Dr Mariana Sousa MD, PhD, is a Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Palliative Care Clinical Studies Collaborative (PaCCSC), at IMPACCT, within the Faculty of Health. She is a physician and researcher with clinical and research interests in cancer-associated symptoms, particularly cachexia, a complex wasting syndrom, alongside treatment-related harms and their impact on quality of life. 

Despite affecting up to 80% of people with advanced cancer and contributing to one-third of cancer-related deaths, cachexia remains under-recognised and under-treated. Promising care models, such as multidisciplinary clinics and clinician education programs, are emerging but lack robust, real-world evaluation. Moreover, there is currently no comprehensive training in cachexia care for Australian healthcare professionals.

Through her postdoctoral fellowship, Mariana aims to deepen understanding of cancer cachexia and identify strategies to preserve patients' nutritional and functional wellbeing across the cancer care continuum. Her work seeks to strengthen workforce capability, evaluate integrated interventions, and improve outcomes for patients, caregivers, and health systems alike.

Mariana's long-term vision is to drive improvements in cachexia care through evidence-based, person-centred, and system-responsive approaches. She aims to shift the narrative around cachexia from an inevitable consequence of advanced cancer to a modifiable condition requiring proactive and structured intervention.

 
She brings a strong interdisciplinary background across cachexia, palliative care, oncology, workforce education, clinical trials, and academic leadership. Her career integrates translational research, higher education, health service partnerships, all underpinned by a focus on improving supportive care outcomes for people with advanced cancer. 

She leads and collaborate on impactful research programs including CAXCare, a Pfizer-funded postdoctoral project developing a modular education and training framework for clinicians managing cancer cachexia in Australia and Brazil. Her broader research includes international and industry-linked studies on cachexia, medicinal cannabis, anorexia interventions, and multidisciplinary care models. 

She maintain an active publication record across symptom management, supportive care, and implementation science, with collaborations involving the University of Edinburgh, and institutions across the Asia-Pacific and Latin America. Her work is widely recognised for its translational focus and contribution to capacity-building in advanced illness care.

Above all, Mariana is motivated by a commitment to improving the lives of patients. Her reserach has led to the development of numerous clinician- and patient-facing resources designed to support better communication, earlier intervention, and improved quality of care.