Claire Elizabeth Wakefield

Professor Claire Elizabeth Wakefield is a distinguished medical psychologist at the University of New South Wales' School of Clinical Medicine and Executive Director of the Behavioural Sciences Unit at Sydney Children's Hospital. She holds significant international leadership positions including Continental President (Oceania) for the International Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) and collaborates closely with the World Health Organisation on the Global Childhood Cancer Initiative.

Her research focuses on improving quality of life for patients with medical illnesses, particularly children with cancer and other life-limiting conditions. Key research areas include health psychology, palliative care, advance care planning, precision medicine, genomic sequencing, cancer predisposition syndromes, patient education, and assisting families with difficult medical decisions. Professor Wakefield's work spans the entire spectrum of child health research from newly diagnosed families through on-treatment families, long-term survivors, and bereaved caregivers.

Professor Wakefield has published over 350 journal articles and secured more than $55 million in competitive research grants. Her significant contributions have been recognized with numerous awards including the NSW Premier's Outstanding Cancer Research Fellow of the Year.

• University Medal for Psychology
• Australian Psychological Society Prize
• NSW Young Tall Poppy Science Award
• International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) Hiroomi Kawano New Investigator Award
• Dean's Rising Star award
• Diamond Jubilee International Visiting Fellowship at the University of Southampton, UK

As an NHMRC Investigator Grant recipient, Professor Wakefield leads a robust research program examining psychosocial aspects of childhood cancer care. Her international leadership roles position her at the forefront of global efforts to improve outcomes for children with cancer across Oceania. She serves on multiple advisory boards including the World Health Organisation Global Childhood Cancer Initiative, iCOPE (interegional Childhood Oncology Precision medicine Exploration), and the Danish Cancer Society Research Centre for Pediatric Oncology.

Professor Wakefield's work with bereaved families and focus on precision medicine approaches to psychological care represent cutting-edge developments in pediatric oncology research. Her leadership in the Behavioural Sciences Unit has established it as a center of excellence for psychosocial research in childhood cancer.