Advocacy is central to cancer nursing practice. This plenary highlights how nurses are uniquely positioned to lead conversations around genomics, early diagnosis, access to care, and amplifying consumer voices within the health system. Through a combination of clinical expertise and lived experience, this session explores how advocacy by nurses directly influences equity, safety, and patient empowerment.
Topics include the expanding role of nurses in genomic literacy and consent, and the power of asking the right questions in cancer care and health education. This plenary reinforces the responsibility and opportunity for nurses to advocate not only at the bedside, but at system and policy levels to improve outcomes for current and future patients.
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Daniel Johnstone
Plenary Speaker
Diagnosed with head and neck cancer at age 28, Daniel transformed his experience into a lifelong commitment to making healthcare more compassionate and human-centred. He is a PhD candidate at the University of South Australia, where his research explores how lived-experience storytelling can foster empathy and reflexivity in healthcare students. Daniel is Chair of the Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy & Research Consumer Advisory Group and an Executive Member of Cancer Voices SA, advocating for genuine consumer partnership in research, education, and policy to create systems that listen, learn, and care.
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Professor Kim Alexander
Plenary Speaker
Kim Alexander holds a joint position as a Professor of Cancer Nursing at the School of Nursing, QUT, and Cancer Care Services, Metro North, Queensland Health. She is the current co-chair of the Queensland Collaborative for Cancer Survivorship. A cancer nursing specialist and senior academic, Kim has dedicated her career to cancer nursing, epidemiology, and survivorship research. Kim is passionate about transforming outcomes for people with cancer through predictive patient profiling using genomics and other techniques to inform tailored interventions. A key focus of her work is workforce upskilling in genomics to ensure the delivery of cutting-edge, personalised cancer care.
