Media release
29 April 2008
filling gaps in breast cancer diagnosis: sydney radiologist awarded prestigious national fellowship
Improving the early and accurate diagnosis of breast cancer is the goal of Dr Felicity Pool, who has just received a NICS Fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), co-sponsored by The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) and the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre (NBOCC).
Dr Pool, a radiologist from Sydney, will use the NICS Fellowship to undertake a two-year implementation project. She will introduce a comprehensive radiology reporting format to improve communication about breast imaging and ultimately improve diagnosis and treatment planning for women with and without symptoms of breast cancer.
"Breast imaging plays a central role in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment planning for women with and without symptoms of breast cancer" explains Dr Pool.
"These findings of breast imaging are communicated by the radiology report but even though reports using a checklist or synoptic format are more comprehensive and complete than unstructured reports, they are not routinely used in private practice, where most imaging of patients with breast symptoms is carried out. My project will therefore focus on improving uptake of the 'Synoptic Breast Imaging Report Including Imaging Classification (1-5)' developed by the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre and The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists."
NHMRC Chief Executive Officer, Professor Warwick Anderson has welcomed this opportunity. "We congratulate Dr Pool and look forward to working with RANZCR and NBOCC. Breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer amongst Australian women so we are very pleased to be partnering with these two organisations and lending our expertise to this important area."
Dr Pool will join nine other health professionals from Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia as 2008 NICS Fellows.
For more information about the other NICS Fellows and the NICS Leadership Program please visit www.nhmrc.org.au/nics.
Note to editors:
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is Australia's peak body for supporting health and medical research. As part of the NHMRC, the National Institute of Clinical Studies (NICS) works to improve health care by getting health and medical research into practice.
The NICS Leadership program, which was launched in 2003, directly contributes to closing evidence-practice gaps by supporting health professionals to undertake practical projects that aim to improve health outcomes for people by getting high quality evidence into everyday clinical practice in particular health settings.
The two-year, part-time Fellowships are open to early- to mid-career health professionals across the health care spectrum, including doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, paramedics, health care managers, and policy makers.
The Fellowships provide an annual stipend as well as professional development opportunities, training programs in evidence implementation, mentorship, and opportunities to network with and learn from world-class experts who come to Australia as part of NICS' Visiting Experts program.
Applications for NICS Fellowships 2009 open at the end of May 2008.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists: The RANZCR is the leading professional organisation for the promotion of the science and practice of the medical specialities of Radiology and Medical Imagain (Diagnostic and Interventional) and Radiation Oncology in Australia and New Zealand. Visit www.ranzcr.edu.au for more information.
National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre: Funded by the Australian Government, works in partnership with health professionals, cancer organisations, researchers, governments and those diagnosed to improve outcomes in breast and ovarian cancer. Visit www.nbocc.org.au for more information.
Media contact: Bree Stevens 0438 209 833