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Biography

Dr Allison Boyes is a behavioural scientist with considerable experience in designing and executing robust and relevant research concerning the wellbeing of individuals affected by cancer. Allison is a member the Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour and Newcastle Cancer Control Collaborative. Most of her research has focused on the psychosocial, physical and lifestyle behaviours of cancer survivors in treatment and survivorship. Allison has published 27 peer-reviewed articles, 1 book chapter, and 6 technical reports related to cancer care. These publications have collectively been cited more than 600 times in the scientific literature. In the past 10 years, she has been an investigator on 11 competitive external grants totalling $1.97 million, 8 competitive internal grants totalling $230,000 and 4 consultancies totalling $107,000 with almost all of these focused on cancer survivors.

Qualifications

• Master of Public Health, University of Sydney, 1999
• Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), University of Newcastle, 1994

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Research

Research keywords

• cancer survivorship
• evidence-based practice
• health behaviour
• health services
• psycho oncology

Research expertise

I have experience in designing and executing robust and relevant research concerning the wellbeing of individuals affected by cancer. This includes:

• development and refinement of measures - I have been a key contributor to the suite of resources assessing cancer patients' unmet needs including the increasingly popular 34-item Supportive Care Needs Survey, a guide to its administration and scoring, and reference values.

• large-scale and longitudinal studies documenting the issues faced by people affected by cancer - I have led some of Australia’s largest and most rigorous observational studies conducted to date to comprehensively document the range of physical, psychosocial and lifestyle issues faced by survivors. This includes Australia's first and largest longitudinal survey of 1450 cancer survivors diagnosed with one of the eight most incident cancers in Australia and followed from 6 months to 5 years post-diagnosis.

• evaluating interventions to improve cancer survivors’ wellbeing - I have examined information technology-based interventions to faciliate routine distress screening of cancer patients in the clinical setting. I have evaluated the acceptability and utility of Cancer Council NSW information and support programs including the Cancer Council Helpline, Telephone Support Groups, and Legal Referral Ssrvice. More recently, I have collaborated with colleagues to examine impact of exercise and nutrition interventions on cancer survivors' wellbeing.

Languages

• English

Fields of Research

Description (Code)	%
Public Health And Health Services(111700)	45
Clinical Sciences Not Elsewhere Classified(110399)	35
Oncology And Carcinogenesis Not Elsewhere Classified(111299)	20

Centres and Groups

Centre

• Hunter Medical Research Institute
• PRC - Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour

Group

• Hunter Medical Research Institute - Public Health

Memberships

Body relevant to professional practice.

• Member - Cancer Helpline Network, The Cancer Council Australia

Committee/Associations (relevant to research).

• Behavioural Science representative - Annual Scientific Meeting Committee, Clinical Oncological Society of Australia
• Clinical Oncological Society of Australia (COSA)
• Member - International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS)
• Psycho-oncology Cooperative Research Group (PoCoG)
• Behavioral Science representative - Supportive Care Committee, The Cancer Council Australia

Awards

Recognition.

2004	Best Oral Presentation Prize Clinical Oncological Society of Australia 31st Annual Scientific Meeting (Australia)

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Teaching

Teaching keywords

• health behaviour
• health promotion
• interactional skills