Carla has worked as a Registered Nurse for 18 years in many clinical areas in Melbourne and throughout Queensland and the UK. Carla has been consistently working with cancer patients since 2004 and in advanced practice roles since 2009. Along with her clinical experiences she gained an Honours degree, through a written dissertation about survivorship and resilience in cancer care. She also has a Post Graduate Certificate in Advanced Nursing (Cancer) and a Masters of Nursing (Practice). She is currently in the final stages of completing her PhD investigating how discourse effects the head and neck cancer experience. She has previously been awarded the Pam Renouf Career Development Study Award. Carla presents at both national and international conferences regularly and has recently published a systematic review in the Collegian. She is a committee member on the Cancer Nurses Society of Australia, Queensland regional group, and the Knowledge and Development committee for International Society for Nurses in Cancer Care. Carla is passionate improving the care of cancer patients, increasing the profile of specialist cancer nurses and developing the role of nurse researchers in the clinical space.