Rate My Professor James Lynam

Dr James Lynam is a Conjoint Associate Professor in the School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, at the University of Newcastle. He holds the qualifications BSc(Hons), MBBS, MRCP, and FRACP. Since 2014, he has been Clinical Director and Head of Medical Oncology at Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital. Before joining Calvary Mater, he spent two years as a Fellow in Clinical Trials at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne, where he gained experience in conducting clinical trials and performed laboratory research examining the interaction between the immune system and prostate cancer.

Lynam's research specializations include genitourinary cancers, gastrointestinal cancers, brain cancers, quality of life and distress in patients, therapeutic drug monitoring, predictive biomarkers, and psychosocial impacts of disease and treatment. He serves as Principal Investigator for many local, national, and international interventional clinical trials. As Chair of the Clinical Cancer Research Network, which includes eight Clinical Trials Units in the Hunter New England Local Health District, he has introduced strategies to improve clinical trial conduct, expanded the trial portfolio, enhanced efficiency, and led the network to receive the 2020 NSW Premier’s Award for Outstanding Clinical Trials Unit. He is also Oncology Lead for the ClinTrial Refer App, which has improved patient recruitment and referrals for cancer trials across NSW. In professional leadership, he is Deputy Chair of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia, member of the scientific committee of the Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group, involved with ANZUP on testicular and bladder cancer committees, former Chair of the Medical Oncology Advanced Training Committee, and serves on several committees of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Lynam has authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications, including 'The impact of brain cancer care coordinators on healthcare utilization and costs' (2024), 'Qualitative reflections from next of kin following the death and post-mortem brain donation' (2024), 'Postmortem brain donations vs premortem surgical donations' (2021), 'Medical oncology services adapt and deliver during COVID-19' (2021), and 'Results of a survey of cancer patients' willingness to travel to participate in a clinical trial' (2019). His contributions have advanced clinical trials infrastructure, oncology training, and patient-centered cancer care in Australia and New Zealand.