Submitted by Catherine Atkins on Mon, 01/09/2025 - 16:07
We are pleased to announce that Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald has been appointed as the new Head of the Department of Oncology at the University of Cambridge. Rebecca will officially take up her role on 1st October 2025, for a period of five years. She succeeds Professor Richard Gilbertson who held the post for the past decade and is stepping down to assume the Mastership of Gonville and Caius College.
Rebecca is currently Professor of Cancer Prevention and Director of the Early Cancer Institute, and she also serves as an Honorary Consultant in Gastroenterology at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. In addition to her clinical and research roles, she is Director of Medical Studies at Trinity College, reflecting her deep commitment to academic mentorship and education.
A passionate advocate for cancer prevention and early detection, Professor Fitzgerald has played a leading role in shaping cancer screening policy in the UK and Europe. Her contributions to the field have been widely recognised with numerous accolades including the Westminster Medal, an NHS Innovation prize, and the Don Listwin Early Detection Prize. In 2022 Rebecca was awarded an OBE for services to cancer research and in 2024 was made a Fellow of the Royal Society.
She commented: “I am thrilled to have been appointed the new Head of the Department of Oncology here at Cambridge. There is so much fantastic research already taking place in the Department for us to build on. I’m particularly looking forward to engaging with those of you are based in Oncology spaces outside of the ECI and to think about how we can increase collaboration and build our sense of departmental community.”