Pathologically Speaking

Bringing precision cancer treatments to Australians - Prospect

A landmark cancer treatment program is underway in Australia. Known as Prospect, the study is opening up new, potentially life-saving treatment pathways for 23,000 Australians with advanced, incurable or an earlier diagnosis of poor prognosis cancers. We talk to Prof Rob Lindeman and Louise Carey about the vital services NSW Health Pathology is providing for Prospect, from genomic sequencing to blood collection and supply of diagnostic tissue. We also hear from Matthew Webster, an engineer whose life was changed forever 10 years ago when he was diagnosed with a rare cancer, who explains how personalised cancer treatment has made all the difference. For more information on the Prospect study go to https://www.omico.com.au/prospect/ [https://www.omico.com.au/prospect/]

Genetic pathology – Prof Edwin Kirk

Edwin Kirk is a genetic pathologist and clinical geneticist at NSW Health Pathology and Sydney Children’s Hospital. Over the years his work has focused on rare childhood diseases, reproductive genetic carrier screening and cardiac genetics. He is the co-lead of the Australian Government funded project Mackenzie’s Mission. Edwin talks about what sparked his interest in genetics, explains the science of genetics and the power of modern genetic sequencing, and how ocean swimming and the odd saxophone solo keep him going outside of the laboratory.

Authentic leadership and strategic thinking – Vanessa Janissen

From being the first in the family to go to university to creating a virtual hospital service treating hundreds of thousands of patients during the COVID pandemic, Vanessa Janissen has carved out an incredible career in the health sector spanning more than 25 years. Ms Janissen was appointed Chief Executive of NSW Health Pathology in 2023. Here she shares her leadership secrets, and her plans for transforming health services and creating laboratories of the future at NSW Health Pathology, taking advantage of the latest technologies in genomics, virtual care and precision-medicine and investing in its most important asset, its people.

The power of pathology – our pandemic response

The importance of our statewide public pathology service has never been more evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the beginning, NSW Health Pathology has been at the forefront of our public health testing response. Meet the people who were on the frontlines of our pandemic response, from growing the live virus, sequencing its genome, delivering millions of results to patients and even travelling to China to investigate the origins of COVID-19. Virologists, microbiologists, scientists, couriers, data analysts, information technology engineers and all types of support staff were vital in keeping our community safe. These are just some of their stories.

A different kind of midwife – Susi Guinane

Susi Guinane is a midwife. She loves her work and is good at her job. In 2019 she was named NSW Midwife of the Year. But when she meets new people, she thinks twice before deciding whether to tell them what she does. That’s because she’s ‘not that kind of midwife’. Susi works for NSW Health Pathology’s statewide Perinatal Postmortem Service, assisting parents through one of the hardest experiences of their lives - the loss of a baby. ⚠ Trigger warning: this episode discusses issues surrounding birth trauma and stillbirth.