Rate My Professor Stephen Ackland

Professor Stephen Ackland is a Conjoint Professor in the School of Medicine and Public Health (Pharmacy and Experimental Pharmacology) at the University of Newcastle, Faculty of Health. He earned a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Melbourne and holds qualifications including MB BS, FRACP, and GAICD. His professional career commenced with a Fellowship in Haematology and Oncology at the University of Chicago from 1984 to 1987. Subsequently, he served as Staff Specialist in Medical Oncology at Newcastle Mater Misericordiae Hospital from 1987 to 1995 and as Senior Staff Specialist at Calvary Mater Newcastle from 1995 to 2019. He continues as Consultant Medical Oncologist at Lake Macquarie Oncology and has managed the Medical Oncology research program, comprising nine clinical and laboratory staff, from 1987 to 2019.

Ackland's research focuses on the basic and clinical pharmacology of anticancer drugs, including measurement, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and genetics/genomics, alongside clinical trials in medical oncology. He has produced over 150 peer-reviewed publications, with 31 as first author, and co-owns two patents. Key publications include 'Thymidylate synthase inhibitors' (2003), 'Antifolates in Combination Therapy' (1999), 'A phase I dose-escalation study of an all-in-one 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin co-formulation administered after failure of standard treatment' (2024, Journal of Clinical Oncology), 'SPAR: A randomized placebo-controlled phase 2 trial of simvastatin in addition to standard chemotherapy and radiation in preoperative treatment for rectal cancer' (2022, Journal of Clinical Oncology), and 'DPYD gene sequencing and in silico functionality prediction of polymorphisms in 3,471 colorectal cancer patients treated with fluoropyrimidine' (2022, Annals of Oncology). His impact is evident in extensive leadership: Director of Hunter Cancer Research Alliance (2011-2019), Chair of HMRI Cancer Research Program (2003-2019), Director of University of Newcastle Priority Research Centre for Cancer Research Innovation and Translation, Co-director of Hunter Medical Research Institute Cancer Research Program, Area Director of Clinical Cancer Research Network HNE Health, Editor-in-Chief of Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology (2005-present), President of Clinical Oncological Society of Australia (2004-2005), Chairman of Medical Oncology Group of Australia (1999-2000), and board member of Cancer Council NSW (2006-2014) and ANZ Breast Cancer Trials Group (2007-2017, Chairman 2015-2017). Awards encompass the MOGA Cancer Achievement Award (2019) and Medical Oncology Group/GSK Travel Award (2001).