John Stagg named Director of the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute

The Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute (GCI) is pleased to announce the appointment of John Stagg, PhD, as its new Director, effective September 1, 2025.  

He will succeed Morag Park, PhD, who has served as the GCI’s visionary leader for the past 12 years. Under her guidance, the Institute underwent a transformative evolution, advancing its mission to improve cancer outcomes through research excellence.

A distinguished cancer immunologist and internationally respected leader, Professor Stagg returns to his alma mater to spearhead the Institute’s ambitious research agenda.

Prof. Stagg earned his PhD in Experimental Medicine from McGill University in 2005 and completed his postdoctoral training in immuno-oncology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia. From 2010 until his appointment as GCI Director, he served as a professor at Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Pharmacy and the director of a multidisciplinary research team at the Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CRCHUM).

Prof. Stagg is widely recognized for his pioneering work in immuno-oncology. His laboratory uncovered critical pathways of cancer immune evasion and demonstrated that targeting the adenosine pathway with precision medicines can produce potent anti-cancer effects. This foundational work opened up a whole new avenue of cancer research, both at a basic and translational level, and spurred the development of more than 50 new cancer therapeutics, several of which are currently undergoing evaluation in randomized clinical trials.

Beyond his scientific contributions, Prof. Stagg is a proven leader in fostering collaborative research ecosystems. He played a pivotal role in establishing the Terry Fox Research Institute’s Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network through the Montreal Cancer Consortium, and was instrumental in the creation of The Québec Cancer Consortium for Novel Therapeutics and Biomarkers, a provincial collaborative network supported by the Québec Government, philanthropic organizations and industry stakeholders.

Throughout his career, Prof. Stagg has provided strategic scientific leadership to numerous cancer research organizations. He currently serves as a board director for BioCanRx, advises international cooperative clinical trial groups, and acts as a scientific advisor to several biotechnology companies across North America and Europe.
As he assumes this new role, Prof. Stagg is committed to advancing the GCI’s legacy of scientific excellence and leadership in cancer research. His vision includes fostering innovation and partnerships to accelerate progress in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

“I’m honoured to join the GCI and its exceptional community of researchers and trainees. I look forward to building on its legacy of excellence and advancing its mission to improve cancer outcomes,” says Prof. Stagg. “I am committed to deepening collaborations across academia, hospital-based research centres and industry, and to broadening the GCI’s impact both nationally and internationally.”

“Prof. Stagg’s translational research leadership and vision for the GCI align strongly with our Faculty’s strategic priorities, including our commitment to recruiting outstanding scientific talent and advancing discovery research that addresses pressing global health challenges such as cancer,” says Lesley Fellows, MDCM, DPhil, Vice-President and Dean of McGill’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. “We are very pleased to welcome Prof. Stagg to the GCI and back to McGill .”

Under Professor Stagg’s visionary leadership, the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute is poised to advance cutting-edge cancer science and find the #knowledgetocure.

John Stagg | Principal Investigators | Goodman Cancer Institute