Peter Mac and the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) Alliance have jointly received a top honour in the prestigious Melbourne Achiever Awards.

These Awards, run by the Committee for Melbourne, celebrate contributions to Melbourne that will leave a lasting legacy.

Committee for Melbourne Interim CEO Matt Gaffney said Peter Mac and VCCC Alliance were global leaders in cancer research and had made outstanding contributions to health and research. 

“The 2022 Melbourne Achiever Award for Peter Mac is as Australia’s only public hospital solely dedicated to cancer, and as the home of Australia’s largest cancer research group," Mr Gaffney said.

"The VCCC Alliance is a powerful partnership of 10 leading research, academic and clinical institutions - comprising many Committee for Melbourne members including Peter Mac, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Health, and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research - working together to fundamentally reshape how we tackle cancer.

"The collaborative work they do leading the way for the biomedical precinct will leave a lasting legacy on Melbourne and the world.”

The awards were presented at a gala function on Wednesday night in the presence of Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria who is also Patron of Peter Mac. 

“On behalf of everyone at Peter Mac, I am honoured and delighted to receive this Award in partnership with the VCCC Alliance,” said Peter Mac’s chief executive Professor Shelley Dolan.

“It reflects our shared duty to positively impact the lives of every Victorian with cancer and to ensure Melbourne continues to play a leading role in global cancer research and the search for new treatments and cures.”

 

VCCC Alliance executive director Professor Grant McArthur said there was a vision to create in Melbourne a “hub for world class, integrated cancer research, education and clinical care that would save lives of Victorians affected by cancer. I believe the reality has far exceeded this.”

“Many people have contributed to this success, but at the heart is Melbourne’s exceptional foundations in biomedical research and medical care, so this is truly an award shared by the collective,” Prof McArthur said.

The late Michael Gudinski AM was also awarded the Melbourne Achiever Award for an outstanding individual, as a powerful and influential figure in the Australian music industry.