ProfessorAnnette Haworth

FACPSEM, PhD (UWA), MSc (UWA), BSc(Hons, Leeds, UK)

Prof Haworth is an ACPSEM accredited medical physicist with more than 25 years hospital based, clinical medical physics experience. She has held the Chair of Medical Physics role at the University of Sydney since 2016. Annette is the Director of the Institute of Medical Physics and the course director for the Master of Medical Physics course. Since August 2023 Prof Haworth has also held the conjoint role of Director, Radiation Oncology Medical Physics at Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals. With proud links to the University of Sydney, both hospitals provide a full range of high-quality radiation therapy treatments and are actively engaged in further developing their reputation as a world leaders in radiation oncology related research and development.

Prof Haworth's research work includes the development of radiobiological models and advanced imaging techniques for biologically targeted radiation therapy. Prof Haworth has an international reputation in the field of brachytherapy; she has represented the Australasian Brachytherapy Group (ABG) on several local and international brachytherapy related committees. Prof Haworth's PhD (awarded with distinction) involved development of bio-effect models in prostate cancer radiotherapy. After developing the first Australian program for prostate cancer therapy with permanently-implanted radioactive seeds, she maintained a focus on prostate cancer radiotherapy, and in 2010-2014 successfully lead a PdCCRS funded project to further develop the bioeffect model for focal brachytherapy, establish imaging protocols to extract data to inform the model and develop software to automate treatment planning for brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy using the bio-effect model. Since then she has received multiple grants, including NHMRC and now leads the BiRT research team with multiple national and international collaborations, a team of post-doctoral fellows and multiple PhD students (https://birt.sydney.edu.au/). The BiRT project will develop imaging biomarkers to provide quantitative tumour characteristic descriptors to inform a biological model for radiotherapy treatment planning and treatment response in multiple tumour sites including prostate, liver, colorectal cancer and breast.

Prof Haworth has had significant involvement in the design, management and quality assurance of clinical trials. She is a Life Member of the clinical trials organisation THe TransTasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG), and member of the Board of Directors. Annette is the principal investigator for the SI-BiRT (sequential imaging in biofocussed radiotherapy) clinical trials (ANZCTR UTN U1111-1221-9589).