Exploring barriers to nutritional support for rural oncology patients with Dr Mary Kennedy
The RECAP Journal Club Podcast
In this RECAP (Regional Evidence, Collaboration and Practice) Journal Club episode, we explore barriers to nutritional support for oncology patients living in regional and rural settings.
Host Dr Sam Harris is joined by 'Author in the Room' Dr Mary Kennedy from Edith Cowan University, alongside guest host Louise Moodie, Director of Dietetics at Mackay Hospital and Health Service, to discuss the paper: “Exploring barriers to nutritional support for oncology patients in regional and rural settings: a scoping review through the lens of Levesque’s accessibility framework.”
Dr Kennedy and her team undertook a scoping review to examine perceived barriers to accessing nutrition services, drawing on perspectives from both health service providers and people living with cancer in regional and rural communities.
Together, the panel unpacks the study’s key findings and discusses what they mean for patients, clinicians, and service delivery. The conversation also explores how these insights can inform more equitable and accessible nutrition support for people affected by cancer outside metropolitan centres in Australia.
The RECAP (Regional Evidence, Collaboration and Practice) Journal Club is a quarterly initiative supported by the Cancer Patient Support Program (CPSP) Grant, showcasing peer-reviewed articles that reflect international best practice, led by regional hosts and paper authors.
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Authors in the Room
Dr. Mary Kennedy
Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia
Dr Mary Kennedy, PhD, ACSM-EP, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Implementation Science at the Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute, Edith Cowan University. Her research focuses on understanding how to integrate exercise into oncology care pathways.
She serves on the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Exercise is Medicine Moving Through Cancer Task Force. She is also the founder of the Implementation Science Research Hub in Western Australia. Exercise is more than a career for Dr Kennedy, it is a fundamental part of her daily life. She is a runner who has completed 17 marathons and trained more than 600 people to complete one of their own.
Dr Kennedy leads multiple research projects, and is the recipient of the Cancer Council WA Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, in a bid to make sure every cancer patient in WA receives a referral for exercise from their cancer care team during treatment.
Host
Dr. Samuel Harris
Medical Oncologist, Bendigo Regional Cancer Centre, Bendigo Health
Regional Research and Education Lead, VCCC Alliance
Dr Harris graduated from Adelaide University Medical School and has extensive postgraduate general medical, oncological and palliative care experience. In 2013, he completed medical oncology advanced training at Bendigo Health, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Austin Repatriation Hospital. His final year was a clinical trials fellowship in breast cancer, gastro-intestinal tumours and genitourinary cancers.
Between 2014 and 2016, Dr Harris undertook a fellowship at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, United Kingdom, working initially in the Sarcoma Unit and subsequently with Professor Johann De Bono in the Drug Development Unit (phase 1 trials) and the prostate team.
Dr Harris is a medical oncologist at the Bendigo Health Cancer Centre and also has a fortnightly visiting clinic to Kyneton Regional Health. He is the Clinical Lead for the Oncology Trials Unit. His specialty areas are in breast cancer, melanoma, lung cancer and general oncology.
Louise Moodie
Director of Dietetics, Mackay Hospital and Health Service, Queensland
Louise Moodie is an Advanced Accredited Practicing Dietitian with a passion for advancing dietetics in rural and regional Australia through innovative and collaborative approaches. Her career has encompassed clinical, academic and leadership positions throughout rural, regional and remote Queensland and the Northern Territory. In her current leadership roles within Dietitians Australia, COSA, and as Director of Dietetics for the Mackay Hospital and Health Service, she demonstrates her commitment to the development of services and the workforce to optimise the nutritional health of Australians, no matter the location.
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