OSWA Structure
Oncology Social Work Australia Inc. is a relatively new professional body. Most committee members are voted in for a term of two years. Elections are held at the AGM in November each year. The State Delegates are chosen by their respective states. The Public Officer is Laraine Cross.
2012
President- elect
Alison Hocking
|
State Delegates
Chairs Special Interest Groups
|
Research
Kate Burns
(NSW)
|
Rural/Regional
Cas McIntyre
(Qld)
|
Education
Cynthia Holland
(VIC)
Julianne Whyte
(NSW)
|
Paediatric Oncology
Iris Barten
|
Adolescents & Young Adults (AYA)
Janine Deevy(QLD)
|
Palliative Care
Julianne Whyte
(NSW)
|
Aged & Cancer
Charlotte Bradley-Peni |
Gynaecological Cancer
Kim Hobbs (NSW) |
Brain Tumour
Lynette Joubert
(Vic)
|
OSWA Representatives
Vacant Special Interest Groups
Currently, there are a number of vacant Special Interest Groups. They are: Radiation Oncology, Lung Cancer, Prostate, and Head and Neck Cancer. If you are interested in being a chair of one of these groups and being a member of the OSWA committee please email the
President
President
Victoria Jones
Queanbeyan Community Health
PO Box 729, Queanbeyan, NSW 2620
Ph: 02 - 6298 9272
Mob: 0428 11 26 85
Fax: 02 - 6128 9859
Victoria attended the University of Bath and graduated in 1973 with honours in Sociology and the Certificate of Qualification in Social Work. Victoria worked in the UK and New Zealand in child protection, mental health, disability, family therapy, aged care, fostering and adoptions and volunteers. She worked at The Canberra Hospital for 12 years from 1990 in Oncology and Haematology. In addition to individual and family work, Victoria was involved in group work and fostering the development of consumer group advocacy. In 1998 Victoria completed her Masters of Counselling - her dissertation being grounded theory qualitative research in family resilience when a member is diagnosed with cancer. In 2004 she transferred to NSW Health and worked in a community development bereavement project. Victoria is currently working as the Psycho-Oncology Service Development Social Worker for Greater Southern Area Health Service and Project Officer for the Aboriginal Health & Cancer Services - Working Together Project. Particular professional interests currently lie in the provision of social work support in rural Australia and in Aboriginal health.
Secretary
Angela Cotroneo
Psycho Oncology Service - Sydney Cancer Centre - RPAH
Gloucester House, Missendon Rd, Camperdown 2050
Ph: 02 9515 5242
Page 80865
Fax: 02 9215 7381
Angela [BSW MCFT] is the immediate Past President of OSWA. Angela has specialised in oncology social work for 10 years. For the past three years she has been working as a counsellor in the Psycho Oncology Service at the Sydney Cancer Centre RPAH. The unit provides ongoing counselling and therapy for patients of the Sydney Cancer Centre and their families. Angela sits on various national and state committees, some of which include the COSA Committee, the NSW Regional Advisory Committee, and the NSW Cancer Institute NSWOG. For the past two years Angela has also been on the Scientific Advisory Committee of Palliative Care. Angela has provided ongoing supervision and debriefing to cancer support group facilities during the past 12 months. She has had articles published in the JCO and the ANZ J Family Therapy.
Treasurer
Ray Araullo
Cancer Services Development Manager, Cancer Support Services
Royal North Shore Hospital Cancer Services
Level 2 Vindin House RNSH St Leonards 2065
Ph: 02 9926 7496
Fax: 02 9906 5495
Mob: 0421 581 214
Ray is the Senior Social Worker, Cancer Services, Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service. Ray has worked in the field of cancer services since 1994. He held the position of Cancer Services Team Leader and Senior Social Worker at Royal North Shore Hospital from 1996-2006. Ray's interests include the development of cancer support services and research into the lived experience of cancer patients who have undergone haemopoietic stem cell transplantation. His clinical experience which spans many years has seen Ray work in Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Radiotherapy, Haematology and Haemopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. Ray has completed the following degrees and diplomas:- Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Social Work/Social Policy, Diploma in Counselling and Masters in Family and Couple Therapy.
