We are pleased to announce that Program Leader of the Behavioural Sciences Unit (BSU), A/Prof Claire Wakefield, is the recent recipient of a $2.2 million Cancer Council of New South Wales (CCNSW) Program Grant, supported by the Estate of the late Harry McPaul, with additional support of $440,000 from the University of New South Wales. 

​A/Prof Wakefield accepted the award presented by the family of the late Harry McPaul (pictured below, with A/Prof Wakefield), at the CCNSW Research Evening in November 2015.

​A/Prof Wakefield gave a poignant acceptance speech in which she detailed the research that the program grant will assist in achieving over the next five years. Foremost, A/Prof Wakefield specified that the grant will contribute to six paediatric and family-based intervention studies, aiming to relieve the physical and mental health late-effects that are a considerable burden to child and adult survivors of cancer, and their families.

Furthermore, the grant will enable the BSU to continue our work breaking down barriers to research implementation. This will be achieved by supporting our research through the crucial stages of development (T1), through to evaluation as randomised control trials (T2) and finally to implementation in the community (T3), with benefit to real-life patients and families. Each project is designed to engage rural, and culturally and linguistically diverse, families, by promoting accessibility, either online or by telephone, and being available in the language of each participants’ choice. Additionally, we will be conducting an economic audit of these studies, to assess the costs associated with running the programs in the long term, to ensure they continue to benefit consumers into the future.

Of our six research interventions, studies Compass and Re-connect are currently at the T1 development stage. Compass aims to support the needs of bereaved parents by developing educational resources and a nationwide peer support network for bereaved families. Re-connect will explore the social experiences of children who have survived a brain tumour, including difficulties with friendships and reaching social milestones. It will also, for the first time, explore the nexus of these difficulties and trial a new intervention to improve social skills in children who may require assistance.

At the T2 evaluation stage, we currently have two interventions, Re-engage and Reboot, targeting the health behaviours of childhood cancer survivors. Re-engage, a nurse-led online intervention, is specifically designed for adult survivors of childhood cancer who have disengaged with their health care and will aim to bridge the gap to accessible health care in this population. Reboot is a healthy lifestyle intervention, aiming to increase physical activity and healthy eating in children and adolescent cancer survivors to decrease their risk for metabolic disease later in life.

Finally at the T3 implementation stage are the BSU’s cornerstone online psycho-social interventions: Cascade and Recapture Life. Recapture Life is an intervention designed for adolescents and young adults during their cancer journey, aiming to improve quality of life and reduce the incidence of anxiety and depression. Cascade is an intervention developed to assist parents navigating the challenging return to “normal” after the cancer experience. Excitingly, these two programs are about to commence randomised patient preference trials in the real world!

To keep up to date with these studies, you can visit our research studies tab in the panel at the top of the page, and simply select a study from the dropdown box.


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In late November our Program Leader, A/Prof Claire Wakefield, was invited to give a talk at a Cancer Council NSW (CCNSW) event. The event was held at Eden Gardens in Macquarie Park, a tranquil garden and community hub which houses stunning garden havens such as the Daffodil Garden, opened by Eden Gardens and CCNSW in 2013. The Daffodil Garden is home to a memorial Wall of Honour, where plaques are displayed in recognition of families’ generous donations.

​Following the talks, the crowd was treated to the sounds of the talented Sydney-based acapella choir - Soulfood, who filled the intimate space of the garden amphitheatre with music.

​Ultimately the evening was a great success… even when interrupted by the local wildlife!

While the year is rapidly coming to a close, there was enough time for three of the BSU’s PhD students to present at the Sydney Psychology Post Graduate Conference. Held at the University of Sydney, the conference brought together students undertaking PhDs in the area of psychology from all stages of study, through 1st year to completion.  This year, Ms Lauren Touyz, Mr Alistair Lum and Ms Eden Robertson represented the BSU.

Lauren presented her work on the weight gain of children during treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Lauren conducted a retrospective audit of medical records and found many children experience weight gain during treatment that, in some cases, is maintained even 7 years after treatment completion. She discussed her plans to develop a healthy eating intervention, called Reboot, to help children establish and maintain good eating habits during and beyond treatment. She is currently preparing a manuscript for publication with her supervisors Jennifer Cohen, A/Prof Claire Wakefield, and Prof Richard Cohn.
 

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The Behavioural Sciences Unit is Proudly Supported by the Kids with Cancer Foundation.