Professor David Eisenstat appointed inaugural Chair supported by Children’s Cancer Foundation and My Room Children’s Cancer Charity

After an extensive international search, the University of Melbourne, in partnership with the Children’s Cancer Foundation and My Room Children’s Cancer Charity, as well as the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), the RCH Foundation and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor David Eisenstat as the inaugural Children’s Cancer Foundation and My Room Chair in Childhood Cancer. Professor Eisenstat will formally commence in the second half of 2025.

Professor Eisenstat is a distinguished paediatric haematologist-oncologist, neuro-oncologist and clinician-scientist with extensive leadership experience in paediatric cancer, health service delivery and research.

Professor Eisenstat will provide academic leadership in personalised clinical care and research, making a difference to the many children and families impacted by devastating cancer diagnoses. In addition, he will offer support and mentorship to foster the growth of the discipline and integrate cutting-edge research into standard clinical practices for children in Victoria and beyond, leading to better health outcomes and long-term prognoses for paediatric cancer patients.

“We’re proud to partner with Children’s Cancer Foundation and My Room Children’s Cancer Charity to advance the field of childhood cancer” says Professor Amy Gray, Stevenson Chair and Head of the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne.

This role is made possible through generous funding from the Children’s Cancer Foundation and My Room Children’s Cancer Charity in collaboration with the University of Melbourne, RCH, the RCH Foundation and MCRI as well as key stakeholders including the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) Alliance members, and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

Professor Eisenstat is a medical school graduate of the University of Toronto and pursued clinical and research training at The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, Canada), the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre. Prior to relocating to Melbourne, Professor Eisenstat was Professor and Chair, Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Since 2020, Professor Eisenstat has served as Director, Children’s Cancer Centre at the Royal Children’s Hospital, established the Cancer Flagship at MCRI and served as Group Leader in Neuro-Oncology, Stem Cell Medicine at MCRI. He has been an Honorary Professorial Fellow in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne and looks forward to joining the University as a Professor and staff member.

Professor Eisenstat co-led the Victorian Paediatric Cancer Consortium between 2021-24 and established the Cancer Flagship at MCRI across six pillars: Cancer Biology and Genomics, Pharmacogenomics, Clinical Trials, Advanced Therapies, Survivorship, and Global Paediatric Oncology. He is the sole paediatric cancer representative of the Victorian Cancer Advisory Committee, Government of Victoria and is a member of the VCCC Alliance Board.

The Children’s Cancer Foundation extends their warmest congratulations to Professor Eisenstat.