Georgina Long

Melanoma oncologist and researcher

Georgina Venetia Long AO FRACP FAHMS born 15 November 1970 is a leading Australian medical oncologist, clinical trialist and translational researcher, and is a global leader in drug therapy development, who was the joint recipient of the National Australia Day Council's 2024 Australian of the Year Award.

Professor Long devised and led the breakthrough glioblastoma treatment used to treat Professor Richard Scolyer AO (diagnosed in May 2023), joint Australian of the Year.

Professor Long is Co-Medical Director of the Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA), the largest melanoma and complex skin cancer research and clinical care centre in the world, and Chair of Melanoma Medical Oncology and Translational Research at MIA, the University of Sydney and Royal North Shore Hospital and Mater hospitals in NSW, Australia.

Professor Long is at the forefront of global advances in drug therapy for melanoma and leads an extensive clinical trials unit and program at MIA, with a focus on targeted therapies and immune-oncology in melanoma. She is principal investigator on phase I, II and III clinical trials in adjuvant and metastatic melanoma, including trials in patients with active brain metastases.

Professor Long co-leads the MIA translational laboratory at the University of Sydney, Charles Perkins Centre. She is the chief investigator on NHMRC funded research into the molecular biology of melanoma, with a particular interest in the biology underpinning response and resistance to systemic drug therapy, as well as the clinical and tissue biomarker correlates of drug sensitivity and resistance.

Professor Long's H index is 139 and in July 2024 she was ranked the world's equal 1st melanoma expert in all fields and disciplines. In a double world-first, Professor Long was the first woman and the first Australian to be named President of the prestigious US-based Society for Melanoma Research (SMR). Professor Long has authored over 550 publications in melanoma clinical and translational research, has presented at hundreds of international conferences, leads drug therapy melanoma management guidelines around the world and advises many institutions and companies on drug development. In recognition of her groundbreaking work, she has received many eminent awards.^[1]

Early life and career

Professor Long is number five of six children and grew up in Sydney’s Inner West in the state of New South Wales, Australia. She also lived in Rome (Italy) and Philadelphia (USA) from the age of 4-7 years.^[2]

Professor Long attended the American Overseas School of Rome, Shawmont School in Philadelphia, St Joseph’s Newtown Primary School and Santa Sabina College Strathfield for High School (1983-1988).

Professor Long completed her tertiary education at the University of Sydney, Australia where she was awarded the University Medal in Organic Chemistry (1992). She subsequently completed her PhD in Chemistry in the field of anti-cancer agents and their binding to DNA. She then moved to the USA to take up a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellowship at Scripps Research Institute, exploring nanotechnology in cancer treatment, before returning to Australia to complete her MBBS (Hons). Professor Long became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in January 2008, specialising in medical oncology.

In recognition of her ground-breaking research and work, Professor Long was named 2024 Australian of the Year. This award was shared with her colleague and co-medical director Professor Richard Scolyer AO. The same year Professor Long was awarded a Fellowship with the Australian Academy of Science.

Professor Long, with Professor Scolyer, have twice addressed the National Press Club of Australia to draw focus to the fight against melanoma. Their message centres on primary prevention with sun safe behaviour, stop glamorisation of tanning, and sun safety in sports to achieve ‘zero deaths from melanoma’, the MIA mission.

Professor Long received the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences’ Outstanding Female Research Medal in 2021.

She is highly regarded and has been the recipient of several other prestigious awards, including Fulbright U.S. Mission Australia Award for Leadership Excellence (2024), ESMO Women for Oncology Award (2023), Sydney Local Health District/Sydney Research 2022 Research Excellence Award (2022), the distinguished Ramaciotti Medal for Biomedical Research (2021), Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence Award for Outstanding Research University of Sydney (2021), Research Australia GSK Research Excellence Award (2018) and the Sir Zelman Cowen Universities Fund Prize for Discovery in Medical Research (2016).

In 2020, Professor Long was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia.

Professor Long has a number of Cancer Institute of NSW Premier's Awards, including; the Outstanding Cancer Researcher (2018), the Excellence in Translational Cancer Research Award (2017), the Wildfire Award for the most highly-cited, original, peer-reviewed article published (2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020), and in 2013 she was named the Outstanding Cancer Research Fellow. She was also named a Clarivate highly-cited Researcher each year since 2017.

