"With continued investment and coordination, we can start moving faster together.”
Professor Mark Pinkham
Small enough to be agile, big enough to make an impact: Australia's advantage in brain cancer research.
"Australia has a rare mix when it comes to brain cancer research — we’re small enough to be agile, big enough to make an impact.
With medical and neuroscience training from the University of Oxford and The Christie in the UK, and two decades on the frontline of brain cancer research and patient care, Professor Mark Pinkham believes Australia is uniquely placed to accelerate progress — if we get coordination right.
“What we really need – and what Brain Cancer Australia is working toward – is to bring everyone together and start drawing meaningful conclusions from shared, high-quality data – and acting on them. With continued investment and coordination, we can start moving faster together.”
As a Radiation Oncologist at Princess Alexandra Hospital and Icon Cancer Centre, a Professor at Flinders University, and a member of Brain Cancer Australia’s National Consortium Steering Committee, Mark knows that access to clinical quality data is essential to progress.
He sees the Australian Brain Cancer Registry as a critical step: “It’s about tracking outcomes, reducing variation, and moving beyond small pockets of data to truly understand what’s working – and make sure any advancements in treatment are quickly reaching patients across the country,” he says.
For Mark, the ultimate goal is progress that reaches every patient, no matter where they live – and a growing awareness of brain cancer’s hidden toll. “It’s a threat to your sense of self, not just your life. And that makes brain cancer so different to other cancers.”
