The COGNO Management Committee, led by the COGNO Chair and Deputy Chair, is the core leadership group overseeing all of COGNO’s activities, operations and Committees.
A/Prof. Koh is an academic Radiation Oncologist, working as a clinician researcher at Liverpool Hospital, NSW and Conjoint Associate Professor, University of New South Wales. A/Prof. Koh has over 20 years sub-specialty expertise in neuro-oncology and haematological cancers. A/Prof. Koh major research directions include brain tumour research in adult and paediatric patients as well as cancer survivorship research.
A/Prof. Koh has received research support of over $62 million (CI involvement) in competitive funding, including over $60 million in brain tumour-related projects and $2.2 million in cancer survivorship research. She holds CIB status for the MRFF-funded COGNO trial precision oncology LUMOS2 trial in adult recurrent lower grade glioma, currently recruiting to novel drug interventions across Australia and Canada.
She is co-lead for the largest multi-centre FIG study (FET-PET in Glioblastoma), a MRFF funded trial involving TROG, COGNO and ARTnet.
Her role as the Cooperative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology (COGNO) Chair, she leads a collaborative network of brain tumour trial sites across Australia, working to develop and deliver both investigator-initiated trials across the collaborative trials landscape as well as working with industry partners. A/Prof. Koh has played a key role across the COGNO trial portfolio includring MAGMA, VERTU and NUTMEG. She has involvement with ASNO as well as RANZCR Asia-Pacific Radiation Oncology Special Interest Group with outreach activities in the Asia-Pacific.
Clinical Professor Harrup FRACP FRCPA completed dual fellowships in Medical Oncology and Clinical and Laboratory Haematology in 2000. She has been a full-time clinician at RHH for 24 years and is Director of Cancer and Blood Services. She has a passionate interest in clinical research, particularly in the areas of Neuro-Oncology, Malignant Haematology and Late Effects. She is an experienced investigator across Phase I, II and III clinical trials. Prof Harrup has been a member of the Trial Management Committee for several Australian collaborative trials group multicentre clinical trials, including trials run by COGNO, ANZUP, and AGITG, and is Chair of the ALLG APML5 Trial Management Committee. She has more than 10 years’ experience as a Board Director of several NFPs and is passionate about fostering early career researchers.
Selected Professional Memberships
Cooperative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology Member, 2007-present (Deputy Chair 2021-)
Australian Brain Cancer Mission Strategic Advisory Group 2021-2024
Australian Brain Cancer Mission Expert Advisory Panel 2024- present
Australian Tele-trials National Steering Committee 2022- present
Australian Institute of Company Directors 2013-present
Medical Oncology Group of Australia Member 2001 -present (Chair 2014-2016)
Australian Tele-trials National Steering Committee 2022-present
Dr Lee is a Medical Oncologist and Network Director of Physician Training at Royal North Shore Hospital and Genesis Care. He has clinical and research interests in neuro-oncology, head and neck and genitourinary cancers. He is currently an Executive Member of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA), Management Committee Member of COGNO and past-Chair of the State Committee in the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP). Dr Lee is part of a global team with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York in furthering research in liquid biopsies of solid tumours. His other research interests are in malignant brain tumours and clotting which are conducted through the Bill Walsh Translational Cancer Research Laboratory at the Kolling Institute, University of Sydney.
Hamish Alexander is Neurosurgeon and Spine Surgeon based in Brisbane, Australia. Dr Alexander is a Consultant Neurosurgeon and Director of the Kenneth G Jamieson Neurosurgery Department, Royal Brisbane and Womans Hospital and in private practice with BrizBrain & Spine. He is a senior lecturer in the Department of Medicine, University of Queensland and a clinical associate with the Sid Faithful Brain Cancer Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer. Dr Alexander is the current vice president of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia.Dr Alexander completed his specialist neurosurgical training in New Zealand and Australia having earned undergraduate degrees in neuroscience and medicine at Otago University, NZ. He attained Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2016. Neuro-oncology is the key focus of Dr Alexander’s clinical and research work. He was awarded an M.Phil degree from the University of Queensland in 2015 for research on Immunotherapy for Glioblastoma and subsequently undertook a neurosurgical-oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, USA in 2016-17. He has been a Member of COGNO since 2013 and served as the co-convenor of the ASM in 2022. Dr Alexander also has keen interests in neurotrauma, bio-fabrication and skull base/pituitary surgery.
