Dr Ilaria Pagani is a cancer researcher hailing from Corteno Golgi, a small town in beautiful Northern Italy. She migrated to Australia a decade ago in pursuit of her career and has become a key member of SAHMRI’s Blood Cancer Program, where she's working to transform the way chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is treated and managed.Since arriving in Australia, Ilaria's had to overcome the challenge of English being her second language. She's stuck at it and become an excellent science communicator in both English and Italian, dedicated to mentoring young researchers and sharing her work with the wider community.Beyond the lab, she has her on show on Radio Italia Uno, is a competitive rower, and is now launching her own charity, CML Australia, to support patients and families across the country.