A bit about me

I am a Research Fellow with the Integrating Genomics into Medicine team at the Frazer Institute and a casual Professor Assistant at the School of Public Health, University of Queensland.  I am also a Collaborator in the nutrition and breast cancer research group from the Federal University of Goiás, Brazil. I have a background in nutrition, including a two-year hospital-based Nutrition Clinical Residency. I obtained a master's degree in Health Science from the Federal University of Goiás, Brazil, where I investigated breast cancer risk factors, including body composition, dietary intake, and biomarkers. I hold a PhD in Public Health from the University of Queensland, Australia. Using population-based real-world data, my PhD research examined incidence and survival across breast cancer subtypes and explored obesity, optimal care pathways and survival outcomes for women diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in Queensland. I am passionate about working on research focused on cancer prevention and improving outcomes.

Awards and Recognition

• 2024 Postgraduate Bursary (travel award to present at European Society for Medical Oncology, Spain)

• 2024 University of Queensland Higher Degree Research Thomas McIntyre Scholarship (travel award to present at San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, USA)

• 2024 Oral presentation at the “Best of the Best Orals: Epidemiology”, COSA Annual Scientific Meeting, 13-15 Nov, Gold Coast

• 2022 Oral presentation at the “Best of the Best Orals: Epidemiology”, COSA Annual Scientific Meeting 2-4 Nov, Brisbane

Leadership

• 2022-2024 Student representative at the Higher Degree Research Committee, School of Public Health, UQ

• 2016 Co-founder of the nutrition and breast cancer research group, Federal University of Goiás, Brazil

Research Publications

(for a full list of publications please see ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3316-5314)

1. Vaz-Gonçalves L, Marquart-Wilson L, Protani MM, Stephensen MT, Moore J, Morris MF, Saunus J, Reeves MM. Capturing breast cancer subtypes in cancer registries: Insights into real-world incidence and survival. (2025). Journal of Cancer Policy; Mar;44(100575):1-9. doi:10.1016/j.jcpo.2025.100567.

2. Vaz-Goncalves L, Protani MM, Saunus J, Colditz G, Reeves MM. Continental differences in the association between excess body weight and prognosis in triple‑negative breast cancer: a meta‑analysis. (2024). Breast Cancer Research and Treatment; Oct;7(2):1-18. doi:10.1007/s10549-024-07538-w.

3. Godinho-Mota JCM, Vaz-Gonçalves L, Custodio IDD, Souza JS, Mota JF, Gonzalez MC, Vilella PR, Martins AK, Maia YCP, Verde SMML, Frenzel AP, Pietro PFD, Marinho EC, Freitas-Junior R. (2023). Impact of Chemotherapy Regimens on Body Composition of Breast Cancer Women: A Multicenter Study across Four Brazilian Regions. Nutrients; Mar;15(7): 1689, doi:10.3390/nu15071689.

4. Lopes LCC, Vaz-Gonçalves L, Schincaglia RM, Gonzalez MC, Prado CM, Oliveira EP, Mota JF. (2022). Sex and population-specific cutoff values of muscle quality index: Results from NHANES 2011-2014. Clinical Nutrition; Jun;41(6):1328-1334, doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2022.04.026

5. Vaz-Gonçalves L, Martins KA, Godinho-Mota JCMG, Schincaglia RM, Sousa ALL, Freitas-Junior R. (2019). High bone mineral density of the lumbar spine is positively associated with breast cancer.  BioMed Research International; May;1-10, doi:10.1155/2019/8010356.

   Book chapter

   1. Vaz-Gonçalves L, Souza JS, Reitz LK, Godinho-Mota JCM. Nutritional Management of Sarcopenia in Oncology. In: Breast Cancer Treatment: An Interdisciplinary Approach. (2024). Edition: Interdisciplinary Cancer Research, Springer Nature. Aug:1-28. doi: 10.1007/16833_2024_336.