Queensland’s very own Siona Hardy has been granted a prestigious 2022 The Leslie J Fleming Churchill Fellowship!
Siona has been a member of the Queensland Cancer Clinical Network’s Steering Committee (QCaCN) since early 2022, contributing her expertise in healthcare leadership to help shape the delivery of cancer services across Queensland. She is also the Statewide Director of Queensland Youth Cancer Services, a joint initiative between Canteen and Queensland Health.
Siona is one of 84 Australians to be awarded a Churchill Fellowship this year and will receive a share in more than $2.4 million in funding. The funding will allow her to travel the world for up to eight weeks to learn about world-leading support options for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors.
With a passion for adolescent wellbeing, Siona recognises the enormous impact a cancer diagnosis has on a young person’s life. “Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors suffer unique challenges – medically, psychologically and economically,” she said. “With the patronage of a Churchill Fellowship I am confident that we can accelerate service improvements in Queensland to better support our young people.”
Siona will investigate best-practice cancer survivorship models in the US, Canada, the UK, and The Netherlands, and will report her findings to Australian health bodies. She hopes her learnings will contribute to long-term positive impacts for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors.
Co-Chair of the QCaCN, Aniko Cooper, said it was a fantastic opportunity. “We are very excited to see what Siona will learn and feel very lucky to have her on our Steering Committee and for her experiences to greatly inform how we can improve care for younger people in Queensland,” Aniko said.
This work will build on existing efforts by the Queensland Child and Youth Network in optimising adolescent and young adult care in Queensland.
CEO of the Churchill Trust, Adam Davey, said the Fellowship had been delivering positive results for almost 60 years in honour of the memory of the famous wartime UK Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. “The Churchill Fellowship celebrates curiosity, encourages inquisitive thinking, promotes innovation and generates a positive impact,” Mr Davey said.
Image courtesy of the Churchill Trust.
