A/Prof Wasek Faisal is a senior Medical Oncologist and a mid-career Clinical Researcher in the field of Medical Oncology and Tumour Immunology. He is a Fellow of Royal Australasian College of Physicians & Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and completed his tumor immunology research thesis at the University of Nottingham, UK prior to completing his advanced training in Oncology in Australia. He was the Clinical Director of Grampians Integrated Cancer Services until 2024, as well as being the current Oncology Research Lead and Chair of the Thoracic Tumour Stream at Grampians Health.
A/Prof Faisal has been the local Principal Investigator for 35 international multicenter phase II & III clinical trials in lung cancer to date, investigating novel therapies including immunotherapy and drug conjugates. He also has research collaborations with translational research groups at Monash & Deakin University. He has been part of Chief Investigator teams that have received competitive educational and research grants in excess of 7.5 million AUD, including receiving an Inspirational Research Grant from TOGA (2024), Victorian Cancer Agency Doctoral Research grant (2021), Ballarat Health Services (BHS) Cancer Research Grant (2019) & Quality & Innovation Award for Lung Cancer Redesign Project at BHS (2018). He has spearheaded the clinical trials unit at Grampians Health, which has seen a 280% growth in research activities since he joined the team in 2016. He is also a frequent reviewer of scientific papers submitted to high impact journals including BMJ, BMJ Open and is a current Editorial Review Board Member of the Journal of Cancer Control.
A/Prof Faisal led the first ever community engagement program to raise clinical trials awareness in the Grampians Region in 2024, facilitated by the VCCC Alliance. He continues to be an advocate for regional growth and capacity building through consumer advocacy groups and local fund raising. His impact on regional cancer care and research was recently recognized by Grampians Health by naming one of the construction cranes after him, as part of the 655 million dollars hospital redevelopment project.
