Who we are

The Brain Cancer Centre is the culmination of your generosity and support.

Image of Greg Lange

In 2015 Carrie Bickmore OAM won the Gold Logie award which she dedicated to her late husband Greg Lange, who passed away following a 10-year battle with brain cancer.

Carrie went on to form Carrie’s Beanies 4 Brain Cancer Foundation. CB4BC has since raised more than $18 million for this vital research. The CB4BC Foundation’s aim is to ensure as much money as possible gets into the hands of incredible researchers working to find a cure for this horrible disease.

Thanks to the generosity of every person who has bought a beanie, held a fundraiser or donated. You have made this possible.

Thank you.

"I want to see a world where no family has to lose someone they love to brain cancer."

Carrie Bickmore
Image of Carrie Bickmore wearing a beanie

A shared vision

CB4BC and WEHI have been working closely together for many years, with a focus on investing in vital brain cancer research and with a shared vision: that one day no lives will be lost to brain cancer. The Brain Cancer Centre is the culmination of this partnership.

We recognise that it will take a huge investment over the long term to attract the best and brightest minds to brain cancer research. We want to create a brighter future for brain cancer patients and their families and ultimately find a cure for this devastating disease.

The Brain Cancer Centre brings to life this shared vision, and was founded by Carrie’s Beanies 4 Brain Cancer and established in partnership with WEHI with support from the Victoria Government.

Carries Beanies for Brain Cancer logo
WEHI logo
Victoria State Government logo

The Brain Cancer Centre

We want to see a world where brain cancer is a treatable and survivable disease, and where no lives are lost to brain cancer.

To deliver our vision, we need both a sense of urgency to improve the outcomes for brain cancer patients now and a commitment to long-term research that will provide life-changing treatments for future generations.

To be successful, a radically different approach to brain cancer research in Australia is required.

We will develop a system that:

  • has CRITICAL MASS, significant funding, researchers and momentum driving us towards our mission;
  • is COMPREHENSIVE, spanning discovery, translational research, clinical trials, data and tissue banking, and quality-of-life research;
  • is COLLABORATIVE, harnessing the expertise of
    multidisciplinary teams of scientists (biologists, chemists,
    mathematicians, computer scientists and technologists)
    and clinicians (oncologists, surgeons, radiation
    oncologists and immunotherapists);
  • is COLLEGIAL, where up-and-coming researchers are
    attracted into the field to be inspired and mentored by
    experienced scientists; and
  • is COMMITTED to long-term research underpinned by
    CONTINUOUS funding.

Bringing together world-class talent

We will work tirelessly to build collaborations and drive the research that will improve treatment options and survival rates for brain cancer patients, now and in the future. Together we will end brain cancer as a terminal illness and create a brighter future for patients and their families.
Head, The Brain Cancer Centre
Image of Professor Douglas Hilton

Professor Douglas Hilton AO FAA FTSE FAHMS

Doug is Director of WEHI, the inaugural head of The Brain Cancer Centre and the Lorenzo and Pamela Galli Chair in Medical Biology at the University of Melbourne.

Doug began his research career at WEHI and the University of Melbourne in 1986 and has been a researcher at WEHI for the past 35 years and director since 2009.

As a medical researcher, Doug and his team focus on how cells are produced, how they function, and how they ‘talk’ to each other in healthy organs and in cancer. He is passionate about catalysing collaborations that take discoveries from the laboratory into the clinic, to provide hope to patients and drive improvements in disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Doug is an inventor on more than 20 patent families and has led major collaborations with industry to translate his discoveries into treatments. His research is being developed to find medicines that help the body to better fight cancer.

Doug is a passionate advocate for health and medical research, diversity and inclusion, and gender equality in science. He is a past president of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI), serves on the Research Committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council and on the Australian Government Medical Research Advisory Board.

General Manager

Sam McGuane

Sam is a passionate strategic leader whose personal motto is ‘to always be in the service of others’.  For the last 10 years Sam has held several senior strategic positions with Cotton On Group, including managing global community initiatives and leading the development of innovative sports partnerships with the AFL and NRL, delivering powerful outcomes for customers and communities.

Sam is Director and General Manager of Carrie’s Beanies 4 Brain Cancer Foundation.  Sam leads the strategy, governance, finance and general operations of the charity. His role in the Foundation has enabled Sam to develop a strong network across the brain cancer fundraising community and, in partnering with WEHI, has fostered his desire to accelerate brain cancer research efforts.

As the inaugural General Manager for The Brain Cancer Centre, Sam is energised about making a real difference to patients and their families and to help end brain cancer as a terminal illness.

Research Advisory Committee

Assistant Professor Pratiti (Mimi) Bandopadhayay, MBBS PhD

Professor Tracey O’Brien

Professor Tracey O’Brien FRACP, MBA, LLM (Health), GAICD, MBChB, BSc

Image of Brendan Crabb

Professor Brendan Crabb AC PhD FAA FAHMS FASM

Professor Martine Roussel

Professor Martine Roussel PhD

Image of Professor Brandon Wainwright

Professor Brandon Wainwright AM

Our Collaborators

Monash University logo
Murdoch Children's Research Institute logo
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Logo
The Royal Children's Hospital logo
The Royal Melbourne Hospital logo
Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre logo
University of Queensland logo
Australian Brain Cancer Centre Mission logo

Through the advocacy of many groups, the Australian Brain Cancer Mission was announced by Minister Greg Hunt in 2017, with an initial investment of $100 million and a goal to double survival rates in brain cancer. CB4BC and WEHI have both been passionate supporters of The Mission and have partnered with Cancer Australia since its inception to pursue that goal. The establishment of The Brain Cancer Centre is aligned with the strategic priorities of The Mission and acknowledges a vital step in achieving this goal to build research capacity around the country.

The Brain Cancer Centre will continue to drive outcomes in partnership with the Australian Brain Cancer Mission and Cancer Australia, and the other members of The Mission, who share our desire to achieve better outcomes for those diagnosed with brain cancer in the future.

Help us in our mission to end brain cancer as a terminal illness

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