Cancer Research UK appoints Professor Mariam Jamal-Hanjani as Chief Clinician

Cancer Research UK has appointed Professor Mariam Jamal-Hanjani as its new Chief Clinician. Jamal-Hanjani is a consultant oncologist and professor at University College London, widely known for her leadership of the TRACERx lung cancer evolution study, which has produced a series of landmark findings on tumour heterogeneity, clonal dynamics, and the genomic basis of metastasis.

The role of Chief Clinician is intended to bridge CRUK's research strategy with clinical translation and health-system engagement. In an accompanying profile published by CRUK, Jamal-Hanjani described her priorities as spanning early detection, treatment science, and ensuring that research findings reach patients equitably.

The appointment is of note to the genetics and genomics research community given Jamal-Hanjani's track record in longitudinal tumour sequencing and her advocacy for integrating multi-region genomic profiling into the design of cancer trials. Her elevation to a senior leadership position at the UK's largest cancer research charity signals continued institutional investment in cancer genomics as a translational priority.