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New patient wellbeing programs launched alongside Patient Parliament
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Shedding light on the complexity of sarcoma
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Peter Mac launches Environmental Sustainability Strategy
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Two clinical researchers awarded 2024 Discovery Partner Fellowships
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Peter Mac gets $3 million boost for research preventing surgery complications
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US award for Peter Mac researcher
Meet Peter Mac Medical Physicist Dr Price Jackson, whose job you may have never heard of.
Working in both a clinical and research capacity, Dr Price is integral to the safe running of much of Peter Mac’s radiation and imaging equipment.
Peter Mac’s Medical Physics team work across Radiation Oncology and Medical Imaging, with some staff members working on research projects and supporting clinical trials.
Describing his role, Dr Jackson says, “we’re the tech people who know how the equipment works. When there isn’t a turn-key solution, we set things up.”
Dr Jackson started at Peter Mac 10 years ago as a postdoctoral researcher, developing dosimetry processes for radio-nuclear therapies in neuroendocrine cancer. Dosimetry is the process of measurement, calculation and assessment used to calculate radiation dose.
Later, he stepped into a more clinical role, testing and running the machines in Radiology, explaining “It feels good when we’re here to help the doctors when they have an idea…saying ‘yes we can do that’ and being there to set up the machines for whatever they need.”
For the last five years Dr Jackson’s focus has been on building image analysis tools to compliment clinical trials. He is interested in the emerging role of artificial intelligence (AI), which is being used more and more for image recognition and data analysis in healthcare.
Programs can be trained by looking at previous scans, learning from them, then using image and pattern recognition to analyse future scans for differences and abnormalities. The idea is to improve the speed and accuracy of scan assessment for future patients.
Peter Mac has an AI Working Group, which for over a year has been bringing together staff working with AI together to collaborate, share resources to improve all of their programs.
Dr Jackson is a member of the group and said it’s about, “bringing together different teams that are working towards the same ends”.
Some current research in Medical Physics is using AI analysis tools to predict treatment responses to prostate therapies. Another uses AI to categorise dose responses in radiation therapy.
Not all research in the field of medical physics surrounds AI though.
Another medical physicist at Peter Mac, Associate Professor Nick Hardcastle is leading a team designing and manufacturing a chair for patients to receive their radiotherapy in – with the aim to provide a more comfortable treatment option and reduce collateral radiation doses.
He says it could even bring radiation treatment - which currently requires lots of physical space and expensive technology - into more regional and rural areas.
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First steps to navigating Peter Mac
Getting started Peter Mac locations Visitor information Accessing telehealth Important contacts Patient and carer support![Image alt text](/images/Peter Mac building and cafes/DJ3_7004_V2_BrAf_FS.jpg)
We offer care that goes beyond treatment
Peter Mac has a wellbeing approach to care. We base this on a fundamental belief that the best cancer care treats the person and the disease. The Wellbeing Centre is a sanctuary for patients, their families and carers. It is a gathering place that is open, accepting and welcoming for all.
Cancer can be hard to deal with and we know that getting treatment is only part of it. You might have other challenges and need help with them. We offer many kinds of help for you, your loved ones, and your carers. Each resource can help you deal with how cancer affects your body, emotions and money.
The Victorian Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Service is a team of health and other professionals who specialise in the care of young people aged 15 to 25. We work with you and your healthcare team to support you at all stages of the cancer journey, anywhere in Victoria.
You are a carer if you’re taking care of someone with cancer. You might be a family member, friend or neighbour. Our wonderful volunteer service is here to help to make things a little easier for you and the person you’re caring for. They offer a range of support, resources, and items to help you.
The Psychosocial Oncology Program is a multidisciplinary team. This includes clinical psychologists, social workers, PCLNs, and psychiatrists/psychiatric registrars. They assess patients at risk of mental health problems. They will also assess and treat those with current mental health problems.
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