CONSUMER ADVISORY PANEL

Members of our Consumer Advisory Panel provide a patient’s perspective in the development of trials and in the conduct of our research program.

Who are the Consumer Advisory Panel?

The Breast Cancer trials (BCT) Board of Directors established the Consumer Advisory Panel (CAP) in 1998 because it recognised the value and importance of consumer input to the planning and conduct of clinical trials research. Today, CAP has seven members from Australia and New Zealand who are committed to the BCT research program and its potential to benefit all women diagnosed with breast cancer, and those at risk. The CAP is chaired by Ms Leslie Gilham.

The input and insights provided by CAP members, some of whom have participated in one of our clinical trials, are integral to the research program of BCT. CAP members are members of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and its subcommittees helping ensure a consumer perspective is provided from the very early planning stage of clinical trials developed by BCT.

All protocols and relevant research documents, particularly patient information, and consent forms, are reviewed by CAP members who are also staunch lobbyists for Quality-of-Life assessments in appropriate clinical trials. Communication is open between CAP members and researchers resulting in improved patient materials providing more clarity and understanding for potential new clinical trial participants.

Listen to the Podcast

In this episode, you’ll hear from our Consumer Advisory Panel (CAP) Chair, Merryn Carter, as well as a number of CAP members including Naveena Nekkalapudi, and Laura McCambridge, as they discuss the role of CAP, and what you can expect from being involved.

CAP members bring their own unique experience of breast cancer, networks, professional skills, advocacy experience and a true commitment to the clinical trials research process. Members participate on BCT committees, represent BCT on external committees and independently contribute to many breast cancer advocacy, research, fundraising and support initiatives.

CAP aims to:

Advocate for women who may be participating, or who have participated, in breast cancer clinical trials.
Provide BCT with a consumer perspective on relevant issues about clinical trials including recruitment, patient information for informed consent, new trial protocols and ethical issues.
Raise community awareness of breast cancer clinical trials and research.
Represent consumer views on behalf of BCT in government, community, consumer and research forums to promote the importance of clinical trials research.

CAP Chair

CAP is chaired by Ms Merryn Carter. Merryn has been a passionate advocate for breast cancer patients since her diagnosis in 2010. Motivated to help improve the life expectancies and experiences of people with breast cancer, she joined BCT CAP in 2018.

Merryn was also a founding member of the Medical Research Future Fund Consumer Reference Panel in 2022, and has worked with the MRFF Genomic Health Futures Mission Evaluation Review and Expert Advisory Panels. She is a member of the NHMRC-MRFF Consumer Advisory Group, and has volunteered with Professors Jane Visvader and Geoffrey Lindeman at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Breast Cancer laboratory since 2014.

CAP Members

Current CAP members include:

Merryn Carter, Chair
Naveena Nekkalapudi, Deputy Chair
Rebecca Angus
Emma Crowley
Laura McCambridge
Kate MacDonald
Leanne Francia
Katrina O’Doherty
Terrena Kelly (on probation)

PUTTING PATIENTS AT THE CENTRE OF RESEARCH

Hear from our Consumer Advisory Panel (CAP) as they discuss their personal breast cancer experiences, their motivations for joining the Breast Cancer Trials CAP, and the importance of providing a consumer perspective on clinical trials.

Ms Merryn Carter

CAP is chaired by Ms Merryn Carter, a passionate advocate for clinical trials. She became chair of CAP in 2025.

Contact

To contact the Consumer Advisory Panel, please email capenquiries@bctrials.org.au.

Email CAP

Merryn Carter

CAP Chair

“When the diagnosis came through, the thing I used to think about was my son being 10, and is this little kid going to be without his mum? It was soul destroying. But as I understood more about the treatment, and that there was hope that I could beat it, I became resolved to beat it.” Merryn is a member of the BCT Consumer Advisory Panel, and was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer in 2010.