transforming fertility care

Rafael is a finalist for Nurse of the Year in the 2020 HESTA Australian Nursing & Midwifery Awards. He works at the Royal Children's Hospital in Parkville, VIC.

Rafael Serrano Real is recognised for his work as Australia’s leading paediatric oncofertility coordinator to improve fertility care for families of children undergoing cancer treatment. Rafael runs the Royal Children’s Hospital’s (RCH) flagship oncofertility program for children and has transformed the way the hospital delivers fertility care for families. He has streamlined and enhanced the experience of all patients and their families when it comes to receiving support and care on fertility issues. He has also demonstrated exceptional sensitivity and empathy, providing a way for families to have their child’s gonadal tissue returned to them for cremation or burial if their child has passed away.

Rafael is raising awareness and building capacity to deliver exceptional fertility care at a national and global level. He provides training to RCH’s clinical teams and has contributed to the development of the RCH Fertility Preservation Principles and Guidance, which has been shared to all 13 paediatric oncology centres in Australia and internationally. Rafael also hosted a binational coalition of paediatric oncology centres at the RCH last year, which aims to develop national paediatric guidelines in oncofertility and establish national benchmarks of care, and is supporting global advocacy efforts to see fertility care classified as a basic human right through his membership with the Global Oncofertility Consortium, comprising 43 countries.

Rafael has been the Victorian Representative for the Fertility Nurses of Australasia (FNA) since 2017 and has been instrumental in consolidating, organising and promoting fertility nurse education in Victoria. He was heavily involved with the Fertility Society of Australia Conference, and organised and hosted Australia’s second National Oncofertility Summit.