Cancer chief SA's new lieutenant governor

South Australia's leading cancer prevention advocate has been sworn in as the state's first female lieutenant governor.

Cancer Council SA chief executive Brenda Wilson was sworn in at a ceremony in Adelaide on Friday.

She replaces Hieu Van Le, a Vietnamese-born former refugee who will become governor in September.

Professor Wilson, who will keep her executive role with the Cancer Council, says she plans to focus her attention on poverty, disability and preventative health in her new position.