Research
Grant Awarded
Young researcher and childhood cancer survivor awarded grant to tackle global gaps in cancer support for young people.
We are proud to announce that Clarissa Schilstra, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Behavioural Sciences Unit within the School of Clinical Medicine at UNSW, has been awarded the 2025 Professor Ian Olver AM Psycho-Oncology Research Acceleration Grant for Early Career Researchers.
The grant, established in honour of esteemed psycho-oncology leader Professor Ian Olver AM, recognises and supports bold new research directions that improve the mental and emotional wellbeing of adolescents and young adults affected by cancer.
Dr Schilstra’s project, ‘Developing global policy priorities to bridge disparities in psychosocial outcomes of AYA cancer survivors across high, middle and low-income countries’, will address a critical gap in understanding and supporting the lived experiences of young cancer survivors worldwide.
Diagnosed with leukaemia as a toddler and again as a teenager, Dr Schilstra’s lived experience profoundly shaped her career. With no access to psychosocial support during her own treatment, she has spent the past 15 years determined to ensure no other young person has to navigate cancer feeling alone and unsupported.
Now based in Australia at UNSW Sydney, Dr Schilstra’s research will engage survivor-advocates and community leaders from countries across Africa and South America to ensure the voices of AYAs in low- and middle-income countries are heard understood and represented in future global health policy.
Professor Ian Olver AM praised the intent of the grant and its inaugural recipient.
The Professor Ian Olver AM Psycho-Oncology Research Acceleration Grant is a partnership between Canteen, Teen Cancer America, and Teenage Cancer Trust (Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Global Accord).
Submissions for the 2025 grant came from around the world, reflecting the growing international momentum behind psychosocial care for young cancer patients.
At its core, the grant aims to accelerate meaningful change, foster global connections, and build a future where every young person affected by cancer – regardless of where they live – has access to the support they need to survive and thrive.
