Karla’s career has been driven by a commitment to excellence in the design and analysis of data arising from patient-centred outcomes and comparative effectiveness research, and the development of quality measurement and reporting systems, with a specific focus on those designed to capture patient-reported outcome data. She is committed to understanding how varied patient values, needs, and preferences can help shape healthcare delivery systems to optimise the outcomes and experiences of all Australians affected by cancer.

Karla guides the methodological and statistical aspects of research within and outside Peter Mac, working with senior clinicians, researchers, and consumers on local, state-wide, and national projects, and as a member of Peter Mac’s Clinical Research Committee, which supports the HREC by judging the scholarly and scientific merit of single and multi-site clinical research applications. She is co-chair of the VCCC Alliance’s strategic Value-based Healthcare Program, a steering committee member of the Cancer Quality of Life Expert Service Team funded by Cancer Australia, and an honorary international editorial board member of The Patient, an official journal of the International Academy of Health Preference Research.

She has been involved as a co-author, investigator and/or collaborator on successful grant/funding applications totalling AU$9.3M and has almost 100 peer-reviewed publications in top oncology and speciality journals. Karla has been co/auxiliary supervisor of over 30 doctoral and masters students, and postdoctoral researchers in nursing, medicine, and health sciences; many now hold leadership positions in healthcare organisations, academic institutions, and government agencies.

Affiliations:
Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne