David Pattison

David’s major research areas are at the intersection of his two medical specialties – Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology – with a focus on theranostics for neuroendocrine tumours, thyroid cancer and prostate cancer, in addition to PET imaging of other malignancies. He has been a chief investigator on numerous competitive grants for theranostics, including neuroendocrine tumours (STOPNET $1.25 million MRFF 2024), Australian Research Network for Translation of Targeted Alpha Therapies ($9.76 million MRFF 2022), redifferentiation of radioactive iodine refractory thyroid cancer (I-FIRST $2.7 million MRFF 2021) and prostate cancer (UpFrontPSMA $4 million Movember/Cancer Australia 2019).

David has published 63 peer-reviewed papers, 3 book chapters and over 50 conference abstracts. A/Prof Pattison has delivered 37 invited speaker presentations in the past 5 years. He has been a Principal investigator of numerous prospective theranostics clinical trials, including TheraP, the first randomised controlled trial of [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 for metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer, UpFrontPSMA, ENZA-P and I-FIRST and lead an Australian-first prospective PET imaging trials evaluating [18F]PSMA-1007. He is a member of Australia and New Zealand Urogenital & Prostate (ANZUP) Cancer Trials Group and Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group (AGITG), and sits on various national trial Management Committees.

David has a prominent national / international profile and professional involvement. Internationally, he sits on the Thyroid and Head and Neck Cancer (THANC) Foundation Medical Advisory Board for Thyroid International Recommendations Online, as the Committee lead for the section on the role of radioactive iodine in diagnostics and therapeutics. Nationally, he is a Board Director for the Australasian Association of Nuclear Medicine Specialists (AANMS) and sits on the AANMS Training Site Advisory Committee and also Theranostics Committee. He was Deputy Chair of the AANMS working group that developed national guidelines for best practice of theranostics in Australia. He is Chair of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) Lutetitium Working Group and is co-author of the Neuroendocrine Tumour Imaging section of the current Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) Guidelines. He has sat on various national Medical Advisory Boards and the Herston Imaging Research Facility Research Advisory Group, and was the inaugral Chair of the Department of Nuclear Medicine & Specalised PET Services Research Committee. He is a regular reviewer for 10 national and international medical journals in nuclear medicine and endocrinology.

David is enthusiastic about training and mentoring of clinicians, and supervises postgraduate students (University of Queensland) in addition to nuclear medicine advanced trainees (Director of Nuclear Medicine Training at RBWH). As inaugral Chair of the AANMS Theranostics Course & Case Library Committee he convened the successful AANMS Theranostics Course in 2022 and 2024, and contributes to the ANZSNM Scientific & Education Committee since 2022. He is passionate about medical education and was appointed to the Royal Australasian College of Physicians Committee for Joint Clinical Training (JCT) between 2015-2019, including 2 years as National Co-ordinator of Advanced Training in Nuclear Medicine. He regularly provides post-graduate teaching presentations in both Endocrinology and Nuclear Medicine and is a regular examiner for the Nuclear Medicine Oral Assessment Task. He has significant experience with mentoring and innovative introduction of new technology, including leadership of a multidisciplinary team to implement I-124 PET/CT protocol for advanced thyroid cancer, and clinical use of other new PET tracers including [18F]PSMA-1007 & [18F]Fluorocholine.