Consumer Advocates
Volunteer Position
We are always keen to partner with members of our community who have a shared interest in seeing changes in how cancer is treated and managed.
Partnering with everyday people in the community, people with lived experience of being a cancer patient or a carer is vital to ensuring our research translates into better outcomes for patients, including improving their quality of life.
‘Consumer Advocates’, as they are commonly referred to in the medical research world, are people who have been affected by cancer – either they have had cancer themselves and are in disease-free remission, they are receiving treatment for cancer, or they are a family member or friend of someone affected by cancer. While they will work directly with our researchers, they are not expected to have a scientific background.
Our consumer advocates are highly valued and respected members of the ONJCRI team. It is a personally rewarding experience that provides a unique opportunity to directly inform our cancer research, provides our researchers with insight into how a treatment could affect a patient’s life during and after treatment, and ensures that our researchers stay focused on pressing patient needs.
If you would like to know more about what is involved in being an advocate, please email: consumeradvocate@onjcri.org.au
“I want to help people and see a positive outcome from my volunteer work with the ONJCRI. I get a sense of satisfaction that the time I am giving will achieve something really positive for patients in the future.
If you’re thinking of volunteering, my advice would be – just do it. You don’t need to understand the science, and you don’t need to have had cancer, because we have all been affected in some way and we all know someone who has had cancer.
It is a real privilege to contribute to shaping cancer research.”
-Current ONJCRI consumer advocate