Building the next generation of cancer improvement leaders
This September, WCMICS welcomes two healthcare professionals to the 2026 IGNITE Mentorship Program, supporting them to lead quality improvement projects that strengthen cancer care across our network.
This September, WCMICS will welcome two healthcare professionals into the next cohort of the IGNITE Mentorship Program, supporting them to develop the skills, confidence and networks to lead meaningful improvements in cancer care.
Over nine months, each mentee will design and deliver a quality improvement project within their own service, addressing a real-world challenge identified through their clinical practice. Through dedicated mentorship, structured learning and protected project time, participants will strengthen their capability to lead change, engage stakeholders and translate ideas into measurable improvements for patients and health services.
IGNITE is built on the belief that those delivering care every day have invaluable insight into where systems can be improved. By investing in emerging improvement leaders, the program helps transform frontline knowledge into practical, sustainable solutions that benefit patients across the cancer care pathway.
Following a competitive expression of interest process, we’re delighted to welcome our two 2026 mentees. Each brings a strong commitment to improving patient care and a willingness to challenge the status quo in pursuit of better outcomes. We look forward to supporting them as they develop, test and implement their projects over the coming months.
“IGNITE is about creating the space for clinicians to step back from the day-to-day, think differently about the challenges they see, and build the skills to lead meaningful change. It’s a privilege to support our mentees as they develop solutions that will benefit patients, their teams and the broader health system.”
– Kate Whitehead, WCMICS Program Lead.
Meryem Fezollari
Research Assistant, Royal Melbourne Hospital
Meryem is a Research Assistant in the Respiratory and Sleep Medicine Department at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. She holds a Bachelor of Health Science from La Trobe University and experience in both basic science and clinical research since 2021. She is currently involved in the National Lung Cancer Screening Program, contributing to both the research and patient care aspects of the program. She is particularly passionate about improving equity of access to cancer screening and early detection for all patients.
Stefano Manca
Exercise Physiologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Stefano is an Exercise Physiologist with clinical and research experience in cardio-oncology. He contributed to developing a heart failure program at the Royal Melbourne Hospital through the Safer Care Victoria Heart Helper pilot and has been involved in clinical trials at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and Austin Health. At Peter Mac, he supports patients across the cancer continuum, from prehabilitation to survivorship, delivering exercise-based interventions to optimise physical function and quality of life. He is passionate about integrating research into practice and committed to improving exercise physiology services for people navigating through their cancer journey.
We look forward to sharing our mentees’ progress and celebrating the impact of their projects as the program unfolds over the coming nine months.
