Professor Sanchia Aranda AM
Sanchia is a registered nurse and has worked in cancer control for over 40 years. She was CEO of Cancer Council Australia (2015-2020), Deputy CEO Cancer Institute NSW (2011-2015) and Professor of Cancer Nursing at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (2001-2011), including 4 years as Head of the School of Nursing/School of Nursing and Social Work at Melbourne University. She has held senior roles across the spectrum from prevention, through treatment and palliative care and held leadership of many initiatives including the first Victorian Cancer Action Plan and 8 years on the first Cancer Australia Advisory Council. In 2019 Sanchia was recognised as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Sanchia holds honorary appointments at the The University of Melbourne (Dept of Nursing), The University of Sydney (Daffodil Centre) and the University of Technology Sydney (Centre for Health Economics Research and Education). Her current board roles are as Chair of Scope Australia a large disability provider across NSW and Victoria, Chair of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Alliance and is a member of the Dust Diseases Board of iCare. She was recently appointed Advisory Committee Chair for the review of Breast Screen Australia.
Sanchia has worked in international cancer control (1992-current), serving on the boards of the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care for 16 years (President 2006-2010) and Union for International Cancer Control (President 2016-2018). She was the inaugural Board Chair for the City Cancer Challenge Foundation (2019 – Jan 2024). Her current international work focuses on the elimination of cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific as part of the Daffodil Centre, University of Sydney where she provides leadership for the treatment pillar of this work.