Prof. Chris Karapetis | MBBS, MMedSci (Clin Epi), FRACP
Director | Medical Oncologist
Professor Chris Karapetis is a Director at Southern Oncology Clinical Research Unit and holds several prominent leadership roles, including Network Director for Cancer Services within the Southern Area Local Health Network (SALHN) in Adelaide. He is also the Head of the Department of Medical Oncology at Flinders Medical Centre (FMC). In addition to these roles, he serves as the Director of Clinical Research in Medical Oncology at both the FMC and the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer (FCIC) at Flinders University. As a senior consultant medical oncologist, he plays a pivotal role in patient care at FMC, where he was instrumental in establishing the Clinical Research Unit. His leadership and expertise continue to shape advancements in cancer treatment and research.
Professor Karapetis has been the principal investigator on over 200 clinical trials spanning a wide range of solid tumour types. His interest in clinical research developed following a research fellowship at Guy’s Hospital in London. Professor Karapetis has established research interests in lung cancer, gastro-intestinal malignancy, cancer of unknown primary, predictive biomarkers in cancer, epidemiology and clinical research methodology.
Professor Karapetis is a prominent contributor to clinical research through the Australasian Gastrointestinal Trial Group (AGITG). He is the current chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the AGITG and has held a previous leadership role as the Chair of the Lower GI Cancer Working Group. He served as the principal investigator for the CO.17 clinical trial and led the K-Ras biomarker research associated with the study. The findings from this research had a global impact on the clinical management of colorectal cancer, with the resulting publication in the New England Journal of Medicine nominated by The Lancet as one of the five key medical publications of 2008. Professor Karapetis continues to investigate the clinical relevance of predictive biomarkers and has led an international collaboration focused on exploring the role of various molecular biomarkers in colorectal cancer.
Furthermore, Professor Karapetis is the immediate past Chair of the Australia and Asia Pacific Clinical Research Development (ACORD) initiative. This initiative provides educational workshops that help to develop clinical research skills for researchers in the field of oncology across the Asia-Pacific region. He continues to work on the Steering Committee of ACORD.
Between 2023 and 2025, Professor Karapetis served as the Chair of the Expert Advisory Group for the development of the “National Framework for Genomic in Cancer” for Cancer Australia. Professor Karapetis has served on NHMRC Grant Review Panels (Project Grants 2015 to 2017 and Investigator Grants 2023-2025). He is a current member of the Cancer Council SA Cancer Research Committee. He is also the current Chair of the Independent Data Safety Monitoring Committee of Breast Cancer Trials (BCT).
His previous leadership roles include Chair of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia (2016-2019), Board Member of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (2013-2015) and Chair of the Gastrointestinal Group of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (2006-2010).
Professor Karapetis was the convener of the 2007 Annual Scientific Meeting of COSA and the 2011 MOGA ASM when these meetings were held in Adelaide. He is a current member of the organising committee for the European Society of Medical Oncology GI Cancer Conference. He is also a member of the Public Policy Committee of the same organisation.
Professor Karapetis has a distinguished and prolific track record (h-index 57 overall) and 75173 citations (Google Scholar, January 2025). Over the course of his career, Prof. Karapetis has authored 272 papers, including 222 publications of original research. His work is regularly published in journals that have direct clinical impact, including the NEJM, Journal of Clinical Oncology and Lancet Oncology. Professor Karapetis has received >$10 million in continuous funding over the last 5 years, including funding from the NHMRC, MRFF and Cancer Australia. He is a regular invited speaker at national and international meetings. He was bestowed the honour of the title ‘Matthew Flinders Professor’ in 2023 by Flinders University, in recognition of his research achievements in oncology.
Professor Karapetis has been the principal investigator on over 200 clinical trials spanning a wide range of solid tumour types. His interest in clinical research developed following a research fellowship at Guy’s Hospital in London. Professor Karapetis has established research interests in lung cancer, gastro-intestinal malignancy, cancer of unknown primary, predictive biomarkers in cancer, epidemiology and clinical research methodology.
Professor Karapetis is a prominent contributor to clinical research through the Australasian Gastrointestinal Trial Group (AGITG). He is the current chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the AGITG and has held a previous leadership role as the Chair of the Lower GI Cancer Working Group. He served as the principal investigator for the CO.17 clinical trial and led the K-Ras biomarker research associated with the study. The findings from this research had a global impact on the clinical management of colorectal cancer, with the resulting publication in the New England Journal of Medicine nominated by The Lancet as one of the five key medical publications of 2008. Professor Karapetis continues to investigate the clinical relevance of predictive biomarkers and has led an international collaboration focused on exploring the role of various molecular biomarkers in colorectal cancer.
Furthermore, Professor Karapetis is the immediate past Chair of the Australia and Asia Pacific Clinical Research Development (ACORD) initiative. This initiative provides educational workshops that help to develop clinical research skills for researchers in the field of oncology across the Asia-Pacific region. He continues to work on the Steering Committee of ACORD.
Between 2023 and 2025, Professor Karapetis served as the Chair of the Expert Advisory Group for the development of the “National Framework for Genomic in Cancer” for Cancer Australia. Professor Karapetis has served on NHMRC Grant Review Panels (Project Grants 2015 to 2017 and Investigator Grants 2023-2025). He is a current member of the Cancer Council SA Cancer Research Committee. He is also the current Chair of the Independent Data Safety Monitoring Committee of Breast Cancer Trials (BCT).
His previous leadership roles include Chair of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia (2016-2019), Board Member of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (2013-2015) and Chair of the Gastrointestinal Group of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (2006-2010).
Professor Karapetis was the convener of the 2007 Annual Scientific Meeting of COSA and the 2011 MOGA ASM when these meetings were held in Adelaide. He is a current member of the organising committee for the European Society of Medical Oncology GI Cancer Conference. He is also a member of the Public Policy Committee of the same organisation.
Professor Karapetis has a distinguished and prolific track record (h-index 57 overall) and 75173 citations (Google Scholar, January 2025). Over the course of his career, Prof. Karapetis has authored 272 papers, including 222 publications of original research. His work is regularly published in journals that have direct clinical impact, including the NEJM, Journal of Clinical Oncology and Lancet Oncology. Professor Karapetis has received >$10 million in continuous funding over the last 5 years, including funding from the NHMRC, MRFF and Cancer Australia. He is a regular invited speaker at national and international meetings. He was bestowed the honour of the title ‘Matthew Flinders Professor’ in 2023 by Flinders University, in recognition of his research achievements in oncology.