Dr. Lucy Gately is an accomplished neuro-oncologist and early-career researcher, currently serving as the Head of Neuro-oncology, Cancer Genetics, and Clinical Innovation at Alfred Health. She is also an early-career researcher in the Personalised Oncology Division at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. Dr. Gately holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of Melbourne, where she focused her research on neuro-oncology, specifically investigating biomarkers for long-term survival and survivorship in patients with glioblastoma. Her work has led to novel findings in both clinical and translational research, as well as in qualitative studies. Dr. Gately's research has garnered significant recognition, including the award of a Melbourne University Research Scholarship, a St Vincent’s Research Endowment Fund and a Victorian Cancer Agency Early Career Fellowship for her pioneering contributions to neuro-oncology. These include: the BRAIN Registry, representing the largest comprehensive clinical and translational database in Australia and an invaluable research infrastructure; the world’s first Phase III registry trial in neuro-oncology; and BIOBRAIN, an innovative multi-site project establishing a standardized pipeline for access to fresh tissue, the creation of organoid models, and omics and drug assays—matched to individual patient clinical data. In addition to her clinical and research leadership, Dr. Gately is an active member of the Brain Cancer Centre (BCC) and serves on the Operations Committee for the flagship Brain-Perioperative Program (BrainPOP). She is deeply committed to patient education and advocacy, having worked extensively with Cancer Council Victoria to improve the quality of information and support available to patients and their families.
A/Prof Georgia Halkett is a Senior Research Fellow at Curtin University. A/Prof Halkett is co-lead for the Cancer Domain in the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and Director of Graduate Research for the Curtin School of Nursing. She recently completed a Cancer Council of WA Research Fellowship at Curtin University. A/Prof Halkett practiced as a radiation therapist before moving into research. Her program of research focuses on understanding and addressing cancer patients and carers’ psychosocial and information needs, communication between health professionals and cancer patients, survivorship, return to work and research in radiation therapy. A/Prof Halkett led the Care-IS trial which consisted of providing a nurse-led supportive care intervention to carers of people diagnosed with high grade glioma. She has developed expertise in using different research methodologies including RCTs, mixed methods studies and qualitative studies.
A/Prof Georgia Halkett has been on the COGNO management committee since 2007. She is currently a member of the inaugural Board of COGNO. She is also a Board member for the Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group and a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of The Psycho-oncology Co-operative Research Group.
Associate Professor Elizabeth Hovey: Senior Staff Specialist (Medical Oncology) at Prince of Wales Hospital (neuro-oncology and genitourinary oncology), Conjoint Associate Professor UNSW. Completed undergraduate degree University of Sydney, medical oncology training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Completed 3 year post-graduate fellowship at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Centre, New York in 2001 concurrent with full scholarship to complete 2-year Masters of Science (Biostatistics: Patient-Oriented Research) at Columbia University School of Public Health.
Keen triallist (Local PI- 54 genitourinary trials, 22 neuro-oncology trials). Prior elected chair of the COSA Neuro-Oncology Group, a founding member of COGNO (Cooperative Trials Group for Neuro-oncology) (including Chair of COGNO Scientific Advisory Committee for 5 years) and is Chair of the NSW Neuro-Oncology Group (including coordinating Patient Education/Support Forums). Grant recipient, & chief investigator for pivotal neuro-oncology studies. Presented oral abstract ASCO 2015 sharing results of COGNO glioblastoma study (CABARET), results of which are referenced in ASCO guidelines.
Regularly lectures at UNSW and contributed to curriculum design. Invited guest oncology speaker to New Zealand, Philippines, Taiwan, Turkey (including topics of brain, prostate, renal cancer). On Board of Reviewers for Neuro-Oncology Practice (Oxford Press); reviewer for a number of international journals. Invited grant reviewer for EORTC in Belgium (2016).
Prof. Gan graduated from Melbourne University with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery. In 2016, he was appointed the head of the Cancer Clinical Trials Unit at Austin Health. He is Adjunct Professor with Latrobe University. From 2020-2024, he was Clinical Research Lead at the Olivia Newton- John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) and joined the ONJCRI Executive Team overseeing research across the ONJCRI.
