With both artificial intelligence and cybersecurity now squarely in the public eye, Dr. Dishan Herath brings a new perspective as the newest member of the Cancer Trials Australia Board.
Dish brings with him the wealth of experience in oncology that we have come to expect from CTA Board members, as well as additional experience in nuclear medicine. As a welcome addition to his clinical expertise, Dish also contributes a focus on strategy and information systems, particularly regarding trial data and how to use it for positive health outcomes; a skillset that is less common in the world of cancer clinical trials.
“I trained as a medical oncologist and nuclear medicine physician and am currently Head of Cancer Services at Western Health and Chief Medical Information Officer at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. My specific area of clinical interest is lung cancer. I have been an investigator on Phase I, II and III cancer clinical trials and I also lead the Cancer Trials unit at Western Health. Through my various roles I have been fortunate to be involved with CTA for a very long time,” he says.
By accepting a position on the CTA Board, Dish is keen to assist CTA to maintain its trusted role as a key custodian of clinical trial information in Australia, as well encourage safely and responsibly exploring strategic opportunities to expand and improve services.
“I was aware of the organisation and of the work they were doing and as I became more senior in my roles I become more heavily involved because CTA was supporting most of the clinical trials in the unit. I have been developing expertise in information systems for some time and was appointed Chief Medical Information Officer at Peter Mac 2018. The strategic questions that trial data raises during a time of expanding artificial intelligence capabilities, alongside ever-expanding cybersecurity issues, is something I am very keen to help CTA grapple with, in line with our goals. These strategic goals centre around the expansion of early phase clinical trials, ensuring the robust and continued financial sustainability for trial sites, as well as improving equity of access to clinical trials, specifically at regional sites and in disadvantaged populations,” says Dr. Herath.
Dish has been a long-time colleague of several other CTA Board members, and he has undertaken committee roles in the VCCC Alliance, as well as serving on other committees and in advisory roles, however, this is his first Board appointment.
“My role on the Board is very much in a listening and learning phase as it’s a new experience for me. I look forward to providing input regarding our strategic direction, specifically around AI, where IT systems technology can provide both opportunities and risks. Cyber security is incredibly important, and only more so going forward. The role of AI is evolving quickly, and it is unfortunately an area that cyber criminals are very good at leveraging too. The way in which technology may enhance the work of CTA needs to be very carefully considered. The world of AI is moving incredibly fast, but the work that CTA supports is not always suitable for high-risk innovation, so every opportunity has to be assessed in terms of risk versus benefit,” says Dish.
“CTA is well positioned to further leverage the clinical trial information it collects. A relatively recent development is CTA taking carriage of a state-wide census of clinical trial participation across Victoria, building on the data set the Cancer Council Victoria has collected since 1988. Our core focus remains for CTA to leverage its existing, incredibly strong position in cancer clinical trials to provide the broadest possible benefit to the Australian community. Recognising we are in a strong position and what we need to do to protect that and leveraging it for the good of the community is central to all our discussions,” says Dr. Herath.