Vision and Mission

The mission of the Jreissati Pancreatic Centre at Epworth (JPCE) is to improve and extend the lives of people with pancreatic cancer by inspiring hope and providing the best possible care to patients in a timely, patient-centred, coordinated and multidisciplinary manner.

Key Activities

Led by Epworth Gastroenterologist, Associate Professor Andrew Metz, Jreissati Pancreatic Centre will coordinate pancreatic cancer care at Epworth to comprehensively address areas of unmet medical need associated with pancreatic cancer therapy. The Centre has 3 main roles:

  • Clinical care – provide excellent, multidisciplinary, clinical care, facilitated by our Pancreatic Nurse Coordinator, Jo-Anne, who will be the point of call for patients and their families to guide them through their treatment journey.
  • Research – stay at the forefront of research developments in pancreatic cancer through a combination of investigator-led, collaborative group and industry-sponsored studies designed to encompass every phase of patient care and with outcomes in an achievable time frame. 
  • Patient experience – provide patient and GP support and education as well as engaging with local, state and national bodies to promote support for people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. 

Funding

  • PanKind, The Australian Pancreatic Cancer Foundation

Key Partnerships

  • PanCare Foundation
  • Department of Diabetes & Endocrinology, Royal Melbourne Hospital
  • Department of Endoscopy/Gastroenterology, Royal Melbourne Hospital
  • Department of Gastroenterology, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney
  • Department of Upper Gastrointestinal & Hepatobiliary Surgery, Monash Health
  • Hudson Institute of Medical Research
  • Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Centre, Omico
  • University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research (UMCCR)
  • Personalised Oncology – Gibbs Laboratory, Walter Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI)
  • Department of Public Health & Preventative Medicine, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS)
  • Genomic Cancer Medicine, Kinghorn Cancer Centre, Garvan Institute of Medical Research
  • Department of Population Health, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Core Team

• Associate Professor Andrew Metz (Director) MBBS, FRACP
• Caroline Le (Research Program Manager) BSc, BPharmsSc (Hons), PhD
• Jo-Anne Crowther (Pancreatic Nurse Coordinator) BSc, GCertNg (Cncr&PallCare), GDipHA, CertFrontlineMgt.
• Given Lee (Clinical Research Coordinator) BSc (Hons), PhD
• Alishiya Murali (Research Assistant) BSc, MBiomedSc

Clinical Trials/Studies:

Participation in a clinical trial is associated with improved survival (www.ugicr.org.au). At Epworth, there are a number of clinical studies that are open to people with pancreatic cancer. An up-to-date list can be found on our clinical trials page.

For further information:
Website: www.epworth.org.au/jreissaticentre   
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 03 9426 8880