Plenary Speakers

Professor Sandi Hayes
Keynote Speaker

Professor Hayes is an Exercise Physiologist, Senior Research Fellow and group lead of the Women’s Wellness Group, within the Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University. Her program of research seeks to improve understanding of cancer survivorship, with a particular focus on cancer-related lymphoedema, as well as the role of physical activity, including exercise, post-cancer. Her research has involved the conduct of prospective, longitudinal cohort studies and exercise intervention trials involving more than 8,000 people with cancer.  The findings from this work contribute to her broader research goal, which is to reduce burden and improve survival following cancer.  

Professor Jane Turner
Keynote Speaker

 Jane Turner has worked for over 25 years as a consultation-liaison psychiatrist in oncology. She has extensive experience in the development and implementation of clinical practice guidelines. She is course coordinator for teaching of psychiatry in the clinical years of the medical program at the University of Queensland and is President of the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS). She takes an active role in health professional education and has for many years presented to lymphoedema therapists about psychosocial aspect of lymphoedema. Current and recent research includes: a successful national multi-site trial of a manual-based intervention for fear of cancer recurrence; nurse-led survivorship interventions for patients treated for head and neck cancer and patients treated for breast cancer; development and evaluation of training for nurses to support parents with cancer who have young children; a nurse-led supportive care intervention for patients with pancreatic cancer, and a trial of different models of communication skills training.  

Dr Robyn Box 

Robyn graduated from the University of Queensland in 1982 and has over 30 years’ experience working in Cancer care.  Having completed her PhD in 2000 investigating the effects of Physiotherapy for Breast Cancer Rehabilitation and Early Detection of Lymphoedema which was initially introduced in 1993, Robyn has worked in public and private health care settings committed to providing individual focused evidence-based best practice to optimize outcomes for patients. Promoting change in patients and health professionals, Robyn has participated in many non-clinical and research activities with education and advisory roles.  Robyn has a number of publications, presented at National and International conferences and been a reviewer for a number of journals and research grant bodies. Opening her private practice in 2005 translating her prospective surveillance model into clinical care, Robyn provides physiotherapy rehabilitation and exercise prescription following a cancer diagnosis within individual treatment plans.  While lymphoedema awareness, early detection and management are targeted, optimizing health and well-being for patients diagnosed with cancer and/or lymphoedema is integral to the “MOVES for Life” programme offered through the practice. 

Sarah Collison 

Sarah has worked as an Occupational Therapist for over 17 years in a broad range of clinical settings including rehabilitation, injury management, health, medico-legal and disability.  Having worked for providers servicing the NDIS since 2013, Sarah has now established her own successful private practice on Sydney’s north shore. Providing a range of services to NDIS participants, Sarah has developed extensive expertise and knowledge of the scheme and its requirements.  Navigating the NDIS and understanding its inner workings has become a passion for Sarah as has the training and supervision of other OT’s working in the space.

Dr Elizabeth Dylke

Dr Elizabeth (Liz) Dylke is a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Physiotherapy at the University of Sydney.  She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia, Canada in Human Kinetics, before undertaking her Masters of Physiotherapy at the University of Sydney.  She completed her PhD in 2013, with a focus on the diagnosis of upper limb lymphoedema.  Since then, Dr Dylke’s focus has continued to be on understanding and improving the assessment and measurement of lymphoedema, in the upper limb, breast and lower limb.  Dr Dylke also has a passion for demystifying the scientific process for those who are new to research.  Along with supervising research students, she writes a regular column for the Australasian Lymphology Association (ALA) called “Scientifically Speaking”. Dr Dylke is currently also the Vice President of the ALA as well as the editor of the Lymph Exchange, their publication. Dr Dylke is passionate about lymphoedema research, including supporting new researchers and clinically driven projects.    

