Mark LawlerAcademic

Biography

Professor Mark Lawler (PhD, FRCPath) is Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor of Digital Health, and Chair in Translational Cancer Genomics at Queen's University Belfast, where he is based in the Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences. He is Scientific Director of DATA-CAN, the UK's Health Data Research Hub for Cancer, and Associate Director of Health Data Research Wales-Northern Ireland. He chaired the Lancet Oncology European Groundshot Commission, described as the most comprehensive analysis of cancer research in Europe, and chairs the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership, which compares cancer outcomes globally. He is known for arguing that health data, digital infrastructure, and research-active hospitals are essential to delivering better cancer care, and has advocated publicly on the impact of COVID-19 on cancer services across the UK and Europe. He was architect of the European Cancer Patient's Bill of Rights, launched in the European Parliament on World Cancer Day 2014, which received the 2018 European Health Award.

References

1. 1.Professor Mark Lawler | Find an Expert | Queen's University Belfast — Role title, organisational affiliations, media coverage history, Bill of Rights, European Health Award
2. 2.Professor Mark Lawler – DATA-CAN — Scientific Director of DATA-CAN; pan-European health data trust roadmap in Lancet Oncology; awards
3. 3.The Lancet Oncology: International Advisory Board — Current role title (PhD, FRCPath), Lancet Oncology advisory board appointment, Groundshot Commission, ECO Emergencies Network co-chair, clinical director of National Cancer Audits
4. 4.Queen's Professor receives European Cancer Award | Queen's University Belfast — ECO Special Merit Award; COVID-19 cancer research impact; EU leadership citations
5. 5.Mark Lawler – OECD Forum 2022: Closing the Cancer Gap

Expertise

Cited on

• Hospital discharge / bed-blocking
• Cancer

Stated areas of expertise

• Cancer data and digital health
• Health data research infrastructure
• Cancer inequalities
• COVID-19 impact on cancer services
• Translational cancer genomics
• Cancer research policy

Notable achievements

• Chaired the Lancet Oncology European Groundshot Commission — described as the most comprehensive analysis of cancer research in Europe — published in Lancet Oncology Vol. 24. Source ↗
• Architect of the European Cancer Patient's Bill of Rights, launched in the European Parliament on World Cancer Day 2014, translated into 17 languages and adopted in 25 countries; received the 2018 European Health Award. Source ↗
• His team won the HDR-UK Impact of the Year Award for providing intelligence that informed a change in policy for treating colorectal cancer. Source ↗
• Received a Special Merit Award from the European Cancer Organisation (ECO) for his research on the impact of COVID-19 on cancer services across Europe, with findings cited by Ursula von der Leyen and the EU Commissioner for Health. Source ↗
• Appointed to the International Advisory Board of The Lancet Oncology (announced 2025). Source ↗

What they’ve said

• “We are global laggards for both access and timeliness of radiotherapy, behind the likes of Denmark, France, and for lung cancer even Labrador and Newfoundland.”

  professor of digital health at Queen's University Belfast and chair of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · More than 60,000 cancer patients in England ‘not getting necessary radiotherapy’ ↗

• “if UK cancer patients cannot be treated at their own hospital within 62 days, the NHS would have to pay to treat them at another NHS hospital, privately or in another country”

  professor of digital health at Queen's University Belfast, chair of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership and joint lead author of the paper · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Call to give UK cancer patients legal right to be treated within two months ↗

• “The predicted 35m in cancer cases each year globally is in sharp contrast to the projected global shortfall of 100 million cancer care workers by 2050. Make no mistake, this is a wake-up call, no matter where you are in the world.”

  Professor of digital health at Queen's University Belfast · Cancer · 27 Aug 2026 · World faces cancer workforce crisis with 100m staff shortfall, report warns ↗

Source references

1. More than 60,000 cancer patients in England ‘not getting necessary radiotherapy’theguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
2. Call to give UK cancer patients legal right to be treated within two monthstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
3. World faces cancer workforce crisis with 100m staff shortfall, report warnstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• Xhttps://twitter.com/QUBCancerProfpublished here ↗
• LinkedInhttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/mark-lawler-b8387324published here ↗
• Staff pagehttps://www.qub.ac.uk/News/find-an-expert/ProfessorMarkLawler.html
• Staff pagehttps://pure.qub.ac.uk/en/persons/mark-lawler-2/
• Websitehttps://www.data-can.org.uk/about-us/management-group/professor-mark-lawler/

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.