The Department of Oncology is housed within the Cross Cancer Institute, where cancer patients from the city of Edmonton and the surrounding area are treated. The Institute is located on the southwest corner of the University of Alberta Campus.

The Department of Oncology is divided into seven Academic Divisions. laboratory-based training programs are primarily completed through the Division of Experimental Oncology, where both basic and translational medical research training opportunities exist.

The Department of Oncology awards M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Oncology according to the guidelines established by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research and the Department of Oncology Graduate Program.

Access to state-of-the-art research facilities provides both exceptional training opportunities and facilitates cutting edge graduate research. The Division of Experimental Oncology offers graduate students an opportunity to learn and apply the latest research techniques using the most modern research technologies. The Department of Oncology Cell Imaging Facility concentrates the latest in microscopy technologies (laser scanning confocal microscopy, multiphoton excitation microscopy, spinning disk confocal microscopy, and deconvolution fluorescence microscopy) for both imaging in living systems and in fixed cells and tissues into a single facility. For nanotechnology applications, the Cell Imaging Facility has recently acquired a 200 KV cryo-transmission electron microscope with a Gatan GIF imaging filter for spectroscopy and imaging spectroscopy of nanomaterials, cells, and tissues. For the isolation of the cancer cells, the Cell Imaging Facility has a laser microdissection instrument to selectively remove the cancer cells from the mixture of normal and cancer cells found in human tumors and a new BD Biosciences Influx flow cytometer, which can be used for sorting living cells or for the analysis of markers or cell cycle stage in living or fixed cell samples. To study tumors and drug metabolism inside of living animals, the Department of Oncology houses a state-of-the-art small animal PET (positron emission tomography) and animal MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) systems. Access is also available onsite to gene microarray technology, DNA sequencers, Quantitative PCR instruments, and a spectrum of tools for biochemistry and molecular biology applications. Collectively, graduate students have the opportunity to develop skill sets that are in demand and will enhance their capabilities and competitiveness as they move to the next stage of their career.                    

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