Helen Eason

Helen trained as a physiotherapist in the UK and for the last 23 years has specialised in oncology and lymphatic disorder management. Helen relocated to Australia in 2004 and was the Advanced Practice Clinician and Manager of the Oncology Physiotherapy and Lymphoedema Unit at Monash Health, Melbourne for 11 years before moving into private practice in 2015. Outside of clinical work, Helen is a PhD candidate at University of Sydney currently researching diagnostic tools for the lipoedema phenotypes. Helen has presented at various oncology/ lymphoedema conferences worldwide and is actively involved in the ALA, previously chairing the NLPR committee, and has been a Victorian committee member of the Australasian Physiotherapy Association Cancer Palliative Care and Lymphoedema group since it’s inception.

Susie Ellis

B. OT, Master Health Science (Education), Accredited Lymphoedema Practitioner (as awarded by the ALA) and Accredited Hand Therapist (As awarded by the Australian Hand Therapy Association).

Susie graduated from Occupational Therapy at Deakin University in 2005. She developed an interest in lymphoedema during her move to regional Victoria where a dedicated Lymphoedema Clinic was well established at Bendigo Health. Since moving to Bendigo in 2007 Susie has completed her basic and advanced Lymphoedema training and has continued to build specific skills and experience as a lymphoedema practitioner. Susie has a strong interest in teaching and completed her Master’s degree in Health Science (education) in 2009-2011. Susie’s interests in lymphoedema management include complex wounds and lymphoedema, breast cancer related lymphoedema and she has a keen interest in skin health and cellulitis. 

Asha Heydon-White 

Asha Heydon-White is the senior physiotherapist and team leader of the MQ Health Lymphoedema Clinic at ALERT, Macquarie University. She oversees the three treatment clinics: conservative, surgical and diagnostic which incorporate Indocyanine Green Lymphography imaging to aid in the assessment and management of lymphoedema. Asha has over 10 years’ experience specialising in lymphoedema and oncology, holds a Masters of Research in breast lymphoedema and is an associate lecturer at Macaquarie University. In addition to her work in lymphoedema, Asha has particular interest in shoulder rehabilitation and management of the myofascial system following breast cancer.

Jodie Rundell 

Jodie Rundell is an Advanced Practice Physiotherapist and Clinical Lead of the Lymphoedema Service at Monash Health. She manages a cross campus service which operates across three sites. Jodie has over 16 years’ experience specialising primarily in the area of oncology related lymphoedema. Her special interest lies in the management of breast lymphoedema. Jodie also works as a private lymphoedema physiotherapist and has extensive involvement in teaching and delivering the Victorian lymphoedema courses run by Lymphoedema Education Solutions.

Jen Sanderson

Jen Sanderson is a Physiotherapist who has been working within the lymphoedema specialty for over a decade. She is near completion of her PhD and will be presenting the key findings from her research with respect to assessment of lymphoedematous tissue composition. Her extensive clinical experience in both public health and private practice has been a fundamental driver to produce clinically relevant research outcomes. The research findings add to knowledge of the evaluation of characteristic variants of lymphoedema tissue and determining intervention effect. Her goal is to improve clinical and research assessment practices in order to benefit the outcomes for people with lymphoedema.

Associate Professor Ramin Shayan 

Ramin Shayan is a specialist reconstructive plastic surgeon working at St Vincent’s, Royal Melbourne and Alfred Hospitals; and in private practice. He undertook undergraduate studies at the University of Melbourne, then later a PhD investigating lymphatic biology under the supervision of Profs Ian Taylor and Steven Stacker. Ramin has over 60 peer-reviewed publications, including in the journals Nature, Cancer Cell and Nature Reviews in the areas of lymphatic biology. In 2015, Ramin became the director of the O’Brien Institute, now merged with SVI. He jointly runs groups studying lipoedema and lymphatic diseases; and tissue engineering adipose-derived stem cells for treatment of diseases afflicting cancer survivors, such as radiation-induced tissue injury and lymphoedema. He has clinical and basic science interests in both these areas, having performed over 400 lymphoedema microsurgical procedures (including LVA and LNT surgery) and 250 liposuction and debulking operations for lymphoedema and lipoedema. Ramin lobbied government for funding and helped establish the St Vincent’s lymphoedema clinic. He is an editor of six international academic journals, is one the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons education committee and is interested in all areas of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. In 2018 he co-founded a Melbourne biotech startup investigating Sox18 transcription factor in vascular and lymphatic tumors.