Research Standing Commitee

Lauren Parkinson- Zarb

Co-Chair

Lauren Parkinson- Zarb is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne and a research project manager at Peter Macallum Cancer Centre. Lauren is an experienced cancer nurse, with clinical experience across a range of cancer nursing settings.

Lauren currently teaches postgraduate cancer nursing and is passionate about improving cancer care outcomes, by supporting the development and capability of specialist cancer nurses. Lauren also has an interest in improving equity in cancer care and conducts research in this area.

Lauren remains committed to improving cancer care, through education and research.

Professor Benjamin Tan

Co-Chair

Professor Benjamin Tan is Professor and National Head of School (Nursing and Midwifery) at The University of Notre Dame Australia, and Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Oncology Nursing. He also holds Adjunct Professor appointments at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the University of Southern Queensland, Southwest Medical University Hospital, and Zunyi Medical University. Benjamin is internationally recognised for his research in integrative oncology and cancer symptom management and has been named in the prestigious Stanford/Elsevier list of the World’s Top 2% Most-cited Scientists. Working with an interdisciplinary research team, he has established and sustained strong international collaborations across Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, the UK, and China Mainland. These partnerships have resulted in more than 140 peer-reviewed journal publications and conference presentations, as well as over 30 funded research projects. His research has informed and been incorporated into numerous national and international clinical practice guidelines, including those developed by the European Society for Medical Oncology, the American College of Chest Physicians, Cancer Care Ontario, the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the US Department of Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense, the China Anti-Cancer Association, and the US Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Ashlee Stirling

Ashlee Stirling is the McGrath Breast Care Clinical Nurse Consultant for Warwick and the Southern Downs, in rural QLD. She also holds positions as a sessional academic for the Australian College of Nursing, Griffith University and the University of Southern Queensland. She has nearly 20 years of nursing experience primarily in the fields of paediatrics, cancer care and clinical education.

Ashlee is an early-career researcher whose area of interest is women’s health, with a keen interest in improving diagnosis and management of women’s health concerns following cancer treatment. She has completed a Graduate Certificate in Breast Cancer Nursing, a Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care (both with the Australian College of Nursing) and is currently completing a Master of Public Health (Dissertation) at Griffith University. Her intention is to commence a PhD on completion of her Master degree.

Ashlee is thrilled to be a member of the CNSA Research Standing Committee and hopes to encourage and support rural nurses to engage in cancer research.

Carli Shaw

Carli Shaw is a Clinical Nurse Consultant working in Oncology and Haematology Clinical Trials in Mackay, Queensland.
She has completed a Master's of Nursing (Cancer and Palliative care) with a career focus on oncology nursing and nursing education.

Carli is an early career researcher and is currently completing a PhD exploring how cancer-related cognitive impairment impacts daily life after chemotherapy.

Carli is committed to rural and regional cancer nursing and the unique opportunities and challenges this provides.

Dr Bora Kim

Dr Bora Kim is a registered nurse and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

She is an early-career researcher with a strong interest in improving health services to enhance supportive care for people affected by cancer. Bora holds a Master’s in Research Methodology and a Graduate Diploma in Cancer Nursing. She has nearly 17 years of experience across clinical nursing, education, and research, primarily in cancer and palliative care. Her recent and current research work focuses on the areas of chemotherapy symptom management, patient-reported outcomes, and colorectal surgical outcomes.

Bora is passionate about improving the delivery of cancer care through service improvement and is committed to working closely with patients, families, and clinicians to bring tangible and meaningful benefits to clinical care.

A/Prof Olivia Cook

Associate Professor Olivia Cook is a registered nurse, educator and researcher with 25 years experience in the fields of cancer nursing and women’s health. In July 2025, Olivia commenced a brand new joint appointment as Associate Professor of Cancer Nursing at Bayside Health and Monash University. This role is focused on building a nurse-led research program in cancer care and enabling nurse engagement in research. Prior to this appointment, Olivia was the Head of Nurse Education and Research at the McGrath Foundation, supporting McGrath Cancer Care Nurses located across Australia.

