Associate Professor Mandy Ballinger
B App Sc, Monash University, Australia
B Sc (Hons), Monash University, Australia
PhD, Monash University, Australia
MSc, University of Sydney, Australia
Associate Professor Mandy Ballinger is Deputy Director of the UNSW Centre for Molecular Oncology, Leader of the Genetic Cancer Risk Group at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Head of Cohorts for the Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Centre (Omico). Her clinical training includes a Masters in Genetic Counselling. A/Prof Ballinger’s research focus is to define heritable cancer risk and inform future clinical risk management through large patient cohort studies. These include the International Sarcoma Kindred Study, the Genetic Cancer Risk in the Young Study and the Surveillance studies in Multi-Organ Cancer prone syndromes (adult and paediatric). A/Prof Ballinger’s work has identified novel sarcoma predisposition pathways. Her research into the risk management of Li Fraumeni syndrome, a rare, multi-organ high cancer risk disorder, has changed clinical practice nationally and internationally and has recently led to an Australian Medicare item number for whole body MRI for early cancer detection. A/Prof Ballinger has overseen patient recruitment to the Molecular Screening and Therapeutics study and the Cancer Screening Program of the Precision Oncology Screening Platform Enabling Clinical Trials study, facilitating tumour comprehensive genomic profiling for >23,000 Australian cancer patients. A/Prof Ballinger has created powerful tools in these cohorts for both discovery and translation, and has well developed skills in clinical cancer genetics, cohort research, and clinical interventions. Her work has been internationally recognised with the 2023 Liddy Shriver Early Career Research Award. A/Prof Ballinger's goal is to utilize these large cohorts as vehicles for intervention to change practice and improve outcomes for families.
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
2022-2024 Petersen Family Foundation: Surveillance study in Multi-Organ Cancer predisposition syndromes in pediatrics (SMOC Junior) $75,000
2022-2026 MRFF: LUMOS: Low and Anaplastic Grade Glioma Umbrella Study of Molecular Guided Therapies $1,982,681 H Gan (CIA), ML Ballinger (AI)
2022-2026 MRFF: P-OMICS-flow Integrating precision oncology into clinical programs $5,868,917 N Taylor (CIA), ML Ballinger (CI)
2022-2024 Australian Government (Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources): Precision Oncology Screening Platform enabling Clinical Trials (PrOSPeCT) Project Number MMIMCS000002, $185,400,000
2020-2025 Australian Department of Health MRFF Emerging Priorities and Consumer Driven Research Initiative: ASPiRATION: assessing the impact of genomic profiling in lung cancer $12,135,000
2019-2023 Australian Government (Department of Health): Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Program $50M
2019-2023 NSW Office of Health and Medical Research: Genomic Cancer Medicine Program $12,052,872M
2023 Liddy Shriver Early Career Research Award
2018-2020 Cancer Institute NSW Career Development Fellowship
2002-2005 Australian Post Graduate Award
2002-2005 Baker Foundation Award
2003 National Heart Foundation Travel Grant
2003 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Travel Grant to present at 18th International Diabetes Federation Congress
2003 Australian Diabetes Society Travel Grant to present at 18th International Diabetes Federation Congress
2002 Australian Vascular Biology Society Student Award
Head of Cohorts - Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Program (Omico)
Deputy Director - UNSW Centre for Molecular Oncology
Group Leader - Genetic Cancer Risk, Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Conjoint Senior Lecturer - St Vincent's Clinical School, UNSW
Global Study Co-Ordinator - International Sarcoma Kindred Study
My Research Supervision
Milita Zaheed