University of Auckland launches Department of Cancer Sciences to boost research and care

The University of Auckland has created a new Department of Cancer Sciences that unites researchers, clinicians, educators and policy experts across the university. The department incorporates the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, the Department of Oncology and Cancer Trials New Zealand, and will expand to include additional faculty members.

Dean Warwick Bagg said the department provides the critical mass needed to accelerate progress against cancer, the leading cause of death in New Zealand, where annual cases are expected to rise from about 30,000 to over 45,000 by 2044. Associate Professor Ben Lawrence, a practising oncologist, has been appointed inaugural head and will continue treating patients two days a week while overseeing the effort to build the country’s first comprehensive cancer centre.

The initiative aims to close the survival gap with Australia by integrating prevention, early detection, laboratory research, clinical trials and personalised treatment under one roof, and seeks greater philanthropic and government funding to match international best practice.