Dr Michelle Cronje
(nee McMullen)

Medical Oncologist

MBBS (Hons), MSc (Distinction), FRACP

Dr Michelle Cronje is a Medical Oncologist with a special interest in breast and gynaecological cancers. She is passionate about high-quality care for women affected by cancer, across the spectrum of disease, including cancer survivorship. Dr Cronje is accredited at St John of God Subiaco Hospital, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and King Edward Memorial Hospital.

Dr Cronje completed her medical degree through the University of Western Australia, supported by a prestigious Fogarty Foundation undergraduate scholarship, and graduating with honors. She has been awarded a Master’s of Science (with Distinction) through Bart’s Cancer Institute, London UK, with her dissertation focusing on breast cancer and the biology of mammographic density. Her internal medicine training and advanced training in Medical Oncology have been completed in Western Australia. Following award of the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Dr Cronje undertook further specialist fellowship training at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre - University of Toronto, spending two years contributing to cutting-edge translational research in gynaecological cancer and novel therapeutics. She has multiple lead-author publications in high-impact journals including Nature Oncology, Cancers, and Clinical Cancer Research and has numerous presentations at national and international meetings.

Qualifications

2018-2020

Toronto University

Clinical Research Fellowship – Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

2019

******

2015

London University, UK

2012

Western Australia University

Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians

(Medical Oncology)

Masters of Science (Distinction) – Barts Cancer Institute/Queen Mary

Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) with Honors

Positions

St John of God Subiaco Hospital – Accredited physician (Medical Oncologist)

Professional Memberships

Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP)
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
Australia and New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG)
Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA)
European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO)

Publications

Peer reviewed journal articles

McMullen, M.; Karakasis, K. Rottapel, R. Oza AM; Advances in Ovarian Cancer: From Biology to Treatment. Nature Cancer January 2021.

Cook AM, McDonnell A, Millward MJ, Creaney J, Hasani A, McMullen M, Meniawy T, Robinson BWS, Lake RA, Nowak AK. A phase 1b clinical trial optimizing regulatory T cell depletion in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy in thoracic cancers. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2021 May;21(5):465-474. doi: 10.1080/14737140.2021.1882308. Epub 2021 Feb 9. PMID: 33509005.

Ainhoa Madariaga, Gita Bhat, Michelle K Wilson, Xuan Li, Sunu Cyriac, Valerie Bowering, Wendy Hunt, David Gutierrez, Luisa Bonilla, Lawrence Kasherman, Michelle McMullen, Lisa Wang, Sangeet Ghai, Neesha C Dhani, Amit M Oza, Stephanie Lheureux. Research Biopsies in patients with gynecologic cancers: patient-reported outcomes, perceptions and preferences. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (AJOG). 2021 Jun 23:S0002-9378(21)00706-7.

Kasherman L*, Madariaga A*, Qin L, Bonilla L, McMullen M, Liu SL, Wang L, Fazelzad R, Karakasis K, Heesters AM, Oza AM. Ethical Frameworks in Clinical Research Processes during COVID-19. BMJ open. 2021 July 23;11(7) :e047076. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047076.

McMullen, M; Karakasis, K. Oza AM; Moving Beyond BRCA - Incorporating Molecular Assays into Ovarian Cancer trials. Clinical Cancer Research July 2020.

Durber K, Halkett GK, McMullen M, Nowak AK. Measuring financial toxicity in Australian cancer patients - Validation of the COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity (FACT COST) measuring financial toxicity in Australian cancer patients. Asia Pac J Clin Oncol. 2021 Feb 10. doi: 10.1111/ajco.13508. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33567158. (Impact factor 1.539)

McMullen, M.; Madariaga, A.; Lheureux, S.; New approaches for targeting platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Seminars in Cancer Biology. September 2020.

McMullen, M.; Karakasis, K.; Madariaga, A.; Oza, A.M. Overcoming Platinum and PARP-Inhibitor Resistance in Ovarian Cancer. Cancers 2020, 12, 1607.

McMullen, M.; Karakasis, K.; Loembe,B.; Dean, E.; Parr, G.; Oza, A.M. DUETTE: A Phase 2 Randomized, Multi-Centre Study to Investigate the Efficacy and Tolerability of a Second Maintenance Treatment in Patients with Platinum Sensitive Relapsed Epithelial Ovarian Cancer, Who Have Previously Received PARP Inhibitor Maintenance Treatment. International Journal of Gynecological Cancer September 2020.

