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The Pinnacle Program is a peer-to-peer mentoring program started by Rare Cancers Australia (RCA) for patient organisations (POs) everywhere.

Rare Cancers Australia (RCA) was founded in 2012 by Kate and Richard Vines. Over the years RCA has grown into a team of passionate, dedicated professionals focused on our mission to improve the lives of Australians affected by rare and less common cancer. The RCA team started Pinnacle because we want to share our successes, failures and experiences.

Richard and Kate Vines, Founders of Rare Cancers Australia

 

With this work, we want to create a platform of shared experiences and mentoring. We hope that other POs will share what they know, so that we can all learn. Our collective knowledge and support for each other is extremely valuable. Together we can learn faster, achieve more, and better serve our patient communities.

Those of us who are trying to build organisations and support patients share the same joys and frustrations across the world. I find it reassuring to know we are not alone in this. In Western Australia, there are ancient rock formations called ‘the Pinnacles’, which are made of limestone and seashells. There are thousands of them – each unique in size and shape after standing the test of time. Individually they are interesting, together they are a wonder to observe. It is the inspiration for the name of the Pinnacle Program.

A series of large limestone formations known as the Pinnacles, located in Western Australia

 

Our Pinnacle Team

Pinnacle team 2024

 

Acknowledgements

We owe a huge thanks to the patient organisations leaders that we have met and worked with across the world. Thank you for sharing your journeys with us. You are our inspiration to keep going with Pinnacle.

We would like to acknowledge the following organisations for the funding and support that has made the Pinnacle Program possible in 2024:

Amgen

Astellas

AstraZeneca

Bristol-Myers Squibb

MSD

Pfizer

 

Additional supporters:

We are thankful to SurveyHero.com for supporting us with the use of their online survey software.