Professor Polizzotto, Clinical Director of Cancer Services at Canberra Health Services and Head of the Clinical Hub for Interventional Research (CHOIR) at The Australian National University (ANU), received the David Cooper Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Award which recognises the highest-ranked clinical trial of the year.

Professor Polizzotto said the award holds personal significance for him. It is named in honour of the late Professor David Cooper, a pioneering HIV researcher and immunologist at the University of New South Wales, who had been both a colleague and mentor.

Research title

Simple oral immunotherapy versus standard intravenous chemotherapy for Kaposi sarcoma in resource-limited settings: the IMPALA-KS randomised trial of pomalidomide versus liposomal doxorubicin in advanced Kaposi sarcoma

Professor Mark Polizzotto is a clinician scientist who serves as Clinical Director of Cancer Services at Canberra Health Service, where he is a practising haematologist, and Director of the Clinical Hub for Interventional Research at the Australian National University. He is internationally recognised for his leadership in developing new therapies to address the global challenge of cancer. Over 60% of cancers and 70% of cancer deaths occur in resource limited settings – a health burden equal to HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Professor Polizzotto has dedicated his career to addressing this burden by developing simple therapies that can be delivered in these settings. His work led to the first new therapy for Kaposi sarcoma (KS) in over 20 years and has influenced treatment guidelines globally.