Academic History

Natasha Leighl, MD, FASCO, is a medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada, where she serves as the Lung Medical Oncology Site Lead, Clinician Investigator, and Director of the Cancer Clinical Research Unit (CCRU). She is a Professor in the Department of Medicine and holds a status-only appointment in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. Prof. Leighl also holds the OSI Pharmaceuticals Foundation Chair in Cancer New Drug Development at the University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

She received her medical degree from the University of Toronto and completed a Master of Medical Science at the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia. Prof. Leighl has held leadership roles across national and international organizations, including Past President and Honorary Lifetime Member of Lung Cancer Canada, Past Chair of the Committee on Economic Analysis for the Canadian Cancer Trials Group, and Congress Co-President of the 2018 World Conference on Lung Cancer. She currently chairs the ASCO Thoracic Advisory Guidelines Group, the ESMO Metastatic Lung Cancer Faculty Track, and the ESMO Early Stage Guidelines Committee, and serves on the Board of Directors of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC).

Speaking on treatment and liquid diagnostics in lung cancer

Prof. Leighl specializes in thoracic oncology, with a focus on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the development of systemic therapies including targeted therapy and immunotherapy. She is actively involved in clinical trials spanning early-phase and cooperative group studies and leads several initiatives focused on improving diagnostics, particularly the clinical application of liquid biopsy and genomics. Her research interests include novel therapeutics, biomarkers, and outcomes research, and she continues to contribute to the advancement of precision oncology and evidence-based care in lung cancer.