He treats glioblastoma and shapes neuro-oncology practice, while mentoring the next generation
Age: 38
It’s no surprise that Egiroh Omene selected neuro-oncology as his career.
When Omene was nine years old, his father died of blood cancer. In college, he enjoyed biochemistry and, partly because of his father’s experience, became fascinated with how cancer cells thrive.
Today, at the Cross Cancer Institute, his primary area of expertise is diagnosing and treating glioblastoma, the most common adult brain cancer, one that gives patients a life expectancy of 15 months.
Omene recently secured $400,000 (half from the Alberta Cancer Foundation and half from a pharmaceutical company) to fund an early-stage, investigator-initiated trial exploring how a blend of two common medications used together might tamp down glucose and glutamine that cancer cells feed on. The study is the first of its kind, and is expected to be up and running in Edmonton within a year.
Omene always comes back to one question: “How do we take what we know from science and make it into a solution for the patient?” With that in mind, he serves as provincial lead on Brain Cancer for Cancer Care Alberta, shaping neuro-oncology practice province-wide.
Patients, families and colleagues help him stay strong during challenging times and celebrate victories. When he has time, Omene travels. During a recent trip, he took in the smells, sights and sounds of Paris. “It’s a real palate cleanser,” he says. At home, you’ll find him in the gym, a red-light chamber or a sauna session.
Omene is a dedicated mentor to the next generation of physicians. “As a Black clinician-scientist and former college football athlete,” he says, “I hope my path expands what young Edmontonians see as possible.”
His approach to his work includes focus and consistency. “It’s about showing up every day and giving our patients the best shot at success,” Omene says, “either with better quality-of-life experiences or better outcomes.”
This article appears in the November-December 2026 issue of Edify