Olivia’s research is focused on cancer care and the cancer nursing workforce, with the ultimate aim of driving equity and improving the experience and outcomes of people experiencing cancer. Olivia also teaches into the Masters of Clinical Nursing Cancer Stream at Monash University and supervises PhD and Honours students. She is a newly appointed Board Director of CNSA and contributes broadly to the nursing profession through various committees and as a regular peer-reviewer and associate editor for several nursing journals.

Professor Kate White

Professor Cancer Nursing Sydney Local Health District , Director Cancer Care Research Unit & The University of Sydney.

Professor Kate White has worked for over twenty years in clinical, education and research areas specialising in cancer and palliative care. Kate has worked closely with cancer and palliative care organisations at both state and national levels .  Kate is actively involved in the research and education activities to improve the care of those diagnosed with cancer, and their families, with an emphasis on rural communities.  Kate is committed to mentor and support the development of research skills with  clinical nurses, to support improvement in patient outcomes.   She  has supervised >30 HDR students to successful completion. 

Dr Carla Thamm

Dr Carla Thamm is a Senior Research Fellow in Flinders LiveWell Research Centre at Flinders University. She is a nationally and internationally recognised leader in cancer nursing, bringing 20+ years of clinical nursing experience and 10 years of academic engagement. Carla’s career spans diverse roles in Australia and England, including advanced practice cancer nursing, clinical leadership and tertiary teaching and curriculum development. She leads a substantial research program focused on cancer survivorship, patient navigation, financial toxicity and nurse-led models of care, contributing to national programs and frameworks that inform practice and policy. Carla also actively contributes to advancing the nursing profession and cancer care through various professional leadership activities including being a CNSA Board Director, Chair of the High-Income Country working group for the American Cancer Society’s Global Alliance of Patient Navigation, and co-Chair of the COSA Financial Toxicity working group.

Dr Brighid Scanlon

Dr Brighid Scanlon is a Cancer Nurse Researcher and Early Career Research Fellow at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) and Queensland University of Technology. She has also been awarded a competitive Clinician Research Fellowship at RBWH. With 12 years’ experience as a specialist oncology nurse, Brighid has developed a strong research program focused on cancer equity, health services research and mixed-methods approaches to identifying and addressing inequities in cancer care. Her work aims to develop practical approaches to embed equity within health services and improve outcomes for people affected by cancer. Brighid is the operational lead for Cancer Care Nursing Research at RBWH, leads the Equity and Access Pillar of the Cancer Nursing Research Action Plan, and oversees the Evidence-Based Practice Program and Research Internship. She currently leads several multidisciplinary research projects, with her research contributing to national and state cancer policy, as well as local nursing practice. Brighid is passionate about translating research into meaningful improvements in health service delivery and supporting cancer nurses to become leaders in research and innovation.

Mehrnaz Keramatikerman

Mehrnaz is a Registered Nurse and PhD candidate at the University of Southern Queensland, with more than six years of clinical and research experience across oncology and haematology. She developed an interest in cancer nursing early in her career while undertaking postgraduate study in nursing and working as a graduate nurse in a haematology and oncology ward in Iran. Through both her clinical work and further study in cancer care, her interest in the field continued to grow, particularly in supportive care for unpaid family caregivers. This ultimately shaped the focus of her current doctoral research.

Her clinical and research expertise spans oncology and haematology nursing, cancer supportive care, unpaid family caregiving, peer support, and regional, rural and remote health. Her doctoral research focuses on understanding the support needs and assessing the wellbeing of unpaid caregivers of individuals with advanced cancer, as well as exploring how peer-support approaches can improve access to meaningful and practical support in underserved communities.

Mehrnaz is an early-career researcher with a particular interest in mixed-methods research and psychometric approaches. Her work is driven by an interest in translating clinical experience and research evidence into practical strategies that improve supportive cancer care for patients, families, and caregivers.