CoLab Forum brings childhood cancer community together

Collaboration took centre stage at the inaugural Children’s Cancer CoLab Forum, with 183 researchers, clinicians, survivors, families, advocates and sector partners gathering at Melbourne’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre on 28 May 2026. The sold-out event brought together voices from across Australia to share research, strengthen connections and help shape better outcomes for children and adolescents with cancer.

Across 13 program sessions, the Forum explored promising research, improvements in care and the essential role of lived experience. Highlights included celebrating CoLab’s newly awarded Future Leaders Fellows and announcing a partnership with Cancer Australia to develop Australia’s first Optimal Care Pathway for children with cancer.

The lived experience panel was the most valued session among survey respondents, reinforcing the importance of keeping patients and families at the heart of research.

“It was great to see the family perspective on supportive care and survivorship,” one attendee shared. Another reflected: “I thought the forum was excellent; there was an excellent balance between science and the humanities.”

Of the 40 attendees who completed the feedback survey, 75% rated the Forum excellent or very good, and 85% said they were likely or extremely likely to recommend it.

Thank you to everyone who contributed, our major partners, the Victorian Government and Children’s Cancer Foundation, and event sponsors Ipsen and Alexion for making the Forum possible.

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