Summary
Launched 4 November 2026, Queensland Melanoma Institute is the state's new peak body targeting Melanoma.
It’s home to the highest rates of melanoma in the world, and today Queensland’s fight against the deadly cancer levelled up with the launch of a new peak body.
The Queensland Melanoma Institute (QMI) brings together researchers, clinicians and institutions to harness the best knowledge and improve outcomes for melanoma and complex skin cancer.
QMI Director and surgical oncologist Emeritus Professor Mark Smithers AM said the Institute is positioned to connect the dots from research to clinic.
“For decades, our research effort in this space has been fragmented. Brilliant people, doing brilliant work, but data siloed across institutions, and no single coordinating body pulling it all together,” Professor Smithers said.
“Queensland has some of the best melanoma researchers and clinicians in the world, and the Queensland Melanoma Institute will provide the central hub to forge those connections and advance progress against this disease.”
Professor Smithers said QMI would create accessible pathways for collaboration across research, clinical care and education.
“Ultimately, the aim is to speed up the development of better treatments and deliver better, faster outcomes for patients,” he said.
QMI will not fund research or deliver care. Instead, it will connect the two, so discoveries inform patient care and clinical insight shapes what gets researched next.
Noelle Cridland, Chief Executive of founding partner Metro South Health, said QMI was the first institute of its kind in Queensland and builds on a long history of melanoma research.
“Princess Alexandra Hospital has been pushing boundaries in melanoma research and clinical trials, and delivering outstanding results for patients, since the 1960s,” Ms Cridland said.
“QMI is the next step in that journey, building on decades of discovery to create a dedicated home for melanoma and complex skin cancer research, right here in Queensland.
“QMI will deliver stronger data and stronger collaboration across the research and clinical community and, ultimately, better outcomes for patients right across Queensland.”
QMI patient advocate Melissa Achille, a stage three melanoma survivor, said ongoing research is critical for patients.
“Hearing the words stage three melanoma is terrifying. New treatments gave me options I didn’t know I had, and with those options came hope,” Ms Achille said.
“I’m here today because researchers kept pushing the science. Every new discovery gives another patient a real chance, which is why the work QMI will do is so essential.”
Founded in partnership with Metro South Health, QMI is based at the Translational Research Institute in Woolloongabba and works closely with collaborators including The University of Queensland, Frazer Institute, QIMR Berghofer, Mater Research and Greenslopes Private Hospital.
Further information
Enjoying the beautiful weather of the Sunshine State has an unfortunate consequence for Queenslanders – the highest incidence of melanoma in the world.
- Queensland has the highest melanoma incidence in the world
- 1 in 21 women will be diagnosed with melanoma
- 1 in 14 men will be diagnosed with melanoma
- 120% increase in incidence of melanoma between 1982 and 2019 in Australia
- 1,455 Australians died from melanoma in 2021
- Over 100,000 Queenslanders diagnosed with invasive melanoma since 1982
- Most common cancer in Australians aged 15–29
QMI is based at the Translational Research Institute, 37 Kent Street, Woolloongabba. Learn more at www.qldmelanoma.org.au.