Christian John Finley
Professor, Surgery

Dr. Christian Finley is a national leader in lung cancer management, policy, governance, standardization and benchmarking. He has led the development of partnerships with national and provincial/territorial governments, national societies and cancer agencies to establish solution-oriented approaches to the management of complex systems of care. He is the Lung Cancer Lead at the International Benchmarking Partnership and is the Clinical Lead for Lung Cancer Screening for Ontario. He is an advisor on lung cancer screening for the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care.

Dr. Finley is a strategic leader with extensive expertise in the Canadian and International context. He has a track record of sound analytical judgment, organizational governance, and building dynamic teams to tackle key issues. Dr. Finley co-founded and leads the national quality improvement project for Thoracic Surgery. As a thoracic surgeon at one of the busiest centres in Canada, Dr. Finley has led many initiatives that have won awards for quality and patient-centered care.

Recognizing a local need, Dr. Finley conceived and fundraised for the creation of a palliative suite for patients to die with dignity.

Dr. Finley has received over 7 million dollars in research funding, published over 80 papers, and has been invited for over 100 national and international presentations. He has received numerous awards, including a prestigious James IV international award supporting outstanding surgical leaders to promote the exchange of knowledge around the globe. He holds a Masters degree in Public Health from Harvard University, a Doctor of Medicine from University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Applied Science from Queen’s University. He has been an admissions interviewer for Harvard University for over 10 years.

He is the proud father of three children and an avid outdoorsman.