Tracey O’Brien: Australia’s deadliest and arguably most stigmatised cancer, is on the verge of a potentially monumental shift

Tracey O’Brien recently shared a post on LinkedIn:

“The Cancer Institute NSW was proud to host the NSW Primary Care Cancer Control Symposium, focusing on implementation of lung cancer screening. We rallied over a hundred of the sharpest minds in healthcare – frontline clinicians, policymakers, and passionate consumer advocates from every corner of NSW. Lung Cancer, Australia’s deadliest and arguably most stigmatised cancer, is on the verge of a potentially monumental shift thanks to the approval of a national lung cancer screening program, poised to save thousands of Aussies at the highest risk.

The symposium was a powerhouse of ideas and innovation, diving deep into system readiness, targeting key populations, bridging health disparities, championing person-centred care, and fostering cross-sector collaboration. We smashed our goal of sharing knowledge, building networks, tackling challenges head-on, and brainstorming shared solutions.

The momentum is building, and we’re just getting started. As we gear up for the Commonwealth’s July 2025 launch, let’s keep the dialogue alive and accelerate our efforts and system preparedness in NSW.

A special thanks to speakers Charlotte Hespe, Chair of the Cancer Institute NSW Primary Care Advisory Group, Vivienne Milch, Medical Director Cancer Australia, Rebecca Rees, NACCHO Australia, Mark Brooke, Lung Foundation Australia, Kath Keenan, Public Health Officer AHMRC NSW, A/Prof Emily Stone, St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney, A/Professor Nicole Rankin, Dr Jane Currie, Gary Nicholls, NSW Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network, Sonya Berryman – MAICD, Western NSW Primary Health Network, Sheetal Challam, Dr Rebeka Hoffman, Faculty Chair for NSW and ACT, RACP, Karen Price, ACON, Professor Paul Harnett, Western Sydney Local Health District, Dr Abhijit Pal, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Kahren White, Melissa Hobbs, Healthy North Coast, Lauren Kinsella NSW Health, Damien House.”

Source: Tracey O’Brien/LinkedIn

Dr. Tracey O’Brien is the NSW Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of the Cancer Institute NSW, Australia. Before her current role, Tracey was Director of the Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children’s Hospital, and Director of the Transplant & Cellular Therapy Program. Tracey has held numerous high-profile national and international leadership positions, including Advisory Chair, Cancer Australia; V/Chair (Africa, Asia and Australasia) International Centre for Bone Marrow Transplant Research and V/President of the Australian and New Zealand Children’s Oncology Group. In recognition of her exceptional contributions, Tracey was profiled in 2023 as one of the world’s foremost women in paediatric cancer by the International Society of Paediatric Oncology. In 2019 Tracey was named in the Australian Financial Review’s prestigious Top 10 Women of Influence, winning the Innovation category. In addition to her medical expertise, Tracey has a Master of Law (Health) and executive MBA and serves as a conjoint Professor in Clinical Medicine (UNSW) and Honorary Professor in Science and Engineering (Macquarie University). Dr. O’Brien remains committed to mentoring the next generation of clinician leaders and maintains an active clinical practice in cancer survivorship at Sydney Children’s Hospital.