ANZGOG’s Survivors Teaching Students program surpasses 20,000 students and expands across New Zealand
The Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG) is proud to announce two significant milestones in its Survivors Teaching Students (STS) program – an initiative that is reshaping medical education by bringing the voices of gynaecological cancer survivors directly into the classroom.
In May, the University of Auckland hosted its first STS session, joining the University of Otago as part of the program’s growing presence in New Zealand. More than 250 third-year medical students took part in the session, hearing first-hand from ANZGOG volunteer speakers who shared their powerful lived experiences with gynaecological cancer.
These deeply moving and personal stories brought the human reality of gynaecological cancers into focus, offering insights no textbook can provide. Feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive, with many describing the session as “eye-opening” and crediting it with helping them shift their perspective from treating the disease to caring for the person.
This milestone session also coincided with another significant achievement: since its inception in 2017, the STS program has now reached over 20,000 medical and nursing students across Australia and New Zealand.
“This achievement is a testament to the power of lived experience in shaping a more compassionate and patient-centred healthcare professionals,” said ANZGOG CEO, Alison Evans.
“We’re deeply grateful to the more than 100 ANZGOG community volunteers who so generously share their stories, and to the donors who make this program possible through WomenCan.”
The STS program continues to expand, with ANZGOG committed to increasing its reach and impact. By embedding the voices of women with lived experience into health education, STS is helping to build a future generation of healthcare professionals who listen, understand, and respond with compassion.
For more information about the Survivors Teaching Students program, visit: www.anzgog.org.au/sts
Media inquiries: Monique Cerreto: T: 0416 282 464, E: Monique.cerreto@anzgog.org.au
Picutred: STS Volunteers in Auckland
About Survivors Teaching Students®:
ANZGOG’s Survivors Teaching Students® Program (STS) is made possible thanks to the fundraising efforts of WomenCan. To support STS, you can make a donation by visiting WomenCan.org.au.
The Survivors Teaching Students program is under license to ANZGOG from the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance in the USA.
About ANZGOG:
The Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG) is the peak national gynaecological cancer research organisation for Australia and New Zealand. Our mission is to improve outcomes and quality of life for everyone with a lived experience of gynaecological cancer by conducting and promoting clinical trials and multidisciplinary research.
