Friends of the Cancer Centre has been investing in the training and development of staff across cancer & haematology services since 2008, through its scholarships programme.

The Dr Gary McGowan, Pamela Lutton and Pearl Ewing scholarships are dedicated and named after former colleagues who were themselves passionate about the development of staff for the good of local cancer patients.

The scholarships are awarded each year to allow staff to undertake training or educational courses, helping them to stay at the forefront of developments in patient care, treatment techniques and cancer research.

Scholarships 2023

The scholarships were awarded in late 2023 to Dr David Johnston, Christina Smith and Anna O’Regan.

The Dr Gary McGowan Scholarship is awarded to Dr David Johnston, enabling him to attend ASTRO 2024 in Washington D.C. The ASTRO (American Society for Radiation Oncology) conference will feature presentations on the latest worldwide trials in radiation oncology and updates from industry regarding new radiation technologies.

The Pamela Lutton Scholarship is awarded to Christina Smith, for completion of a postgraduate module in Image Guided Radiotherapy. This will equip Christina with competencies in using imagery for treatment verification, ensuring safe and accurate treatment and reducing long term side effects for her patients.

The Pearl Ewing Scholarship is awarded to Anna O’Regan, to allow her to complete a post graduate module in Cross-Sectional Anatomy for Nuclear Medicine Practitioners. This will enable Anna to increase her CT competencies, allowing her to provide more diagnostically relevant data for oncologists and clinicians in her day-to-day role.

The Friends of the Cancer Centre Scholarships Panel would like to commend all those who applied for the charity’s scholarships this year, and congratulates the winners on their award amongst an extremely high standard of applications.

The Friends of the Cancer Centre Scholarships will open again for applications in September 2024.