Our spokespeople

Mark was appointed CEO of Cancer Council Australia in August 2024. He served as interim CEO of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) during the pandemic and most recently as interim CEO of the Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH).

Mark has a strong background in digital health and brings a wealth of experience in executive leadership roles within public health and health system reform, both in Australia and internationally.

He has led strategy, policy development, and advocacy efforts in various healthcare peak bodies, and has a proven track record in governance, improving outcomes for consumers, and the adoption of new clinical and digital technologies, including in cancer care.

Megan Varlow is Cancer Council Australia’s Director of Cancer Control Policy, responsible for the development of national policy and advocacy for its implementation.

After training as a psychologist, Megan was endorsed in clinical and health psychology and spent ten years in clinical environments working mostly with people living with chronic diseases and serious mental illness. Frustrated by the systemic factors that confounded an individual’s experience of chronic illness, Megan then worked in an academic clinical research unit and subsequently moved to NSW Health where she spent almost eight years at the Cancer Institute NSW, the NSW government’s cancer control agency.

Megan is passionate about lessening the impact of cancer on all Australians; and is especially interested in reducing the inequalities in cancer outcomes experienced by people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, regional and remote, lower socio-economic and migrant communities.

Megan is available for interview to discuss Cancer Council Australia’s advocacy and policy priorities, informed financial consent, out-of-pocket costs, and the physical, emotional and financial impact of cancer.

For an interview with Megan Varlow, please contact Cancer Council Australia's Media Team on (02) 8256 4109 (the media hotline is available inside and outside of business hours). You can also email the media team on media@cancer.org.au.

Karen Canfell is inaugural Director of the Daffodil Centre, a flagship centre of the University of Sydney and a joint venture with Cancer Council NSW, Australia. She is also Professor & NHMRC Leadership Fellow, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney. Her research involves evaluation and translation of new strategies for cancer control and she has led multiple impact and economic evaluations for government agencies in Australia and internationally. For example, her work underpins the transformation of the National Cervical Screening Program in Australia which in 2017 moved to HPV DNA testing to replace Pap smears. In collaboration with the VCS Foundation, she initiated Compass, Australia’s largest clinical trial (76,000 women), and the first trial internationally to assess cervical screening in an HPV-vaccinated population. Compass is directly supporting the implementation of new cervical screening program, acting as a sentinel experience for safety monitoring and evaluation.

Professor Canfell is active in global health and leads key aspects of the WHO impact and investment case for cervical cancer elimination. Her team’s work is cited in the WHO strategic plan for elimination and findings from key publications were presented at the Executive Board (EB) of the WHO with the EB's subsequent support of the resolution for elimination. In the period 2020-21, her team has supported WHO in development of detailed clinical management guidelines for cervical screening in low-income countries. In 2020 she initiated, and co-leads with Dr. Freddie Bray from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the COVID-19 and Cancer Global Modelling Consortium (CCGMC) with key partners IARC, the International Cancer Screening Network, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and the coordinating centre Cancer Council NSW. The CCGMC brings together the global modelling community to support decision-making across cancer control both during and after the crisis.

Professor Canfell is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS), 2020 recipient of the NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Award (Leadership in Health Services Research), and the 2021 recipient of Cancer Australia’s Jeanne Ferris Award for her contributions to gynaecological cancer research.

For an interview with Professor Canfell, please contact Cancer Council Australia's Media Team on (02) 8256 4109 (the media hotline is available inside and outside of business hours). You can also email the media team on media@cancer.org.au.

Anita is Chair of Cancer Council Australia's Public Health Committee and Director of Cancer Prevention and Advocacy at Cancer Council NSW.

She has more than 15 years' experience within the NSW public health sector, including 12 years' experience in cancer prevention specifically. As well as working as a private consultant, she has previously held senior management positions in public health organisations including the Cancer Institute NSW and the NSW Ministry of Health, where she gained specific expertise in tobacco control and skin cancer prevention.

Within her current role at Cancer Council NSW, Anita is responsible for leading strategy and program efforts in the two Cancer Council NSW focus areas of Prevention and Advocacy. The Division's focus is on reducing the burden of cancer and reducing cancer risk across NSW communities, through targeted programs, policy, advocacy and retail stores.

As Chair of Cancer Council Australia's Public Health Committee, Anita is a leading advocate for cancer prevention, particularly in a policy context. Topics she can discuss include cancer risk in relation to tobacco control, sun protection, nutrition and physical activity, alcohol and obesity. Anita holds a Master of Arts in Communication Management from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Master of Public Health from The University of Sydney.

For media interviews with Anita, contact the Cancer Council Australia media team on (02) 8256 4109 (our media hotline is available inside and outside of business hours) or email media@cancer.org.au.

Professor Tim Driscoll is Chair of Cancer Council Australia’s Occupational and Environmental Cancer Committee and a leading expert in environmental and workplace cancer risks.

Tim is also Professor in Epidemiology and Occupational Medicine in the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney.

Tim’s main areas of interest include the burden of occupational disease and injury; occupational cancers and exposure to occupational carcinogens, particularly asbestos. He is also interested in improving the communication of epidemiology and cancer principles and findings to the general public.

He also leads the occupational risk factors expert working group in the Global Burden of Disease study.

Tim is a regular commentator on environmental and occupational cancer prevention and as Chair of Cancer Council Australia’s Occupational and Environmental Cancer Risk Committee can discuss environmental cancer risks, common cancer risks in the workplace and action that should that be taken to reduce Australia’s workplace cancer burden.

For an interview with Professor Driscoll, please contact Cancer Council Australia's Media Team on (02) 8256 4109 (the media hotline is available inside and outside of business hours). You can also email the media team on media@cancer.org.au.

Clare Hughes is the Chair of the Nutrition and Physical Activity Committee, Cancer Council Australia. With extensive experience in the health and nutrition field, Clare leads the national committee to encourage Australians to lead a healthy lifestyle through education about the importance of physical activity and diet in preventing cancer, as well as advocating for health policy to support healthy lifestyle measures.

Clare is also the Nutrition Program Manager at Cancer Council NSW where she leads a team of dietitians and nutritionists responsible for nutrition-related cancer prevention projects. She leads projects including the Healthy Lunch Box website, advocacy to reduce cancers associated with increased bodyweight, alcohol, unhealthy eating and physical inactivity, strategic research into food labelling and food marketing to children.

Prior to joining Cancer Council, Clare spent eight years as the Senior Food Policy Officer at Australia’s consumer organisation CHOICE. She was responsible for ensuring the interests of consumers were considered during food policy processes. During this time, she led CHOICE’s policy and advocacy projects on obesity, food labelling, food marketing, genetic modification and food safety. Clare also has more than 15 years’ experience representing both public health and consumer interests on the nutrition and food policy issues such as the NHMRC Dietary Guidelines Working Committee and the Health Star Ratings Technical Working Group.

Clare is available for interview and discussion on topics including tips to improve diet and lifestyle, how diet and lifestyle can reduce cancer risk and the impact of nutrition, physical activity and alcohol on cancer risk.

Clare can also talk about Cancer Council’s policy recommendations for physical activity and nutrition including the implementation of a comprehensive obesity prevention strategy, restrictions to junk food marketing to children, added sugar labelling and alcohol reforms.

Clare holds a Bachelor of Science (Nutrition), Master of Public Health and a Graduate Certificate in Public Policy.

For an interview with Clare Hughes please contact Cancer Council Australia’s Media Team on (02) 8256 4109 (the media hotline is available inside and outside of business hours). You can also email the media team on media@cancer.org.au.