, highlighting both statewide and regional perspectives.
Symposium highlights
The Symposium featured presentations from leading experts across cancer research, health services and data linkage, showcasing both statewide and regional perspectives.
- Professor Karen Canfell, Director, The Daffodil Centre, delivered the keynote address on the pivotal role of large-scale linked data in current and future cancer research
- Professor Lois Holloway discussed leveraging clinical practice data through the Australian Cancer Data Network
- Dr Julie Depczynski explored regional cancer care outcomes in New England North West
- Professor Catherine Jones addressed the impact of artificial intelligence and radiology data on patient outcomes
- Dr Sally Lord examined trends in incidence, characteristics and survival of recurrent metastatic breast cancer
- Professor Anne Cust presented on knowledge generation and health services research in melanoma using CanDLe data
- Pooja Nair, NSW Centre for Health Record Linkage (CheReL), provided insights into data linkage infrastructure
- Dr Lisa McCallum outlined the Enduring Cancer Data Linkage Program (CanDLe)
- Andrew Phillips and Angus Harding, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, introduced the national health data linkage architecture and the Australian Cancer Database
The Symposium concluded with a forward-looking panel discussion on emerging technologies and innovations in data linkage, featuring Professor Karen Canfell, Murray McLachlan (Cancer Voices NSW), Jamie Gabriel (Cancer Institute NSW), and Professor Catherine Jones.
The day also included a networking session with canapés and mocktails, providing attendees with opportunities to connect and explore future collaborations.
Program and recordings
The Symposium was supported by the Cancer Institute NSW through the Translational Cancer Research Capacity Building Grant scheme.
Download the digital symposium program
Presentation recordings are available via the Cancer Institute NSW’s Cancer Research Education (CREd) Portal. Access allows you to revisit the content and share it within your network.
Please note that access to recordings requires CREd Portal membership. If you are not yet a member of the CREd Portal, please contact the NSW Regional Cancer Research Network at nswrcrn@newcastle.edu.au. You will then receive an invitation email with instructions on how to join the portal.
Access recordings via the CREd Portal
What attendees told us
The post-event survey is now closed. Feedback from participants confirmed both immediate and practical outcomes from attending the Symposium.
Of the 28 respondents, 85.7% reported gaining new ideas, meeting collaborators, or identifying potential future partnerships.
Participants highlighted the value of the event in supporting collaboration, idea generation and practical learning:
- “Allowed me to think of different ways to ‘slice and dice’ our local data. Learning about the many and varied collections available to access, such as CanDLe and CheReL.”
- “I connected with the person from Tamworth/Moree who subsequently sent me the full report on their work.”
- “I met a lot of researchers working on data who shared their advice with me. We have had similar issues, which was good to discuss.”
- “It got my research ideas flowing again. I realised I need to publish my poster to move my research forward to the next phase.”
- “I was able to meet the staff of the NSW Regional Cancer Research Network, and also people from my own workplace who I hadn’t previously had the chance to meet.”
If you have questions about the Symposium or future data linkage events, please contact us at nswrcrn@newcastle.edu.au.
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