Why did you want to do an internship at the McCabe Centre?
Before starting my legal studies, I completed a degree in biomedicine during the tail-end of the COVID-19 lockdowns. It struck me that it was not the biomedical development of the vaccines that hindered the global pandemic response, but political, economic and social barriers to their distribution and utilisation, and that the law was uniquely positioned to overcome them. The McCabe Centre’s mission to use law to fight cancer resonated with this interest and I was excited by the opportunity to see how the law was being used in practice to improve public health outcomes.
What kind of things did you do during your internship?
During my internship, I had the exciting opportunity to work on two major projects. The first focussed on examining international approaches to developing and sustaining cancer registries. Cancer registries are essential for cancer control, but face challenges related to data privacy and interoperability. The second project involved researching the employment rights of people with cancer and their caregivers in France, as part of a broader initiative comparing these protections globally. I learned that many existing legal frameworks fail to adequately support these individuals, placing an additional burden on those affected by cancer.
In addition to these projects, I gained valuable insights into the McCabe Centre’s operations by participating in team meetings, webinars and training sessions. A highlight of my internship was joining the McCabe team in fundraising for Daffodil Day.
What was the most interesting or surprising thing you learned?
One of my tasks was to identify and describe different legal approaches to creating and maintaining cancer registries. This work was part of a broader project aimed at developing a model law to assist countries in establishing national cancer registries by providing a general framework, along with example provisions from various jurisdictions that demonstrated how specific challenges were addressed. In many cases, it was difficult to locate the legislation underpinning a national cancer registry or information on its implementation. However, the McCabe Centre’s global network of regional managers and alumni from its training programs provide access to invaluable local expertise worldwide. This highlighted for me the critical role of international collaborative networks. These networks not only unlock hard-to-access knowledge but also enable legal reforms to be globally coordinated and enriched by diverse perspectives.
What do you hope to do in the future?
In the future, I hope to work across different areas of law and legal systems, perhaps through roles in international organisations, government or private practice. I am particularly interested in the role that law can play in tackling pressing global health issues like pandemic preparedness and antibiotic resistance. I am also interested in areas such as therapeutic goods regulation, intellectual property and data privacy, especially as they intersect with health and research.
How do you think an internship will help you with your future study/work paths?
Beyond honing my legal research skills and solidifying my interest in health law, my internship at the McCabe Centre gave me valuable insight into how legal advocacy and policy development operate at multiple levels. The McCabe Centre’s work spans the entire spectrum of policy advocacy, from conducting foundational legal research on issues like air pollution to advocating on the global stage at the World Cancer Congress. It also involves practical local actions, such as advocating for the recent ban on adverse genetic testing in health insurance and petitioning local councils to remove alcohol advertising. Seeing how these efforts progress across different levels of government deepened my understanding of how legal policy advocacy functions in practice, a perspective that will be invaluable as I continue my studies and career in law.
Internships at the McCabe Centre are organised through our formal collaboration with Melbourne Law School. Students from Melbourne Law School interested in applying for an internship with the McCabe Centre can find more information about the opportunity here.