In 2025, Arrow supported four nurses with Travel Scholarships, generously funded by Jazz Pharmaceuticals, to attend the ANZTCT Scientific Meeting on the Gold Coast. Their reflections highlight just how valuable this opportunity was – not only for their professional growth, but for the patients, teams and services they support every day.

Peta Edgar, Greenslopes Private Hospital Queensland

Having attended the ANZTCT meeting the previous year, Peta knew the conference would deepen her knowledge of cellular therapy and enhance her ability to offer best practice care.

This year, she discovered new local services available to patients, including a cancer specialised exercise physiologist, and gained technical knowledge that led to a meaningful change in her unit’s practice.

From a poster presentation, Peta and her team revised the timing of Mozobil administration, a medication used to help mobilise stem cells from the bone marrow for collection. This adjustment may seem small, but for patients undergoing autologous transplantation, it can make a significant difference.

Reflecting on her experience, Peta shared “Every new piece of education learned, improves the way we care for our patients and ensures they are getting best practice.”

Nicola Roborgh – Greenslopes Private Hospital Queensland

Nicola applied after seeing the benefits her colleague Peta gained in 2024, and described being selected as a scholarship recipient as “a real privilege”.

The conference expanded Nicola’s perspective on equity, long term recovery and the importance of personalising patient education. A session on intersectionality prompted her to reflect on the need to improve access to CAR-T therapies, while a UK nurse practitioner’s presentation on long term follow up care inspired her to rethink survivorship support.

One speaker’s analogy of transplant being like navigating a dense forest resonated deeply – each patient’s journey unique, challenging and impossible to fully predict.

Nicola returned home and immediately refined her patient education materials to give patients more agency, acknowledge the financial stress they face, and focus on what they can control.

The conference strengthened her advocacy too – she shared that she was able to defend the essential role of social work for transplant patients, using evidence she had learned at ANZTCT.

“It broadened my horizons as a transplant nurse,” she said, noting how the conference “reinforced my practice and fuels my passion in caring for patients.”

Maureen O’Brien, Alfred Hospital Melbourne

Maureen’s decision to apply was inspired by colleagues who spoke highly of the ANZTCT 2024 meeting. She described feeling “thrilled” and “really thankful to be recognised as someone being worthy to receive such a generous scholarship”.

The conference reaffirmed for Maureen the importance of teamwork in transplant care – not just within her own hospital, but across disciplines and hospitals nationwide. She found great value in the pharmacy-led sessions and appreciated reconnecting with colleagues from Stem Cell Donors Australia, whom she collaborated with closely.

She was especially moved by a patient story shared during one session, which reminded her of the emotional and human depth behind every transplant journey.

The experience left her feeling strengthened and validated “The experience confirmed for me that I have a very good knowledge base in stem cell transplantation.”

To Arrow, she offered heartfelt thanks “Thank you with all my heart.”

Sharni Dickenson, Fiona Stanley Hospital WA

For Sharni, attending ANZTCT was an important opportunity to collaborate with colleagues and gather insights to strengthen her team’s transplant service. She was particularly inspired by international guest speaker John Murray, who shared his experience in building a late effects clinic.  As the only transplant nurse from her team able to attend, she returned to Perth and shared her learnings at the weekly team meeting, helping to shape and develop future programs.

Seeing national data showing the rising volume of transplants and CAR-T therapies was a pivotal moment for her. “The data really hit home,” she said – reinforcing both the scale of growth in cellular therapies and the importance of preparing their service for what lies ahead.

Like her colleagues, Sharni identified practical changes she could make immediately. She has already developed a holistic needs survey to better identify and address the wider needs of transplant patients.

Sharni also valued connecting with colleagues from Queensland, and appreciated connecting more deeply with the Arrow team during the Paint the Town Red fundraiser, which gave her a fuller picture of the breadth of support Arrow provides for both patients and clinicians.

Her gratitude reflects the collective sentiment of all four scholarship recipients:

“We couldn’t do what we do without your help, so thank you!”