State Delegates
NSW
Angela Cotroneo (see Executive Committee profile)
VIC
Carrie Lethborg
Oncology Dept, 2nd Floor, Healy Wing
St Vincent's Hospital, Victoria Pde 3065
Ph: 03 9288 3179
Fax: 03 9288 3439
Carrie is a clinical educator and senior clinician Social Work Department and Deputy Director of Psychosocial Oncology, Cancer Services St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne. She is als the current Post Doctoral Fellow a the St Vincent's and Peter MacCallum Hospitals and the University of Melbourne. As well as a Bachelor of Social Work Degree, Carrie has a Master of Social Work (Research) and a PhD. She has undertaken significant research projects since 1996. Her research in the clinical setting has resulted in a number of interventions in the care of people affected by cancer. Carrie is currently developing an intervention with advanced cancer patients as a result of her doctoral thesis, which revealed that cancer patients with less meaning in life and less perceived social support expressed significantly higher psychological distress.
QLD
Vacant
Jeanie O'Connor
Social Work & Counselling Services
Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park 5042
Ph: 08 8204 5511 5511
Page: 38253
Fax: 08 8204 4512
Jeanie is a Senior Social Worker at Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide, where she has worked since graduating with a Bachelor of Social Work Degree from Flinders University in 2003. She has worked on the Oncology/Haematology wards for five years, and has been a core member of OSWA [SA] since its inception. Jeanie's role on the Oncology ward includes the psychosocial assessment of all new patients and working closely with the multi-disciplinary team to provide optimum care to patients and their families. She also educates visiting health professionals from rural SA in the psychosocial care of cancer patients.
WA
Valda Duffield
King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women
374 Bagot Rd, Subiaco 6008
Ph: 08 9340 2777
Fax: 08 9340 2775
&
Vere Berger
Social Work Department, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
Hospital Ave, Nedlands 6009
Ph: 08 9346 4666
Valda is a Senior Social Worker at King Edward Memorial Hospital WA. She graduated in 1985 and she has had over 10 years experience in oncology care. Valda participates in the Gynae-Oncology Tumour Collaborative and the Psycho-Oncology Collaborative both of which report to the WA Cancer and Palliative Care Network. She was recently part of an Advisory Group to the Cancer Council WA; this group helped develop a training course in Oncology for Aboriginal Health Workers. Valda is committed to ensuring women of WA have excellent Gynae-Oncology Care by providing regular education in oncology and grief and loss. Part of Valda's current role is to participate in the Perinatal Loss Clinic. This clinic provides a follow-up service to those who experience miscarriages from 15 weeks gestation and neo-natal deaths.
Vere is a Senior Social Worker at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Perth. Her experience in Cancer services spans many years; she has worked in Radiotherapy and is currently the Breast Centre Social Worker. Other responsibilities include supervising social work services in Heart-Lung, Gastro-Renal and General Surgery and being the Quality Improvement Coordinator for the Department. Vere has worked for Family and Children's Services in the UK; in Cape Town, South Africa for the Day Hospital Organisation and in the Child Life Protection Unit in Perth. She is a member of the Cancer and Palliative Care Network Psycho-Oncology Collaborative. Vere and her colleagues have actively lobbied to give social work a strong voice on this Collaborative since many are unaware that social workers are the biggest providers of psycho-social services to cancer patients and make an unique contribution in terms of a holistic approach to patient care.
NT
VACANT
TAS
VACANT
Research
Kate Burns
Senior Research Fellow, School of Medicine
Flinders University, Bedford Park 5042
PO Box 2100 Adelaide
Ph: 08 8201 3502
Fax: 08 8374 4018
Kate specialised in oncology and renal social work for 15 years at The Canberra Hospital and the ACT Community Care Program. As a member of a multidisciplinary research team, Kate contributed to the analysis of the Canberra Cancer Quality of Life Study. She returned to Adelaide in 2005, where she now lives, and took up employment as an academic social worker at Flinders University; firstly, in the School of Social Work and more recently, in the School of Medicine following the award of a Wicking Grant administered by ANZ Trustees. She was also employed by the Australian Knowledge Network in the Department of Palliative & Supportive Care, School of Medicine, contributing as part of a multidisciplinary team to web-based comprehensive information for patients, families and friends and health professionals. She is a member of two university collaborations - Flinders Cancer Centre for Innovation & Control and the Flinders Centre for Clinical Change & Health Care Research. In her current role Kate is supervising Research Masters and PhD students who are clinical social workers providing pyschosocial care in a number of hospitals around Australia under the umbrella of the OSWA Research Collaboration.
