CURRENT RESEARCH

Internal Collaboration

• Prof Rachel Neale on the PRoCESS (Pancreatic cancer Relatives Counselling and Education Support Service) and PARTING (Psilocybin-Assisted suppoRtive psychoTherapy IN the treatment of prolonged Grief) trials
• Prof Louisa Collins on the PRoCESS (Pancreatic cancer Relatives Counselling and Education Support Service) trial
• Prof Penny Webb on the OPAL (Ovarian cancer Prognosis And Lifestyle) study

External Collaboration

• Prof Jane Turner (UQ), Prof Patsy Yates (QUT), Prof Ray Chan (Flinders Uni), A/Prof Melissa Eastgate & Prof David Wyld (RBWH) and Michelle Stewart & Sofia Casbolt (PanKind) on the PRoCESS (Pancreatic cancer Relatives Counselling and Education Support Service) trial
• A/Prof Stephen Parker (RBWH), A/Prof Fiona Maccallum (UQ), Dr Margaret Ross (St. Vincent’s Hospital), Renee Harvey (Enosis Therapeutics), Prof Jerome Sarris & A/Prof Daniel Perkins (Psychae Institute), Professor Susan Rossell (Swinburne Uni) on the PARTING (Psilocybin-Assisted suppoRtive psychoTherapy IN the treatment of prolonged Grief) trial
• Prof Meinir Krishnasamy, A/Prof Karla Gough, Prof Michael Michael, A/Prof Lara Lipton, Dr Lisa Guccione, Dr Erin Laing (Peter Mac), Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Mitchell (UQ), Dr De Abreu Lourenco (UTS), Dr Robert Blum (Bendigo Health), A/Prof Craig Underhill (Albury-Wodonga Cancer Centre), A/Prof Haryana Dhillon (USYD), Dr Jacqueline Richmond (Burnet Institute) and Michelle Stewart (PanKind) on the PANConnect (intervention for optimal pain and symptom management for Australians affected by pancreatic cancer) trial
• Prof Sandra Hayes (GU), Prof Michael Friedlander (UNSW and Prince of Wales Hospital), Prof Andreas Obermair (RBWH), Prof Monika Janda & Prof Elizabeth Eakin (UQ), Dr Linda Mileshkin (Peter Mac), A/Prof Alison Brand (USYD and Westmead Hospital) and Dr Alison Davis (ANU & Canberra Hospital) on the ECHO (Exercise during CHemotherapy for Ovarian cancer) trials
• Belinda Goodwin and Lizzy Johnston (CCQ), Jason Pole and Harry Gasper (UQ), Danica Cossio (CAQ) and Aaron Hansen (ICON) on the UNIQUE (UNderstanding the experiences and Investigating the needs of people affected by cancer in QUEensland) study
• Prof Anna deFazio (USYD and Westmead Hospital), Prof Andreas Obermair (RBWH), A/Prof Peter Grant (Mercy Hospital for Women), Prof Michael Friedlander (UNSW and Prince of Wales Hospital) on the OPAL (Ovarian cancer Prognosis And Lifestyle) study
• Prof David Wyld & A/Prof Glen Kennedy & Dr Teresa Brown (RBWH), Prof Patsy Yates (QUT), Dr Natalie Bradford (QUT), A/Prof Natasha Woodward (Mater & UQ), Dr Rebecca Nund (UQ), Dr Rick Walker (CHQ & Metro South Health) as executive members of QCCS (Queensland Collaborative for Cancer Survivorship)

1. DiSipio T, Hartel G, Butow P, Webb P, Beesley VL. Impact of disease recurrence on the supportive care needs of patients with ovarian cancer and their caregivers. Gynecologic Oncology, 2024 June, 185, 33-41 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygyno.2024.02.012

2. Huynh J, Hartel G, Janda M, Wyld D, Merrett N, Gooden H, Neale R, Beesley V. Unmet needs of pancreatic cancer carers are associated with anxiety and depression in patients and carers. Cancers Special Issue “Management of Pancreatic Cancer”, 2023 Nov, 15(22), 5307. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15225307

3. Beesley V, Ross T, King M, Campbell R, Nagle C, Obermair A, Grant P, DeFazio A, Webb P, Friedlander M. Evaluating patient-reported symptoms and late adverse effects following completion of first-line chemotherapy for ovarian cancer using the MOST (Measure of Ovarian Symptoms and Treatment concerns). Gynecologic Oncology 2022 Feb;164(2):437-445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygyno.2021.12.006

4. Beesley V, Webber K, Nagle C, DeFazio A, Obermair A, Williams M, Friedlander M, Webb P. When will I feel normal again? Trajectories and predictors of persistent symptoms and poor wellbeing after primary chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. Gynecologic Oncology 2020 Oct;159(1):179-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygyno.2020.07.029

5. Ross T, DeFazio A, Friedlander M, Grant P, Nagle C, Obermair A, Webb P, Beesley V. Insomnia and its association with quality of life in women with ovarian cancer. Gynecologic Oncology 2020 Sep;158(3):760-768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygyno.2020.06.500

6. Beesley V, Smithers B, Khosrotehrani K, von Schuckmann L, Hughes M, Malt M, Green A. Anxiety and depression in people with high-risk primary cutaneous melanoma: A longitudinal study. Journal of Cancer Survivorship 2020 Oct;14(5), 712-719 (Impact Factor = 3.7) https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-020-00885-9

7. Beesley V, Turner J, Chan R, Yates P, Gordon L, Burge M, Eastgate M, Staneva A, Northfield S, Beebe H, Wyld D, Neale R. Supporting patients and carers affected by pancreatic cancer: a feasibility study of a counselling intervention. European Journal of Oncology Nursing 46 2020 Feb 8;46:101729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2020.101729

8. Beesley V, Staneva A, Nehill C, Milch V, Hughes F, Webb P. Patterns of, and barriers to supportive care needs assessment and provision for Australian women with gynaecological cancer and their caregivers: a mixed methods study of clinical practice. Palliative & Supportive Care 2020 Apr;18(2):170-177. https://doi.org/10.1017/S147895151900052X

9. Beesley V, Alemayehu C, Webb P. A systematic literature review of trials of survivorship interventions for women with gynaecological cancer and their caregivers. European Journal of Cancer Care 28(3):e13057 (2019) https://doi.org/10.1111/ecc.13057

10. Beesley V, Smith D, Nagle C, Friedlander M, Grant P, De Fazio A, Webb P on behalf of the OPAL Study Group. Coping strategies, trajectories and their associations with patient-reported outcomes among women with ovarian cancer. Supportive Care in Cancer 26(12):4133-4142 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4284-0

Associate Professor Vanessa Beesley has:

• Been awarded $800,000 of MRFF funding as the lead investigator of a major national telehealth trial.
• Held multiple Cancer Australia contracts (totalling $150,000) as the lead investigator to provide recommendations to government about how to improve cancer care.
• Been awarded additional seed funding ($370,000) as the lead investigator of 3 pilot intervention trials and 1 methods study.
• Been a chief investigator of 11 other studies funded through major national grants or specialist agencies (3 MRFF, 2 NHMRC, 2 ARC, 2 Cancer Australia, 1 Cancer Council Queensland and 1 Christie NHS Foundation Trust) totalling awards of $10,500,000.
• Been awarded $286,000 for an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship.
• Been awarded $84,000 for three scholarships (honours, Ph.D and write-up).