Mark is an internationally renowned scientist with >200 papers including key publications in the highest impact journals. His work has been recognised by numerous national/ international awards.

He is Associate Director of Health Data Research Wales-Northern Ireland which is driving innovative precision medicine and public health approaches through the use of Big Data. He is Scientific Director of DATA-CAN, the UK’s Health Data Research Hub for Cancer.

Mark was co-chair of the Cancer Task Team of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health, an international cooperative dedicated to effective and responsible sharing of genomic/clinical data. He has authored a number of key papers including a blueprint for cancer data sharing and a call to action for a Global Cancer Data Knowledge Network.

Mark is the Queen’s Lead of the £5M Medical Research Council-Cancer Research UK funded Stratified Medicine in Colorectal Cancer Consortium (S:CORT), a UK-wide consortium investigating novel precision medicine approaches in colorectal cancer. He led the Critical Gaps in Colorectal Cancer  Research Initiative, which has defined research priorities in this common cancer over the next decade. Mark is a member of the Board of the European Cancer Organisation and the European Alliance for Personalised Medicine. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the European Cancer Patient Coalition and the Strategic Advisory  Board of Genomics England.

Mark has a strong commitment to patient-centred research/care and to addressing cancer inequalities. He was architect of the European Cancer Patient’s Bill of Rights, which he launched with colleagues in the European Parliament on World Cancer Day 2014. The Bill of Rights  received The 2018 European Health Award, a prestigious award for partnerships that yield real health impact in Europe.  His work on addressing inequalities and access issues in relation to cancer care formed the centrepiece in the development by the European Cancer Organisation of the  European Code of Cancer Practice, which Mark  launched (virtually) with EU Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides in Brussels in September 2020.

Mark’s work on COVID-19 and its impact on cancer has received international attention and he co-chairs the European  Cancer Organisation’s Special Focussed Network on  COVID-19 and cancer,  which recently launched its 7-Point Plan to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on cancer services and cancer patients. Mark has recently  been appointed as Chair of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership, a global initiative to improve outcomes for cancer patients. He is leading the Lancet Oncology Groundshot Commission to provide the evidence base and road map for cancer research in Europe, with a particular focus on Central and Eastern Europe

In his spare time (if he has any!) Mark performs an acclaimed One Man Show on the Irish Writer  James Joyce, which he does to raise money for charity