Professor Long is the author of over 550 peer-reviewed publications in clinical and translational research in melanoma, including the New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, The Lancet Oncology, Science, Nature, Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Discovery. Professor Long has presented her work at international conferences and meetings on more than 250 occasions. She is former President for the prestigious International Society for Melanoma Research, continues to and has served many terms as a member or Chair of the ASCO and ESMO Scientific and Education Committees for Melanoma/Skin cancer, is medical oncology lead for the Australian Melanoma Management Guidelines Committee, and is member of both the ASCO Plenary Series. She is on the editorial boards of several high-impact journals, and is a member of the Melanoma Expert Panel for AJCC Cancer Staging System 8th edition.

Personal life

Professor Long is married to Greg O’Dea (married 9 December 2000). They met at the age of 8 years at St Joseph’s Newtown, where Greg attended for one term. They were re-introduced in the 1990s by a mutual musician friend.

They have three daughters: Livia, Lucia and Ella.

Professor Long's parents, Ann and Geoffrey Long were medical doctors in Public Health and Anaesthetics, respectively. She grew up with a family focus on making changes that impact populations in medicine and science, the importance of an education, of independent thought and a love of books and textiles.

Professor Long has a love of art, particularly photography and portraiture, and all things visual.

Sporting Achievements

Professor Long is a keen competitive sportswoman, and has represented Australia at the World Triathlon Championship Series in May 2023 and August 2019 in Spain and Switzerland, respectively.

She was selected to represent Australia in the Age Group Team at the World Triathlon Multisport World Championships in 2024.

Her other sporting interests include basketball, downhill and cross-country skiing, and hiking. At the University of Sydney, she competed in intervarsity white water Kayaking (1989).

Scholia has a profile for Georgina V. Long (Q42947998).

Awards, honours and recognition

According to MIA's CEO Matthew Browne, 'Hardly a week goes by without a melanoma patient or their family expressing their gratitude for Professor Long’s ground-breaking research and clinical trials which have afforded them or their loved ones valuable extra time, and in many cases, a new chance at life.' 'She is a true role model for all young Australians, particularly young women, who may be working towards a career in science and medicine.'^[3] Two babies have been named after the MIA and Long.^[4]

2024 – Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science^[5]
2024 – Fulbright U.S. Mission Australia Award for Leadership Excellence
2024 – The Best of the USCAP Journals
2024 – Australian of the Year (Co-Awardee: Professor Richard Scolyer AO)
2024 – NSW Australians of the Year (Co-Awardee: Professor Richard Scolyer AO)

2023 – ESMO Women for Oncology Award
2023 – Clarivate Analytics – Highly Cited Researcher – Clinical Medicine^[6]
2023 – Medical Oncology Group of Australia – Novartis Oncology Cancer Achievement Award

