Darien Montgomerie from Icon Cancer Centre awarded 2021 Middleton Scholarship

UICC’s Vanguard Partner, Icon Group, is pleased to announce Darien Montgomerie as the recipient of the 2021 Middleton Scholarship. Darien is a radiation therapist and Site Manager for Bowen Icon Cancer Centre, the first comprehensive private cancer care facility in Wellington, New Zealand. 

The scholarship was originally launched on World Cancer Day in 2018 and is currently in its fourth year. It recognises an outstanding Icon Group team member and enables them to be part of the global cancer care conversation that arises from the partnership between Icon and UICC, as well as other industry partnerships held with Icon. The annual prize is personally funded by the CEO of Icon Group, Mark Middleton, and his family. 

The programme of works for the Scholar varies each year but is always designed to develop their professional skills, nurture talent and offer networking opportunities with global leaders. This is made possible through UICC’s platforms, such as its Master courses or attending events like the World Cancer Congress or World Cancer Leaders' Summit, which will take place this year in Boston in October.

"I am passionate about addressing inequities, particularly for our neighbours in the Pacific, who have ongoing access to treatment issues due to islands being sparsely populated and geographically isolated, with a lack of trained professionals. I would like to use my year collaborating with UICC working in this space, as there is an opportunity to utilise Icon’s expertise and supply chain for positive change. What the last 12 months of the pandemic has shown is that we can improve access to treatment without being on site at the point of treatment.”
–    Darien Montgomerie, Recipient of the 2021 Middleton Scholarship 

Darien has more than 20 years’ experience as a radiation therapist and has worked in both public and private settings in New Zealand, Australia and the UK. She has lectured at the University of Otago, New Zealand and is a member of the New Zealand Targeting Cancer team advocating the role of radiation therapy as a treatment option; she is also part of a Working Group that reports to a Cancer Agency in New Zealand. Most recently she has taken on the role of RT news and online editor for the Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences, highlighting research undertaken by radiation therapists to enhance radiation therapy practice both locally and internationally. 

In her daily work as Site Manager of Icon’s New Zealand centre, Darien manages a multidisciplinary team alongside supporting doctors and ensuring clinical processes and operations run smoothly enabling the team to deliver the best possible cancer care to patients.

“Our people are our greatest asset. By ensuring staff and Visiting Medical Officers are well supported, we can deliver world class cancer care to our patients. I am passionate about providing an environment where people flourish and can develop skills, which allows them to make a difference to patients.”
–    Darien Montgomerie, Recipient of the 2021 Middleton Scholarship

The Middleton scholarship application process encourages a supportive company culture whereby team members are able to both self-nominate and nominate their peers. Darien was selected from many outstanding applicants, who together represented a wide range of roles across Icon Group’s international network across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Mainland China. Each application was assessed by an esteemed judging panel consisting of Mark Middleton, Icon Group CEO, Professor Sanchia Aranda AM (Chair of City Cancer Challenge and former President of UICC) and Jeff Dunn AO (UICC President-elect and CEO of Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia) who were highly impressed with the calibre of applications received.

UICC looks forward to collaborating with Darien throughout the year and congratulates Icon Group’s initiative to promote professional development and the organisation’s continued commitment to partner with UICC to help build a stronger cancer workforce and reduce the global cancer burden.

Previous Middleton scholars are Courtney Oar (2018), Rhys Fitzgerald (2019), and Alicia Moo (2020). Due to the pandemic and missed education opportunities, Alicia Moo’s 2020 Scholarship will be continued through 2021 complementing Darien’s scholarship activities.