Madariaga, A.; McMullen, M.; Sheikh, S.; Kumar, R.; Liu, F.; Zimmermann, C.; Husain, S.; Zadeh, G.; Oza, A.M. COVID-19 testing in cancer patients: Does one size fit all? Clinical Cancer Research. July 2020

Madariaga, A.; Bonilla, L.; McMullen, M.; Lheureux, S.; Oza, A.M. Efficacy and safety updates of Poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor maintenance in ovarian cancer from ASCO 2020. International Journal of Gynecological Cancer July 2020.

McMullen M, Lau PKH, Taylor S, et al. Factors associated with psychological distress amongst outpatient chemotherapy patients: An analysis of depression, anxiety and stress using the DASS-21. Appl Nurs Res 2018; 40: 45-50.

Conference presentations

Michelle McMullen, Lisa Avery, JinFeng Zou, Zhen Zhao, Azieb Tesfu, Neesha Dhani, Lillian Siu, Amit Oza, Kathy Han, Scott Bratman, Stephanie Lheureux. Circulating Human Papillomavirus DNA as a Biomarker of Response in Advanced Cervical Cancer. Poster. ESMO 2021

Madariaga A, Bhat G, Li X, Wilson MK, Cyriac S, Bowering V, Hunt W, Gutierrez D, Bonilla L, Kasherman L, McMullen M, Wang L, Ghai S, Dhani N, Oza AM, Lheureux S. Research biopsies in gynecologic oncology: patients perspective. Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO). Poster. March 2021.

Madariaga A, Garg S, Oza AM, Rouzbahman M, Dhani N, Bonilla L, Croke J, Laframboise S, Bhat G, Kasherman L, McMullen M, Liu S, Wang L, Bowering V, Lheureux S. Treatment and outcome of women with cervical mucinous carcinoma: 10 year experience from a single centre. Poster. Society of Gynecologic Oncology, March 2020.

Madariaga A, Garg S, Oza AM, Rouzbahman M, Dhani N, Bonilla L, Laframboise S, Croke J, Kasherman L, Liu S, Bhat G, McMullen M, Wang L, Bowering V, Lheureux S. Mucinous ovarian malignancies 10-year overview of treatment and outcome from a single centre. Poster. Society of Gynecologic Oncology, March 2020.

Bhat G, Jivraj N, Oza AM, Dhani N, Lee YC, Madariaga A, Kasherman L, McMullen M, Liu S, Bowering V, Ferguson S, Croke J, Shlomovitz. E, Chawla. T, O’Brien .C, Lau. J, Lheureux S. Proactive Inter-professional Program to Manage Malignant Bowel Obstruction (MBO) in Women With Advanced Gynecological Cancer: Improving Quality Of Care, Education and Awareness of MBO Among Patients and Healthcare Providers. Poster. Society of Gynecologic Oncology, March 2020.

McMullen, M., et al., Factors associated with psychological distress amongst outpatient chemotherapy patients: An analysis of depression, anxiety and stress using the DASS-21. Poster Clinical Oncology Society Australia Meeting, 2016.

McMullen M, Dean A. Case study: response of anaplastic thyroid cancer to Nab-paclitaxel [Abstract]. Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology 2013; Vol 9 supp 2; p60; Poster Medical Oncology Group of Australia, 2013,

McMullen M et al. Impact of tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) & tumour regression in primary cutaneous melanoma on response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor (ICI) therapy. [Poster Clinical Oncology Society Australia Meeting, Gold Coast 2016.

McMullen M, Davidson A, Khattak M. Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cetuximab Treatment as Conversion Therapy in Colorectal Cancer with Liver Limited Disease. Poster American Society of Clinical Oncology GI, San Francisco, 2017.

McMullen M, King A, Nowak A. Determinants of Weight Gain in Patients with GBM and its Effect on Comorbidities and Complexity of Care Needs. Poster Clinical Oncology Society Australia Meeting, 2018.

Robinson K, Halkett G, McMullen M, Nowak A. Validation of COST-FACIT tool to assess financial toxicity in Australian public hospital cancer patients. Poster Clinical Oncology Society Australia Meeting 2018.

Lam WS, Savage C, Hung T, McMullen M. Prediction of recurrence and survival using PET SUV max in patients with resected non-small cell lung cancer. Poster Clinical Oncology Society Australia Meeting 2018.

M Verheggen, M McMullen, L Miller, A Nowak, "The Association Between Levetiracetam Prescription and Psychiatric Referral in High-Grade Glioma Patients - a Pilot Study". Journal of Psychosomatic Research. June 2016. Vol 85, p86. Poster World Congress of Psycho-Oncology, Washington 2015.

Dr Michelle Cronje (nee McMullen)