Christopher

 

Jackson

Professor Christopher Jackson is a medical oncologist, academic, and health-system leader with a strong international profile in cancer policy, research, and clinical leadership. Based in Ōtepoti Dunedin, New Zealand, he combines an active subspecialty clinical practice in gastrointestinal cancers and melanoma with senior leadership roles spanning national cancer control, global oncology, and medical education.

He is Professor of Oncology at the University of Otago and Deputy Dean of the Dunedin School of Medicine, where he contributes to undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, clinical research supervision, and academic leadership. His clinical practice is based at Dunedin Hospital and Mercy Cancer Care.

Professor Jackson is Co-Lead of the Cancer National Clinical Network for Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand, providing national clinical leadership across systemic anticancer therapy (SACT). In this role, he leads programmes focused on improving equity of access, consistency and quality of cancer medicines, reducing treatment waiting times, strengthening service organisation, and implementing new models of cancer care across New Zealand.

From 2015 to 2021, he served as Medical Director of the Cancer Society of New Zealand. During this period, he played a key advocacy and advisory role in the development of the New Zealand Cancer Action Plan and the establishment of the national Cancer Control Agency, Te Aho o Te Kahu.

Internationally, Professor Jackson is a Board Member of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and a Programme Board member of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership (ICBP). He is a founding leader of the Common Sense Oncology movement, promoting patient-centred, evidence-based, and sustainable cancer care globally. He has previously served on ASCO’s Asia-Pacific Regional Council and is currently a member of the Editorial Board of JCO Global Oncology. He is an active member of ASCO, ESMO, and the Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group.

His research interests span health systems and health policy, clinical trials and drug development, translational research, and cancer care quality measurement. He works closely with governments, international organisations, research groups, and clinical networks to translate evidence into equitable, high-quality cancer care at scale.