Meet Anna Nowak, MBBS, Ph.D., FRACP , Ph.D.

About Anna Nowak, Ph.D.

Anna Nowak leads research strategy at The University of Western Australia. She continues to guide mesothelioma studies at the National Centre for Asbestos-Related Diseases at UWA where she served as director from 2018 to 2023, leading a team of around 35 scientific staff and graduate students.

She received the Wagner Medal in October 2021 for her extraordinary contributions to mesothelioma research. The medal honors John Christopher Wagner, a pioneering South African research pathologist who first linked asbestos with pleural mesothelioma in 1960.

Nowak notes, “What I’m most excited about is seeing the combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy move into completed clinical trials and international clinical trials,” said Nowak after receiving the prize. “The hope is that this combination will offer a better treatment than chemotherapy on its own.”

The Cancer Council Western Australia invited Nowak to join its board in 2020 and she continues to serve there as a non-executive director. She also serves on the Cancer Australia Advisory Council and holds a leadership role with the International Mesothelioma Interest Group. Elected as iMig president, she succeeded Associate Professor Samuel Armato of the University of Chicago in the role.

A Career in Medicine and Research

Nowak trained and worked as a medical oncologist at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital from 2005 to 2021. Her decades of clinical and academic work have led to significant progress for people living with the effects of asbestos exposure.

Her research has earned recognition throughout her career. The International Mesothelioma Interest Group gave her its New Investigator Award in 2002 and the Cancer Council Western Australia named her WA Cancer Researcher of the Year in 2018. Nowak also received the Pioneer Award from the U.S.-based Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation in 2017 and the Emeritus Professor Eric G. Saint Memorial Award for excellence in research and care in asbestos diseases in 2014.

At UWA, Nowak has supervised Ph.D. and postgraduate medical students through clinical-based teaching, evidence-based medicine, lectures, mentoring and research projects. She’s stepped back from taking on new students as her leadership responsibilities have grown, but she still champions sensitive patient-doctor communication and supports women pursuing careers in oncology and science.

She completed her medical training at UWA in 1990. She finished medical oncology training in 2000 and earned a Ph.D. in medicine at UWA in 2002, with a thesis in tumor immunology. For decades, her research and clinical focus have centered on malignant mesothelioma and neuro-oncology.

Professor Nowak’s Role as Reviewer on Asbestos.com

Nowak’s years of mesothelioma research and clinical trial knowledge qualify her as an expert reviewer for asbestos content at The Mesothelioma Center. Thanks to her informed reviews, asbestos information and content remain factually correct, current and consistent across Asbestos.com.