MOGA Medical Ethics Committee Update

4 June 2025

The MOGA Medical Ethics Sub-Committee were delighted to host our inaugural webinar on Conflicts of Interest in March 2025, chaired by Professor Michael Millward. We were fortunate to have bioethicists Professor Wendy Lipworth and Dr Lisa Parker share their insights on this important topic, and to have Professor John Zalcberg AO and Cancer Voices consumer representative Ms Karen van Gorp join us on a panel discussion. The presentation provided an overview of the range of potential conflicts of interest that both healthcare practitioners, as well as consumer groups, need to be aware of, beyond just financial ones. The event was attended by over 50 MOGA members, who were also able to contribute to their RACP CPD under the new and mandatory category of ‘ethics and professional behaviour.’

This webinar falls in line with our revamped purposes and activities over the past 18 months, where we are proactively encouraging education and discussion around ethical issues relevant to medical oncology. We hope to see you at our next webinar planned for November 2025, which will cover the challenging ethical issues around the transition to best supportive care for our patients with cancer. 

Our sub-committee includes medical oncologists with different experience and expertise across Australia, as well as bioethicists with academic interests in navigating ethical issues pertinent to cancer care, research and policy. We are currently chaired by Dr Tam Bui, and welcome Dr Sarah Heynemann to the role of Deputy Chair. We invite members interested in contributing in this area to submit a brief statement of interest and your CV so we may welcome you to our team! We also invite you to reach out with your suggestions about topics, events and advocacy so we can direct our efforts into activities most helpful to the MOGA membership.

Dr Tam Bui

Chair, MOGA Medical Ethics Committee