SAHMRI's Dr Elyse Page and Dr Kerry Ettridge have been awarded Beat Cancer Fellowships in Cancer Council SA’s latest grants round, helping to fuel their research over the next three years.

Receiving a Mid-Career Research Fellowship, Dr Ettridge is focusing her efforts on educating parents to improve the way they feed their children, creating a healthier future for families.

"Our goal is to empower parents by addressing the influence of the food industry and dispelling diet misperceptions, ultimately contributing to a healthier home food environment for children that will reduce cancer risk and improve care," Dr Ettridge said.

Dr Elyse Page has won an Early Career Research Fellowship for her work exploring the genetic factors at play in patients with both Acute lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) and Down syndrome.

"This fellowship allows me to delve into the complexities of leukaemia in Down syndrome patients, exploring genetic and epigenetic factors that may lead to guiding more effective treatments,” Dr Page said.

Overall, six fellowships amounting to nearly two million dollars, have been announced for South Australian cancer researchers working to reduce the rate and impact of cancer across a broad spectrum of areas.

Cancer Council SA General Manager, Support and Research Dr Peter Diamond said that the recipients of this year’s round of funding highlighted the exciting and innovative work being done across the breadth of cancer research in South Australia’s own research institutions.

We congratulate all our Beat Cancer Project fellowship recipients and are very proud to support these South Australian researchers in their work, which will be conducted at SAHMRI, Flinders University, Adelaide University and the University of South Australia,” Dr Diamond said.

To commemorate World Cancer Day on Sunday 4th February and continue work towards closing the care gap, Cancer Council SA is hosting South Australia’s first Cancer Research Giving Day on Tuesday 6 February to raise more vital funds for cancer research.

You can find more details on the Cancer Council Beat Cancer Project here.

2024 Cancer Council Beat Cancer Project recipients

Dr Kerry Beckman | University of South Australia | Mid-Career Research Fellowship | Bowel cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer.
Research Project Title: Better Outcomes Beyond Cure: Identifying serious, late and long-term adverse effects of cancer treatments.

Dr Kevin Fenix | University of Adelaide | Mid-Career Research Fellowship | Colorectal cancers
Research Project Title: Cytokine induced killer cell therapy as a treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer.

Dr Kerry Ettridge | SAHMRI | Mid-Career Research Fellowship | All cancers
Research Project Title: Harnessing parental power to combat vested interests of the food industry; reducing food misperceptions and empowering parents.

Dr Elyse Page | SAHMRI | Early Career Research Fellowship | Leukaemia
Research Project Title: Exploring Genomic and Epigenomic Clonality in Down Syndrome Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

Dr Huah Shin Ng | Flinders University | Early Career Research Fellowship | Breast Cancer
Research Project Title: Real-world data for evidence-based treatment decisions in older adults with breast cancer.

Dr Imogen Ramsey | Flinders University | Early Career Research Fellowship | All Cancers
Research Project Title: Surveillance of patient-reported outcomes in cancer survivorship: a patient-centred approach to understanding the impacts of cancer on population health.