Professor Georgina Long AO and Professor Richard Scolyer AO’s enduring partnership has saved thousands of lives from melanoma, known as Australia’s national cancer.
Less than a decade ago, advanced melanoma was fatal – but thanks to advances in immunotherapy that activate a patient’s own immune system, it has become a curable disease.
The co-medical directors of Melanoma Institute Australia are sought-after media commentators and advocates for sun-safe behaviour and melanoma prevention.
In June 2023, when Richard was diagnosed with incurable Grade 4 brain cancer, Georgina developed a series of world-first treatments based on melanoma breakthroughs.
Richard became the world’s first brain cancer patient to have pre-surgery combination immunotherapy, an experimental treatment hoping to advance the understanding of brain cancer.
Richard has generated widespread public interest by documenting his cancer journey.