PAULA Nicholson says the next couple of years are both pivotal and exciting in Ballarat's homegrown fight against cancer with research.
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The newly appointed Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute chairman, best known for community philanthropy and the arts, returned to the board last year after a five-year hiatus.
Ms Nicholson looks forward to guiding growth that allows the world-class research team to build on its momentum.
She steps up in what has been a tough period for the Institute, Australia's only regional-based cancer research program, which relies solely on community support without any government funding.
Researchers have continued their work through the pandemic, including lockdowns, with the Institute also providing testing for patients undergoing clinical trials and collecting samples from biopsies, operations and pathology.
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Ms Nicholson said the community should be proud of what it had "underpinned" in what the Institute had achieved. She said now was the time for greater state and national awareness and support.
"The Institute is at a pivotal stage, both in its research potential and profile," Ms Nicholson said.
"Cancer research is a long-term investment, and we are making headway and contributing to the international pool of knowledge on this disease and the various forms it takes.
"The team right here in Ballarat have such momentum and are delivering very promising developments in their research."
Ms Nicholson replaces Graeme Dixon as FECRI chairman.
She continues to serve as Ballarat Arts Foundation chairman and as a long-serving board member for Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute.
FECRI was officially established in 1998. The Institute is internationally regarded for its work, particularly on immunology, and now boasts world-class laboratories in Ballarat Technology Park with 15 staff and five PhD candidates from Federation University.
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