CST Emerging Trialist Award 2023

Dr Wei Lee announced Celia Marston as the winner of the CST Emerging Trialist Award 2023 at the PaCCSC & CST Annual Research Forum on 20 March 2024.

The CST Emerging Trialist Award recognises and celebrates the outstanding achievements and contributions of emerging clinical trials researchers. Each year, the recipient is a CST member who has undertaken research in cancer symptoms as a lead or participating investigator in their first or second clinical trial. 

Celia is a senior Occupational Therapist at the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre. She is well recognised in both the allied health discipline and in palliative care research field with a focus on care transition from inpatient care to home for people with advanced cancer.

She was nominated for this award for her role as Coordinating Principal Coordinator for the study, ‘Caring for carers of people with advaNced cancer at hospiTal discharge: A phase 2 feasibility study (CARENet)’.

In 2020, Celia was awarded a place in the highly competitive ACORD (Australia & Asia Pacific Oncology Research Development Workshop) workshop, to develop the clinical trial on an allied health intervention for carers; one of the select few in palliative care and the only allied health professional which is evidence of the calibre of her work.

She was also successful in receiving competitive funding, including a WCMICS (Western and Central Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service) grant and a Peter MacCallum Foundation grant to support her program of work.

Celia has worked closely with cancer carers to provide her guidance in every step of the research process and led an interdisciplinary team with international collaborators to see the trial to fruition.

Importantly, while on her on journey to be an allied health trialist, she has mentored other emerging allied health researchers, and provided support through roles in the PaCCSC/CST Fatigue Symptom Node Subcommittee and contributed to CST strategic planning.

Her work is already providing valuable insights into improving care transitions, in particular from hospital to home for people with advanced cancer, providing an evidence-based approach.

Congratulations, Celia!