TEVIOTVILLE behavioural scientist and cancer control expert, Professor Jeff Dunn, has been elected President of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
The role brings with it an uneasy personal association with the disease because the medical professional was recently diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma known as mantle lymphoma.
A positive in this is he has spent 30 years working with the UICC and had already committed his life to controlling cancers.
The hope he brought to others he now channels into his own battle and it’s a war that has delivered an enemy the host knows inside and out.
Professor Dunn and his wife Suzanne moved to the Scenic Rim from Sydney in December 2020.
The choice to make Teviotville home, he says, was an easy one after a short stay in Boonah about 40 years ago, left him with a lasting impression of the area.
“In the early 80’s, I worked in Ipswich for a few years and for part of that time I lived in a rented house just outside Boonah,” he recalled.
“I thought at the time ‘this is a terrific place’ and that memory stuck with me.
“When Suzanne and I were looking for a place to settle outside of the big cities, we took a drive around the area and that was that.
“Each day we rise to the day confirms for us how correct that choice was, the community, the locality, the environment ... Teviotville is our home.”
Professor Dunn’s appointment as president came after a global peer nomination process.
Outgoing UICC President Dr Anil D’Cruz of India praised Prof Dunn for his dedication to improving Australian and worldwide cancer control.                                                                  “Over his 30 years of involvement in UICC’s work, Professor Dunn has accelerated our progress towards the elimination of cancer,
broadening global knowledge on the physical, psychosocial, spiritual and economic impacts of cancer,” he said.
“He has been key in securing international endorsement of quality standards of care, helping us to address the life-long effects of cancer on individuals and the community, so that patients and their loved ones can attain optimal quality of life.”
It’s not often a medical professional can say “I understand” when talking to those battling cancer and while not a desired tool of the trade, Prof Dunn’s battle enables him to truly appreciate what patients are going through.
“As president I will continue to devote my time to addressing the health and well-being of our community, to prevent cancer when we can and to support those diagnosed when it strikes,” he said.
“My work will continue to take a special focus on engaging world leaders, policy makers, and professionals in adopting Quality Standards of Care in universal systems of practice, to ensure that those who are living with the disease are living well.
“Above all, my presidency will be guided by the patient voice, listening to the needs of our community and making sure they are heard.”
Professor Dunn assumed the role of president for a two-year period until October 2024, and was supported by a ballot of 1200 UICC member organisations around the world.