Susan Jordan

Professor Susan Jordan is a medically trained cancer epidemiologist and NHMRC Leadership Fellow at The University of Queensland's School of Public Health within the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences. She holds a PhD from UQ and has over 180 peer-reviewed publications. Her research focuses on ovarian, endometrial, and thyroid cancers, emphasizing reproductive factors, patterns of care, and survival outcomes. She leads large-scale data linkage projects and has pioneered studies demonstrating paradigm shifts in cancer origin (e.g., fallopian tubes as primary site for ovarian cancers) and influencing chemotherapy guidelines. Her work highlights rural-urban disparities in cancer outcomes and the protective role of breastfeeding.

Education

• Bachelor (Honours) of Medicine and Surgery, University of New South Wales
• Graduate Diploma in Clinical Epidemiology, University of Newcastle
• PhD in Epidemiology (2007), The University of Queensland

Research Interests

Dr. Jordan investigates reproductive factors in cancer etiology, including how hormonal pathways influence ovarian and endometrial cancers. She examines modifiable risk factors and healthcare disparities, using molecular epidemiology and consortium data pooling. Her work bridges clinical practice and population health, emphasizing long-term outcomes of surgical interventions like hysterectomy.

Grants and Impact

• NHMRC Investigator Grant (2025-2029): Addressing knowledge gaps in ovarian/endometrial/thyroid cancers
• NHMRC Ideas Grant (2021-2025): Hysterectomy long-term health outcomes study (HOLD)
• Pioneered studies leading to chemotherapy guideline revisions and public health awareness campaigns

Labs/Teams

Lead investigator in multidisciplinary teams including the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium and Australian Women's and Girls' Health Research Centre. Collaborates with global networks on thyroid cancer quality of life and renal cell carcinoma epidemiology.