John Mackey is director of the Clinical Trials Unit at the Cross Cancer Institute, where UAlberta's academic physicians are leading pivotal trials to benefit cancer patients worldwide.
"There's nothing more exciting than waking up knowing that when you arrive at work, you are going to be doing something that is important, something that is groundbreaking and it will give you the skills to perhaps do something even more important in the future," said Mackey.
Alberta has played a leadership role in number of clinical trials, particularly in lung cancer, melanoma and breast cancer, that have changed practice around the globe.
"We've raised the bar," said Mackey. "We've seen the survival rates and the cure rates gradually increase over the past 25 years. It has been a tremendous thing to be a part of. We are seeing increasingly more exciting ideas getting closer and closer to patient care. Ultimately, we feel one of these ideas is going to be a home run."