Richard Scolyer wants Australia to be more sun smart, praises those who have given samples for melanoma research
Professor Richard Scolyer AO was diagnosed with a brain tumour, but it didn’t stop him fighting cancer. Here, he reflects on what makes us a great nation and what he’d change.
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Australians have an attitude that I don’t think you see in many other countries.
People are very friendly, happy in general terms, and they’re willing to do things to help others, including people they don’t know. This was obvious during the Covid crisis.
We also see this all the time at Melanoma Institute Australia. For our research work, we need patients who are willing to allow us to collect their data and specimens – and the percentage of Australians who are willing to do this is way higher than other countries.
It’s another example of the attitude of Australians which we all should be very proud of, and it has made a big difference for us in melanoma research. We’ve been able to change treatments and save lives.
Australia has the highest incidence of melanoma anywhere in the world, and up until 15 years ago, if you had melanoma that had spread around your body, basically it was an incurable disease. After five years, the survival rate was less than 5 per cent, but now that survival is more than 50 per cent. And that’s amazing.
I’ve seen that first-hand since my diagnosis with brain cancer, and I feel remarkably lucky that I’m still here.
I also felt incredibly honoured to be named Australian of the Year with my colleague Georgina Long last year.
Being Australian of the Year also provided amazing opportunities to meet people in different fields who I’d never meet otherwise.
If there’s one thing I’d change about Australia, it would be to make us a more sun smart country.
We don’t want people to not go out and enjoy this beautiful country we live in. We just need to be smart about it, and avoid the risks that come through direct exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
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Originally published as Richard Scolyer wants Australia to be more sun smart, praises those who have given samples for melanoma research