Meet CONNECT’s Project Manager

Knut Martin Torgersen is CONNECT’s new Project Manager.

Knut Martin Torgersen holds a PhD from the University of Oslo and has a background as a researcher. He has also worked in pharmaceutical companies and contributed to several strategic projects. Photo: Wenche Gerhardsen / Oslo Cancer Cluster

This text is AI-translated from the original Norwegian article.

“The most important part of my role as the new Project Manager will be to maintain and further develop the strong foundation for public–private dialogue and collaboration that has already been established within CONNECT,” said Knut Martin Torgersen.

Torgersen holds a PhD from the University of Oslo and has a research background focusing on intracellular signalling and the regulation of the immune system. This naturally led him into work on cancer and cancer treatment, as well as various roles within the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and MSD. He has been involved across the entire value chain, from clinical trials, regulatory processes, medical affairs, communication and strategy, to market access and health economics.

From 7 April, he will take on the role of Project Manager for the public–private consortium focused on implementing precision cancer medicine in Norway.

Addressing concrete challenges

He refers to the new strategy in CONNECT and the significant potential inherent in such a collaboration.

Read more about CONNECT’s new strategy here.

“Key topics will include the new action plan for clinical trials, continued professional discussions around health economics, and the need for a robust national data infrastructure. At the same time, I want us to take a broader view and look ahead to what will be important over the next ten years. This includes the implementation of AI in the Norwegian healthcare system and in cancer treatment.”

A strong internal drive

Knut Martin Torgersen has contributed to several strategic projects in the past, including the establishment of the Norwegian Cancer Genomics Consortium, national strategies for personalised medicine, and registry-based studies using data from the Scandinavian cancer registries.

At CONNECT, he was inspired by the opportunity to work strategically with all key stakeholders in Norwegian cancer care and to help drive change for the benefit of patients.

“My experience is that everyone working in cancer care has a strong internal drive to help every single patient. A public–private collaboration built on this shared motivation provides both direction and an exciting space of opportunity.”

Optimistic about artificial intelligence

Torgersen highlights that increasing knowledge will gradually drive treatment towards greater personalisation—not only through molecular insights into cancer, but also through a deeper understanding of the immune system and broader human physiology.

“This means that the concept of personalisation is constantly expanding, and we need to view this holistically while maintaining fundamental methods to ensure accurate diagnosis and treatment. Treating patients at earlier stages and the importance of identifying patients early in the disease course will be central and will shape much of our work in the years ahead. There is also great hope that artificial intelligence can help us identify patients earlier, both through screening programmes and general health monitoring,” said the new Project Manager.