RADIATION THERAPY TECHNIQUES AND COMBINATION TREATMENTS FOR SARCOMA
Professor Angela Hong, Director and
co-Chair of Scientific Advisory Committee,
Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association (ANZSA)
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed Sydney, Australia | January 2025
Professor Angela Hong MBBS, MMed, PhD, FRANZCR is a Professor at Sydney Medical School of the University of Sydney. She is a radiation oncologist and has been a member of the Multidisciplinary Bone and Soft Tissue Tumour Clinic at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital/Chris O’Brien Lifehouse for the past 15 years.
She is also the Director and co-chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association (ANZSA), a non-profit organisation aimed at enhancing treatment outcomes for sarcoma patients across Australia and New Zealand.
As a radiation oncologist located in Sydney, Australia, Professor Hong is focused on treating patients with bone and soft tissue sarcoma. And as a clinician scientist, her research focuses on developing innovative radiation therapy technique and combination treatments to improve the outcome for patients with sarcoma.
After earning her medical degree from the University of Sydney, Angela undertook an 18-month fellowship in the United States to gain additional experience before returning to Sydney to start her formal training in radiation oncology. She later completed her PhD, concentrating on radiosensitivity in skin cancer sarcoma.
Professor Hong believes in a multidisciplinary approach to managing sarcoma, given its rarity and the complexities involved in diagnosis and treatment. She is actively involved in clinical research and recently contributed to an international trial led by Sarcoma Alliance for Research through Collaboration (SARC) in the United States and the Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association (ANZSA) in Australia. The trial examined the advantages of including immunotherapy in the treatment regimen for high-risk soft tissue sarcoma, resulting in a notable improvement in two-year disease-free survival rates.
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Public health and research into Ear, Nose and Throat conditions
Associate Professor Paul Paddle is an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon, head and neck surgeon with fellowship training in Laryngology – Voice, airway and Swallowing disorders. Working at Monash Health and Monash Children’s hospital, Paul has extensive experience managing a wide range of paediatric ENT conditions, from neonates to adolescents. He is also an active researcher in paediatric obstructive sleep apnoea and sleep disorders.
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Health and economic burden of interstitial lung diseases
Dr Cox’s main research interests focus on respiratory diseases and primarily on the economic burden and economic evaluation of interventions and treatments for their management. She earned her PhD from the University of Tasmania where her doctoral research examined the health and economic burden of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in Australia, one component of the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence for Pulmonary Fibrosis, a national project implemented alongside the Australian IPF Registry and the Lung Foundation Australia. This research provided the first epidemiological profile and first costing estimates of the economic burden of the disease in Australia, providing essential evidence for health service reimbursement policies.
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Unnecessary tests and treatments in low value critical care
Dr Gerben Keijzers is a Senior Staff Specialist Emergency Physician at the Gold Coast University Hospital Emergency Department. His research focus includes low-value care, which is in the area of unnecessary tests and treatments with minimal benefits. Dr Keijzers has contributed to over 100 publications and more than 20 grant applications. Through his involvement in multi-site collaborative research projects, he encourages critical thinking and curiosity among clinical staff, striving to enhance both patient care and the efficiency of healthcare resources.
