Beatrice and Felix’s first-hand experiences as refugees in NSW
Tracey O’Brien shared a post by Cancer Institute NSW, adding: .
“Beatrice and Felix came to Australia seeking refuge from their homelands. Despite the challenges they have faced, they have partnered with the Cancer Institute NSW and the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) to help break down barriers to bowel, breast, and cervical screening for other refugees who now call NSW home.
While as a system, we’re working to reduce the inequities that exist in cancer outcomes for refugee communities, we simply could not do it without people like Beatrice and Felix.
It’s Refugee Week, and at the Institute, we’re humbled, inspired and thankful to Beatrice and Felix for their work and for bravely sharing their stories.
I encourage you to read about Beatrice and Felix’s first-hand experiences as refugees in NSW and their incredible work as Cancer Screening Community Champions.
Quoting the post by Cancer Institute NSW:
“For those navigating a new life in Australia as a refugee, taking part in bowel, breast, and cervical cancer screening can be a foreign and at times daunting experience.
This World Refugee Day, meet the individuals connecting their communities to life-saving cancer screening services.
‘What motivates me as a Community Champion is the desire to make positive change in the Sierra Leone community, to address the health issues affecting our community and to empower individuals to be proactive about their health.’
Beatrice is one of 12 refugees, who have partnered with the Cancer Institute NSW and NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), to act as ‘Community Champions’, using their own lived experience to educate and support their communities about the importance of cancer screening and early detection.”
Source: Tracey O’Brien/LinkedIn and Cancer Institute NSW/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.
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