Rural/Regional
Cas McIntyre
Cynthia Holland
Women's Social Support Dept
The Royal Women's Hospital
Parkville, 3052
Ph: 03 8345 3050
Fax: 03 8345 3053
&
Julianne Whyte
Amaranth Foundation
PO Box 353
Corowa, 2646
Ph: 02 6033 1738
Fax: 02 6033 3507
Cynthia has background research qualifications in the health field with specialty skills in psycho-emotional and socio-legal aspects of health care for women and families coping with illness related emotional distress and vulnerability. In 1978 Cynthia graduated as a Social Worker. Since then she has been also awarded a Diploma of Education, a Master of Social Work (Research), a Bachelor and Master of Laws and was admitted to the bar as a Barrister in 2005. Whilst not studying law Cynthia continued to practise as a senior clinician (Oncology) at the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne. In her practice in Gynae-Oncology Cynthia maintained a specialist interest in mothers with cancer and the needs of their dependent children. In 2006 Cynthia obtained her PhD (Med Obstets & Gynae) by undertaking a longitudinal study of the impact of gynaecological cancer on 79 women and their families.
Julianne Whyte is the CEO of the Amaranth Foundation, a Foundation, based in Corowa, that she established in 2009 to provide psychological interventions and psychosocial support to people, their family and carers living with a life limiting or serious advanced illness. She has worked extensively as a Social Worker and Nurse across the Riverina in small rural communities for the past 30 years. Julianne completed her social work degree at La Trobe 10 years ago and is now an accredited Mental Health Social Worker. As well as being the CEO, Julianne manages the six Amaranth clinics across the Riverina. Julianne also works in a casual lecturing and student liaison capacity with the Charles Sturt University. She is now working towards her PhD researching appropriate psychosocial assessments and therapeutic interventions for patients, their families and caregivers with life limiting or serious advanced illnesses as their care needs change and they require End of Life and Palliative care support.
Kim Hobbs
Westmead Centre for Gynaecological Cancer
Westmead Hospital
Westmead 2145
Ph: 02 9845 6699/9845 6801
Fax: 02 9845 7866
Kim Hobbs holds a Masters degree in Social Work. She has a long career in oncology social work, and has been working at Westmead Centre for Gynaecological Cancer in NSW since its inception in 1994. Under the Directorship of Dr Gerry Wain, the Centre has established an innovative model of multidisciplinary care, in which psychosocial support services are an integral component of comprehensive cancer care for women with gynaecological cancer and their families throughout the illness trajectory. Kim’s current position is Clinical Specialist Social Worker (Level 6). Her research interests have led to several publications in international peer-reviewed journals, and she has authored and co-authored three chapters in two recently published Australian books.
Communication
Jeanie O'Connor (See SA)
Adolescents & Young Adults
Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Care Coordinator
Cancer Care Services, Level 5 Joyce Tweddell Building
RWBH, Butterfield St, Herston 4029
Ph:
0427 512 370
Fax: 07 3636 6990
Janine graduated from Bachelor of Social Work in 1996 and has spent the majority of her working career within Queensland Health. In 1998 she travelled overseas and spent 3 years working in London and Scotland. Her career in the field of Cancer Care commenced in 2004 when she took on a Haematology Social Work role at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. It was at this time that she developed a real interest and passion for Adolescent and Young Cancer Care. When the position of AYA Cancer Care Coordinator was advertised in late 2009, she jumped at the opportunity to apply, and has worked in that position ever since. janine also holds a Diploma in Education (2007).
Palliative Care
Julianne Whyte (See Education)
Aged & Cancer
Charlotte Bradley-Peni
PoCoG/OzPos
Kim Hobbs (see Gynaecological)
COSA
Angela Cotroneo (see Executive Committee profile)
Legal Adviser
Cynthia Holland (see Education SIG)
Public Officer
Laraine Cross
Social Work Dept Calvary-Mater Newcastle
Locked Bag 7 HRMC NSW2310
Ph: 02 4921 1211
Page: 8354
Laraine [BA Grad Dip Ed [Sec] BSW] is the inaugural Public Officer for OSWA. It is mandatory that the Public Officer also be a resident of the state where incorporation was instigated [the state of NSW]. Laraine has worked in a Regional Hospital in Northern NSW for the past 14 years attached to the Radiation Oncology Outpatients Unit. Her special area of interest is brain tumours. Her practice wisdom is influenced by previous social work experience in Mental Health and Indigenous issues and by a prior profession as a Secondary English/History teacher.
OSWA has a variety of committees working hard to provide services to members and the community. If you would like to serve on a committee, please contact either a State Chair or a committee chairperson.
Committees
2009 Conference Committee Chair - Ann Crome
2010 Conference Committee Chair - Maureen McInerney
2011 Conference Committee Chair - Vere Berger