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Academic

Mark Lawler

Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor of Digital Health and Chair in Translational Cancer Genomics, Queen's University Belfast

Queen's University Belfast is based in Belfast South and Mid Down — the organisation’s base, not a personal address.

Press citations

4

Topics

2

Cancer

Last quoted

Sept 2026

first cited Aug 2026

Mark Lawler: key facts

Kind of voice
Academic
Role
Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor of Digital Health and Chair in Translational Cancer Genomics
Organisation
Queen's University Belfast
Organisation based in
Belfast South and Mid Down
Quoted on
Cancer, Hospital discharge / bed-blocking
Tracked press citations
4
Most recently quoted
29 Sept 2026
First quoted
27 Aug 2026

Who Mark Lawler is

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.

“We estimate that around 7–8 million people with cancer worldwide require established, standard-of-care molecular testing every year to guide their diagnosis or treatment. However, our research indicates that around four in five eligible patients globally do not receive the biomarker testing they require.”

References for this biography

  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 — LinkedIn and X account URLs confirmed against named profile; Groundshot Commission chair; International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership chair
  6. 6.Mark Lawler | World Cancer Congress — HDR-UK Impact of the Year Award for colorectal cancer policy change; Royal College of Physicians Excellence in Patient Care Award
  7. 7.DATA-CAN's Scientific Director wins prestigious award for outstanding contribution to cancer research and care — IACR Outstanding Contribution Award 2021; NCI Cancer Consortium commitment
  8. 8.Queen's academic appointed to prestigious International Advisory Board at The Lancet Oncology | QUB News — 2025 Lancet Oncology advisory board appointment; current role as Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor
  9. 9.Mark Lawler – Queen's University Belfast Research Portal — Institutional affiliation, School of Medicine Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, research output record

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 ↗
  • Received the Irish Association for Cancer Research Outstanding Contribution to Cancer Medicine and Research Award (2021). Source ↗

What Mark Lawler has 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 ↗

Where Mark Lawler has been quoted

  1. Landmark global initiative sets out a new roadmap for equitable precision oncologyvhio.net · 29 Sept 2026
  2. More than 60,000 cancer patients in England ‘not getting necessary radiotherapy’theguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
  3. Call to give UK cancer patients legal right to be treated within two monthstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
  4. World faces cancer workforce crisis with 100m staff shortfall, report warnstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

Contact & links

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

Professors, researchers and think-tank analysts quoted on the strength of their research rather than a clinical role. Citations are counted by an automated scan of UK press coverage and may be incomplete. Roles, biographies and contact details are researched and human-reviewed before they appear here; anything not yet reviewed is simply absent rather than shown unverified. This profile was last updated on 5 Oct 2026. See the methodology for how this page is built, or email contact@bridgeheadcommunications.com to correct anything on it.