I am pleased to announce the appointment of John Stagg, PhD, as Director of the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute (GCI), School of Biomedical Sciences (SBMS), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), ÂĚñÉç, effective September 1, 2025. Prof. Stagg replaces Morag Park, PhD, a world-renowned breast cancer researcher who has served as the GCI’s visionary Director since 2013, playing a key role in its evolution to an interdisciplinary institute. We thank Prof. Park for her expert leadership and wish her continued success in her research program.
After obtaining a PhD in Experimental Medicine at ÂĚñÉç, Prof. Stagg completed his postdoctoral fellowship in tumour immunology at the University of Melbourne. Prof. Stagg also holds a BSc in Biology from UniversitĂ© du QuĂ©bec Ă Chicoutimi.
Prof. Stagg was most recently a full professor in the Faculty of Pharmacy at Université de Montréal, and a researcher at the Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal. His lab made the major discovery describing the importance of adenosine-producing enzymes CD73 and CD39 for cancer immune evasion, and the lab has been at the forefront of defining the impact of adenosine and ectonucleotidases on cancer development.
Prof. Stagg currently leads two research projects funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research: “Deciphering the role of protease-activated receptor 2 in immuno-oncology” and “Targeting the adenosine pathway in pancreatic cancer and liver cancer”. He also coordinates an international research consortium bringing together 31 funding organizations from 20 countries for the “Transcan: Mapping adaptation of triple negative breast cancer to immunotherapy” project.
Prof. Stagg’s research has also been supported by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé, the Terry Fox Research Institute, Ovarian Cancer Canada, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, among others.
Prof. Stagg is a member (pro bono) of the Board of Directors of BioCanRx, Canada’s immunotherapy network, and a member of its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee. He is a member of the scientific advisory boards of Coherus Biosciences and Domain Therapeutics, and is a member of the Drug Selection Committee of the Cancer Research Institute (New York) which selects promising therapeutic combinations to advance to clinical trials.
As Director of the Goodman Cancer Institute, Prof. Stagg will lead the Institute in its research and educational missions. He will oversee faculty recruitment, as well as mentorship and development of faculty across the entire span of their careers. He will lead the Institute’s strategic planning in collaboration and alignment with SBMS and FMHS priorities.
Prof. Stagg will participate in the Faculty Leadership Commons and the SBMS Executive Committee, and work closely with the leadership of other SBMS units. He will advise both the SBMS Director and the Vice-President (Health Affairs) and Dean of the FMHS on academic matters pertaining to the Institute. Prof. Stagg will continue to pursue his research program at the GCI, and represent the Institute provincially, nationally, and internationally.
Please join me in congratulating Prof. Stagg on his appointment and wishing him every success in his new role.
Lesley Fellows, MDCM, DPhil
Vice-President (Health Affairs)
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
