A/Prof Kalinda Griffiths has stepped down permanently from her role as the inaugural VCCC Alliance Research and Education Lead for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health.
VCCC Alliance Research and Education co-Leads for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Professor Jacinta Elston and Louise Lyons, appointed in May 2025 for a 12-month period while A/Prof Griffiths took a well-earned break, will continue their roles in an ongoing capacity.
VCCC Alliance Board Chair Prof Sanchia Aranda AM welcomed the appointments of Prof Elston and Ms Lyons, and paid tribute to the significant contribution A/Prof Griffiths has made to the organisation and more broadly, to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes for those experiencing cancer.
“Kalinda, an experienced cancer epidemiologist, came into this newly created role with a strategic vision of how to grow and improve cancer research and data with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” she said.
“In her three years at the alliance she led and fostered significant pieces of work around lung cancer screening, cultural safety, and data governance and sovereignty. Under her leadership, the VCCC Alliance was delighted to co-host the second World Indigenous Cancer Conference in 2024.”
A/Prof Griffiths said she was looking forward to continuing collaborating with the VCCC Alliance on specific projects.
“I am truly excited to see where this program goes next. There is some really important progress underway, particularly across clinical trials and including community voices. Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to continuing working with the VCCC Alliance in a project-specific capacity.”
Prof Elston, an Aboriginal woman from north Queensland, said: “Cancer and clinical research champions were very important in my cancer journey over 20 years ago. For nearly a decade now, I’ve been living and working on the land of Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong people of the Kulin Nations.
"I’m inspired to continue the work that Kalinda started to help the alliance members have a significant impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria, and across Australia."
After a long university career in medicine, public health and Indigenous education, Prof Elston has become a consultant focused on helping to strengthen Australia’s efforts to address cancer for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. She is a consultant with multiple affiliations, including as a board member for the Breast Cancer Network of Australia (BCNA), and as the co-chair of the VCCC Alliance’s Health Equity Advisory Group.
Ms Lyons, who is Senior Manager, Strategy and Policy, Indigenous Genomics at The Kids Research Institute, will provide strategic guidance to the alliance on growing research partnerships between the VCCC Alliance members and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health organisations.
“I welcome this unique opportunity to work together to address existing equity of access issues experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in cancer research,” Ms Lyons said.
“I feel privileged being invited to join the alliance, its partner organisations and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector to tackle these gaps and improve the lives of people, their families and Communities experiencing the impacts of cancer.”
The alliance’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander program spans multiple critical areas, including developing targeted cancer control strategies, integrating First Nations consumer perspectives into research and education, and creating supportive pathways that respect cultural traditions while delivering high-quality, personalised cancer care.
Established through a meaningful partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), the program is committed to implementing the Victorian Aboriginal Cancer Journey Strategy, and Aboriginal Research Accord, with a strong focus on cultural safety, research governance, and Indigenous data sovereignty.