2023 – Top 10% of article published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
2022 –The Australian – Research Magazine’s Top 250 researchers – Oncology
2022 – Clarivate Analytics – Highly Cited Researcher – Clinical Medicine
2022 – Cancer Institute NSW Premier’s Awards: Wildfire Award, most cited article published in 2019
2022 – Sydney Local Health District/Sydney Research Research Excellence Award (Co-awardees: Professor Richard Scolyer AO & Associate Professor Alexander Menzies)
2021 – Ramaciotti Medal for Excellence in Biomedical Research
2021 – Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence Award for Outstanding Research, University of Sydney (Co-awardee: Professor Richard Scolyer AO)
2021 – Cancer Institute NSW Premier’s Awards: Wildfire Award, most cited article published in 2018
2021 – The Australian – Research Magazine’s Top 250 researchers – Oncology
2021 – AAHMS 2021 Medal for Outstanding Female Researcher^[7]
2020 – Order of Australia (AO) for "distinguished service to medicine, particularly to melanoma clinical and translational research, and to professional medical societies".^[8]
2020 – Cancer Institute NSW Premier’s Awards: Wildfire Award, most cited article published in 2017
2019 – The Australian – 2019 Research Magazine; Named as Field Leader (Oncology)
2019 – Australian Financial Review – 100 Women of Influence Award Finalist^[9]
2018 – GSK Award for Research Excellence, Research Australia Health & Medical Research Awards (Co-awardee: Professor Richard Scolyer AO)^[10]
2018 – Cancer Institute NSW Premier’s Awards: Outstanding Cancer Researcher of the Year^[11]^[12]
From 2017 onwards – Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher – Clinical Medicine
2017 – Cancer Institute NSW Premier’s Awards: Wildfire Award, most cited article published in 2014
2017 – Cancer Institute NSW Premier’s Awards: Excellence in Translational Cancer Research Award (Co-awardees: Professor Richard Scolyer and the Melanoma Institute Australia Translational Team)
2017 – Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences^[13]
2016 – Cancer Institute NSW Premier’s Awards: Wildfire Award, most cited article published in 2013
2016 – Sir Zelman Cowen Universities Fund Prize for Discovery in Medical Research; for extensive contributions to the field of melanoma research and clinical services^[1]
2016 – Society for Melanoma Research, Young Investigator Award^[14]
2015 – Amgen Australia, Award for the Best Consultant Poster, Medical Oncology Group of Australia’s Annual Scientific Meeting in Hobart
2015 – Thomson Reuters Citation and Innovation Award for Outstanding Research; for research in BRAF-mutated melanoma (Co-awardees: Professor Richard Scolyer, Professor Richard Kefford, Professor Grant McArthur)
2015 – INSTYLE award for Women in Science and Technology^[14]
2015 – Finalist, Pride of Australia Award for contribution to the community (Telegraph Newspaper)
2014 – Cancer Institute NSW Premier’s Awards: Wildfire Award, most cited article published in 2011^[1]
2014 – Top 5 most highly cited article 2012 for Clinical Cancer Research (IF 7.837)
2013 – Top 50 most highly cited article 2011 for Journal Clinical Oncology (IF18.97)
2013 – Cancer Institute NSW Premier’s award for Outstanding Cancer Research Fellow^[1]
2013 – Nominated for Australian of the Year^[1]
2013 – Sir Roy McCaughey Fellowship, RACP^[1]
2013-2016 – Melanoma Research Alliance Young Investigator^[1]
2012 – Marjorie Hooper Scholarship, RACP^[1]
2011 – Best published manuscript, Westmead Millennium Institute^[1]
2011 – Development Fellowship, Cancer Institute NSW^[1]
2011 – Career Development Grant, Cancer Institute NSW^[1]
2010 – Australia Post Melanoma Fellowship, Cancer Institute NSW^[1]
2010 – Cancer Institute NSW, Conference Grant^[1]
2007 – ANZATAX, Advanced Trainee Travel Grant^[1]
2006 – Amgen Australia, Advanced Trainee Grant, best oral presentation MOGA^[1]
2006 – DK Baird Bicentennial Travelling Fellowship, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital^[1]
1999 – Esma May Harris Scholarship, The University of Sydney 1998^[1]
1997 – J B Watt Travelling Scholarship, The University of Sydney 1996^[1]
1995 – C G and R J W Le Fevre Postgraduate Student Lecture, The University of Sydney^[1]
1995 – George Harris Postgraduate Prize, The University of Sydney^[1]
1994 – James Kentley Memorial Scholarship, The University of Sydney^[1]
1994 – G H S and I R Lightoller Scholarship, The University of Sydney^[1]
1994 – R J W Le Fevre Travelling Scholarship, The University of Sydney^[1]
1993-1996 – Henry Bertie Florence Mable Gritton Postgraduate Scholarship^[1]
1993 – Australian Post Graduate Research Award, The University of Sydney^[1]
1992 – University Medal for Organic Chemistry, The University of Sydney^[1]
1992 – Janet Elspeth Crawford Prize, Chemistry, The University of Sydney^[1]
1991 – Inglis Hudson Scholarship (major), Chemistry, The University of Sydney^[1]
1991-1992 – Vacation Scholarship, Research School of Chemistry, Australia National University^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac "Georgina Long - Awards & Honours". The University of Sydney.
^ "The people behind the Professors". Melanoma Institute Australia. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
^ "Professor Georgina Long makes history as the first woman and first Australian to lead the Society for Melanoma Research". Melanoma Institute Australia. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
^ "Babies named after those who saved their dads". www.dailytelegraph.com.au. 24 February 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
^ "Academy announces 2024 Fellows for outstanding contributions to science". Australian Academy of Science. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
^ "Georgina V Long - Web of Science Core Collection". Clarivate Web of Science. Clarivate. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
^ "Cancer researcher wins inaugural Outstanding Female Researcher Medal". AAHMS – Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
^ "Professor Georgina Venetia Long". Dept of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
^ "2019 Women of Influence are champions of reinvention". Australian Financial Review. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
^ "Australian researchers revolutionising melanoma treatment receive major research award | GSK Australia". GSK. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
^ Han, Esther (2 November 2018). "How Georgina is driving one cancer's death rate down to zero". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
^ "Cancer NSW".
^ "Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences" (PDF). Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. October 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Academic Profiles". The University of Sydney.