Age: 39
Occupation: Medical oncologist; clinical assistant professor, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
Albertans diagnosed with cancer have speedier access to breakthrough cancer therapies, thanks to Vishal Navani.
Navani, an oncologist, co-founded the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre’s early-phase clinical trial program within the Owerko Family Centre for Clinical Trials. This program brings early clinical trials to Calgary, providing Albertans with access to promising therapies years before they become the standard of care.
He credits Alberta’s single electronic medical record and pharmacy system, along with its two large academic cancer centres, with making the province an attractive place for trials. “We’re in a unique position in Alberta to do clinical trials better than anywhere else in the country,” he says.
Navani was born in India and educated in the United Kingdom and Australia. He worked in the pharmaceutical industry after medical school and then finished his training in oncology. This background left him convinced that clinical trials must be made accessible to patients.
In 2021, he moved to Canada with his wife, a Calgary-born dentist.
In addition to caring for patients with cancer, Navani directs Calgary’s Glans-Look Lung Cancer Research Program. For 20 years, this provincial repository has gathered data from cancer patients, especially those not enrolled in clinical trials. It’s now one of the most comprehensive collections on lung cancer treatment outcomes in the world.
He’s also a clinical expert for Canada’s Drug Agency, where he helps shape reimbursement policies.
His goals are simple: “I’m very grateful for the support that I have to allow me to raise my kids and do this work. I don’t really want anything to change when it comes to that.”
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