He is a very active clinician scientist. He obtained his PhD from Melbourne University. In 2019, he formed and is the Head of the Cancer Therapies and Biology Group at ONJCRI, focused on the development of better cancer treatments, particularly brain cancer. He has had continuous grant success since 2015 and over 170 peer reviewed journals including in Nature, Journal of Clinical Oncology and Neuro-Oncology, the leading global journals in science, clinical oncology and neuro-oncology respectively.
He is passionate about improving the outcomes for patients with brain cancer. In particular, he has helped lead multiple clinical trials in brain cancer, including trials using drugs from the ONJCRI research program such as mAb806 (subsequently developed into ABT-414) and ifabotuzumab, one of the first drugs specifically targeting the tumour microenvironment. He co-founded the Australian Brain Cancer Research Alliance (ABCARA) and is the study chair for the LUMOS-1 and LUMOS-2 platform trials in recurrent IDH-mutant glioma.
Associate Professor Kerryn Pike (DPsych (Clin Neuro) MAPS FCCN) is a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Associate Professor in the School of Applied Psychology at Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia. She also holds an adjunct position at La Trobe University. She is one of the founders of the LaTCH memory management group program, designed to improve the everyday memory of people with mild cognitive impairment. Recent work has involved adapting and evaluating LaTCH in people with brain tumours. Dr Pike is particularly interested in translating evidence-based neuropsychological interventions into clinical practice and Chairs the Australian Dementia Network (ADNET) Cognitive Interventions Working Party, as well as the International Neuropsychological Society Neuropsychological Interventions SIG, and the Multinational Association for Supportive Care subgroup on cancer related cognitive impairment. In terms of research track record, Dr Pike has 70 papers in high quality journals within Psychology and Neuroscience, with high citation rates (>10,000, Google Scholar), and a book chapter. She has attracted > $8.5 million in research funding to date.
Dr Vino Pillay has a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and more than 15 years of postdoctoral experience as a cancer researcher, with a focus on the development of novel therapeutic strategies to achieve better clinical outcomes for patients with brain and colorectal cancers. She held appointments as a Senior Research Fellow at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, the Hudson Institute for Medical Research and St Vincent’s Institute for Medical Research, among other cancer research positions. Her skills also encompass strategic program management at a leadership level, where Dr Pillay worked as a Program Manager for the innovative Distributed Leadership Program (for Cancer Research and Translation) at the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) Alliance with a focus on research and educational initiatives, followed by a senior leadership role as Program Manager of the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services (VICS) Optimal Care Summits. She is experienced in academic, healthcare and commercial settings and has led multi-site and multidisciplinary projects and research collaborations (at both national and international levels). She has a very strong passion for enabling the rapid translation of research into clinical practice by developing and implementing innovative system changing programs to improve the lives of patients with cancer.
Dr Laveniya Satgunaseelan is a pathologist in the Department of Neuropathology at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney. Her main role is in the provision of molecular neuropathology services. Laveniya is an active member of the NIH Clinical Genome Resource, where she co-chairs two international working groups in cancer genomics. Locally, Laveniya is the current secretary/treasurer of the Australia and New Zealand Society of Neuropathology.
Jim Whittle is Neuro Oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (PeterMac) and joint-head of the Brain Cancer Research Laboratory at WEHI. Jim’s research expertise and reputation are built on a deep understanding of basic biology, the development of patient-derived models for drug discovery, and clinical translation. His clinical research focuses on implementing novel Phase 0 (Perioperative) clinical trials as part of a paradigm shift in drug development.
An emerging leader in the field of Neuro Oncology, Jim has an established institutional and national profile, serving on the management committee and chairing the Outreach and Education Committee for the Cooperative Group for Neuro Oncology (COGNO), as well as participating in various committees within the Society of Neuro Oncology (SNO). In 2023, Jim was appointed Co-Director of Research Strategy at the Brain Cancer Centre (Melbourne) and sits on the research advisory committee for the Mark Hughes Foundation Centre for Brain Cancer Research.
Reflecting a commitment to improving patient outcomes, Jim co-leads a team with Prof. Kate Drummond (RMH) developing an online survivorship platform https://braintumoursonline.org/ to provide reliable information, self-care tools, and a supportive community for Australians affected by brain tumours. He also focussed on improving the transition of care for paediatric patients with brain tumours into the adult setting and increasing equity of access for Adolescents and Young Adults (AYAs) with brain tumours to enrol on clinical trials.
