Professor Raymond Chan is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Matthew Flinders Professor of Cancer Care, Systems and Policy, Caring Futures Institute, Flinders University with a clinical background in cancer nursing and survivorship.  He currently holds a NHMRC Investigator Grant.

Ray’s research program focuses on optimising models of care, health services’ and policy responses to address the needs of people affected by cancer in the survivorship phase. Ray has published >270 peer-reviewed articles and 3 book chapters. In total, he has attracted >$40 million AUD of research funding as CI (>$20 Million AUD as CIA).

In 2009, his contribution to nursing practice, education, and research was recognised with the appointment as Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing Australia (FRCNA, now FACN). He is a Past President of the Cancer Nurses Society of Australia (CNSA), the peak professional body for cancer nursing in Australia. During his term as CNSA President (2014: President Elect, 2015–2017: President), he also served on the Executive Council of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) and the Intercollegiate Advisory Committee of Cancer Australia. Currently, Ray is an advisor to Cancer Australia — Department of Health. In addition, he is the Chair for the Survivorship Study Group of Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC); a Board Director for the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care (ISNCC); and the Co-Chair for the Scientific Committee of the Primary Care Collaborative Cancer Clinical Trials Group (PC4).

Ray has received a number of research and service improvement awards in recognition of his contribution to clinical care. In 2009, he was awarded the Innovation in Nursing (Queensland Finalist), HESTA Australian Nursing Awards. In 2013, he was awarded the prestigious Cecilia Brazil Nursing Research Award by the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. In the same year, he was awarded the Best Research Paper at the 17^th CNSA Winter Congress. In 2014, he was awarded his PhD with an Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award — an award for the top 5% of PhD thesis of the university. In the same year, he was awarded Outstanding Young Alumnus of the Year by the Queensland University of Technology and the Premier’s Award for Excellence in Leadership by the Queensland Government. In 2018, his leadership in research capacity building was recognised through the Vice Chancellor Award for Excellence in Leadership. In 2021, he was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame, and has recently been awarded HESTA Awards Nurse of the Year Finalist.

In 2019, he led the Princess Alexandra Hospital’s Cancer Services in a successful application to be recognised as Australia’s first MASCC Designated Centre for Excellence in Supportive Cancer Care — one of the first four international centres receiving this recognition. Ray is a regular Grant Review Panel member for several NHMRC CRE, Investigator Grant, Partnership Grant schemes. Ray serves as an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Cancer Survivorship (as Associate Editor); Cancer Nursing: An International Journal of Cancer Care, Cancer Care Research Online, European Journal of Oncology Nursing, and Asia Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing (APJON). He has been an invited speaker at a number of prestigious institutions, as well as national and international conferences.

Ministerial Appointment

Ray served on the NHMRC Research Committee (Triennium 2021–2024), and currently serves on the NHMRC Council (Triennium 2024-2027).

Research Impact

In 2019-20, Professor Chan led the content redevelopment of the national model of care for McGrath Breast Care Nurses across Australia, as informed by his systematic review of the literature and mapping of care guided by the Optimal Care Pathway. This model of care is now used to guide the care provision of over 150 McGrath Breast Care Nurses across Australia.  Professor Chan is currently being engaged in developing training materials to implement this evidence-based care model. In addition, he is currently leading some of the largest implementation trials in post-treatment cancer care to roll out a nurse-enabled, shared-care model between cancer specialists and GPs for Breast Cancer across 8 cancer centres (GNT1170519); for prostate cancer across 5 cancer centres (GNT2006113), and for neuroendocrine cancer across 5 cancer centres (GNT2014728) in Australia. These large trials are changing the way thousands of cancer survivors receive their care in an optimal and sustainable way. Based on the work above with breast cancer, Professor Chan’s Investigator Grant (GNT1194051) aims to advance the involvement of general practitioners in providing post-treatment care to cancer survivors. In July 2020, he was invited by Cancer Australia as one of the “leading Australian cancer experts” who provided input to the COVID-19 Recovery: Implications for Cancer Care. Specifically, provided significant input to the “Shared Follow-up Care and Survivorship Care” module.

Professor Chan is a GCP-trained clinical trialist in supportive cancer care, with extensive experience in conducting Phase II and Phase III clinical trials in supportive cancer care. Over the past 5 years, he has completed 12 Phase II/III RCTs and has been a mentor to many nursing and allied health researchers and clinicians.

Professor Chan leads a research program that focuses on the health services’ and health professionals’ responses to the needs of people affected by cancer in the post-treatment survivorship phase.  Professor Chan is a GCP-trained clinical trialist in supportive cancer care, with extensive experience in conducting Phase II and Phase III clinical trials in supportive cancer care. Over the past 5 years, he has completed 12 Phase II/III RCTs and has been a mentor to many nursing and allied health researchers and clinicians. He has supervised 10 Research Higher Degree and 6 dissertation students to completion, and 10 other current students (all related to supportive care in cancer).

His research interests include management of distressing cancer- or treatment-related toxicities, enhancing integrated care models involving primary care providers, and improving outcomes for people receiving palliative/end-of-life care. 

He has supervised 10 Research Higher Degree and 6 dissertation students to completion, and 10 other current students (all related to supportive care in cancer).