Diana Sarfati

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Diana Sarfati
Sarfati in 2019
Director-General of Health
In office
1 December 2022 – 21 February 2025
Preceded byAshley Bloomfield
Succeeded byAudrey Sonerson (acting)
Personal details
Born1967 or 1968 (age 56–57)[1]
Alma materUniversity of Otago
Scientific career
FieldsEpidemiology
InstitutionsUniversity of Otago
Thesis

Diana Sarfati (born 1967/1968) is a New Zealand cancer researcher and senior public servant. She was formerly head of the Cancer Control Agency from 2019 to 2022 and Director-General of Health from 2022 to 2025.

Education and family

Sarfati attended medical school at the University of Otago, graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in 1991. Later, she returned to Otago for postgraduate education, earning a Master of Public Health (with Distinction) in 1998. Her PhD, completed in 2014 at the same university, found that administrative data were adequate for measuring comorbidity in cancer populations and was determined to be an exceptional thesis.[2][3]

Safarti's father, John Sarfati, was also a medical doctor.[4][5] She has three children.[6]

Career

Medicine and academia

Early in her career, Sarfati worked on a cancer ward in Palmerston North.[5] Later she became an academic and public health researcher at the University of Otago. She was appointed a senior research fellow and senior lecturer in 2004. From 2006 to 2009, she was regional training director at the Australasian College of Public Health Medicine. She was appointed an associate professor at Otago's Department of Public Health in 2013. In that role, she was also director of the cancer and chronic conditions research group.[2] Her research focused on disparities in cancer outcomes.[7]

In 2015, she was appointed co-head of the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, alongside Richard Edwards, and was also appointed a professor. From 2018 she became the department's sole head.

Lancet Oncology series on cancer in small island developing states.[11]
She is a former member of the National Cancer Programme Leadership Board, the National Screening Advisory Group, the National Ethics Advisory Committee, the Bowel Cancer Taskforce and the National Bowel Cancer Screening Advisory Committee.

Public administration

In 2019, Sarfati was seconded to the Ministry of Health as National Director of Cancer Control. The Government established a new Cancer Control Agency and she was named the agency's interim chief executive on 1 December 2019. She was permanently appointed to that role on 1 July 2020.[12] During her period leading the agency, it reported on the state of cancer in New Zealand, the impact of COVID-19 on cancer services, cancer prevention, and the gap in cancer medicine availability between Australia and New Zealand.[13][14][15][16] She also sat on Health New Zealand's Planned Care Taskforce.[17]

Sarfati was appointed acting Director-General of Health in July 2022, succeeding Ashley Bloomfield, who had led the Ministry of Health through the COVID-19 pandemic.[18] She was named the permanent appointment to that role in November 2022.[19] She announced her resignation from the position in February 2025.[20]

Recognition

In 2019, Sarfati was named NEXT's Woman of the Year for her focus on promoting equitable cancer treatment.[21]

Selected works

References

  1. ^ Macdonald, Nikki (28 September 2019). "National Portrait: Diana Sarfati, cancer researcher and new cancer agency boss". Stuff.
  2. ^ a b c Public Service Commission (16 November 2022). Appointment: Director-General of Health and Chief Executive, Ministry of Health (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  3. hdl:10523/4734
    .
  4. ^ Dougan, Patrice (6 January 2024). "Diana the undaunted: Chocolate fish, reforms and the shadow of Sir Ashley". New Zealand Doctor. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  5. ^ a b "National Portrait: Diana Sarfati, cancer researcher and new cancer agency boss". Stuff. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  6. ^ Lang, Sarah. "Meet Next Magazine's Woman of the Year 2019 Winners". Now To Love. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Professor Diana Sarfati, Department of Public Health". University of Otago. 2020. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  8. ^ "The Lancet Oncology Advisory Board". www.thelancet.com. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  9. ISBN 978-92-832-2223-1
    .
  10. ^ "ICBP partnership". Cancer Research UK. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Cancer control in small island nations". www.thelancet.com. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  12. ^ "Appointment: Chief Executive, Cancer Control Agency" (PDF). publicservice.govt.nz. 6 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Te Aho o Te Kahu – The State of Cancer in New Zealand 2020". Te Aho o Te Kahu – The State of Cancer in New Zealand 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  14. PMID 34327369
    .
  15. ^ "Te Aho o Te Kahu - Cancer Prevention Report". Te Aho o Te Kahu - Cancer Prevention Report. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  16. ^ "Te Aho o Te Kahu – Cancer Control Agency". Te Aho o Te Kahu – Cancer Control Agency. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  17. ^ "Nationwide plan to tackle hospital waiting lists". The Beehive. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  18. RNZ
    . 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Dr Diana Sarfati to be next director-general of health". Stuff. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  20. ^ Thomas, Rachel (14 February 2025). "Dr Diana Sarfati resigns as health director-general". www.thepost.co.nz. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  21. ^ Board, Otago Bulletin (5 November 2019). "Equity and justice motivate NEXT Woman of the Year winners". University of Otago. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
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