Marking World Cancer Day, this event presents an opportunity to review the advances made in cancer research and cancer care over the last 20 years and discuss the vision for collaborative cancer research going forward.

Professor Chris Scott, Director, Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen’s University Belfast will give a brief introduction to the Centre and the research taking place.

Professor Mark Lawler, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chair in Translational Cancer Genomics, Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen’s University Belfast, will give a short presentation entitled, ‘Time for an All-Island Cancer Moonshot?’

A panel discussion on cancer research will follow, chaired by Professor Emma Flynn, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research and Enterprise, Queen’s University Belfast. Participating will be:

• Dr William Dahut, Clinical Director, National Cancer Institute, USA.

• Professor Liam Gallagher, Director, Conway Institute for Biomolecular Research, University College Dublin.

• Dr Ruth Barrington, Board Member, Cancer Trials Ireland .

• Paula Bradshaw MLA, Chair of the All-Party Group on Cancer, Northern Ireland Assembly, will make a Pre-Recorded contribution.

Margaret Hearty, Designated Officer and Director of Business Services at InterTradeIreland will close the event.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Professor Emma Flynn

Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, Queen’s University Belfast

As Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, Emma is responsible for enhancing the University's high-performing and innovative research environment. She also cultivates and advances effective relationships and collaborations with key institutional partners, including funders, government, health bodies, businesses and charities at regional, national and international level, driving the University's world-leading reputation for research excellence and its contribution to economic growth.

A senior academic leader within Queen's, Emma is a member of the University's Executive Board, which is responsible for steering and supporting the strategic direction of the University.

Emma is a leader in her research field – developmental and comparative psychology – with multiple international and inter-disciplinary collaborations. Her core research concern is how humans acquire their culture, and how culture changes.

Professor Chris Scott

Director, Patrick G. Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen’s University Belfast

Professor Chris Scott is Director of the Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research. Following a primary degree in Biochemistry he undertook a PhD and post doctoral training at Queen’s in molecular enzymology. In 2001, Chris was one of the founding members of QUB spinout company Fusion Antibodies Ltd., before returning to Queen’s in 2003 to take up an academic position.

Chris is internationally renowned for his work in development of antibody and nanomedicine-based therapies for the treatment of cancer and other conditions. Work in his laboratory is funded by agencies such as Medical Research Council, US-Ireland, and various industrial sources such as AstraZeneca and Immunocore. He also held a Royal Society Industrial Fellowship with GSK from 2012-15, and won the Vice Chancellor’s Prize for Innovation in 2015 with his group’s work on developing a novel nanomedicine for the treatment of sepsis and other inflammatory conditions. Chris is a member of the Medical Research Council Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme Panel.

Professor Mark Lawler

Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chair of Translational Cancer Genomics, Patrick G. Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen’s University Belfast

Professor Lawler is an internationally-renowned scientist with over 200 publications, many in the highest ranked journals, and is passionate about translating research for the benefit of patients and society. He has received numerous awards including the prestigious 2018 European Health Award and is frequently invited to speak at top-tier international conferences.

He was architect of the European Cancer Patient’s Bill of Rights, which he launched with patients and health professionals in the European Parliament on World Cancer Day 2014. The Bill of Rights is a beacon of hope for cancer patients Europe-wide, leading to development of the 70:35 Vision - 70% average survival for cancer patients by 2035. This Vision has been adopted by the European Cancer Organisation, the largest multidisciplinary cancer organisation in Europe, and is influencing health policy in many European countries. As a member of the Board of the European Cancer Organisation, Mark launched the European Code of Cancer Practice in September 2020, already it has been translated into over 25 European languages and is having Europe-wide impact.

His research on colorectal cancer has increased our understanding of this common disease. His leadership of Bowel Cancer UK’s Critical Research Gaps in Colorectal Cancer Initiative will influence colorectal research activity/policy over the next decade.

Professor Lawler is Associate Director of Health Data Research Wales-Northern Ireland and Scientific Director of DATA-CAN, the UK Health Data Research Hub for Cancer. His leadership in heath data research has been world-leading, with key publications in the premier journals.

His work on COVID-19 and cancer, highlighting how the current pandemic may precipitate a future cancer epidemic, has received international attention, with publications in key international journal and over 300 media stories (including coverage in BBC Panorama and BBC Spotlight programmes).

Paula Bradshaw MLA

Chair of All Party Group on Cancer, NI Assembly

Paula Bradshaw is an Alliance Party spokesperson for Health and Social Justice Issues and Northern Ireland Assembly member since 2016. 

She is a Member of senior Alliance delegation for Brexit and Talks meetings with successive Prime Ministers, Secretaries of State and Irish Foreign Affairs Ministers.

She has 19 years of experience in delivering community development and urban renewal projects across Belfast.

Paula has effective working relationships across the community with voluntary groups, churches, businesses and statutory agencies.

She is a graduate of Law & Government and Business & Finance (European Studies) both studied at Ulster University.

Dr William Dahut

CCR Scientific Director for Clinical Research, US National Cancer Institute

Dr. Dahut received his M.D. from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He completed clinical training in internal medicine at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, followed by training in hematology and medical oncology at the Bethesda Naval Hospital and the Medicine Branch of the NCI. Dr. Dahut worked as an attending physician in the NCI-Navy Medical Oncology Branch until 1995. He then joined the faculty of the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University before returning to NCI in 1998. Dr. Dahut's primary research interest has been in the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of adenocarcinoma of the prostate. He has pioneered the effort to combine experimental therapies such as angiogenesis and immunotherapy with chemotherapy, androgen blockade, radiotherapy and other more traditional modalities. His recent studies combining immunotherapy with more standard treatment have been active and demonstrated the ability to maintain a robust immunologic response.

In 2009, Dr. Dahut was appointed as CCR Clinical Director where he oversees and assures the quality of medical care delivered to patients participating in CCR clinical trials. In 2012, Dr. Dahut was appointed as a CCR Deputy Director then in 2016 was selected to become the CCR Scientific Director for Clinical Research.

Professor Liam Gallagher

Director, Conway Institute for Biomolecular Research, University College Dublin

Professor William Gallagher BSc PhD CBiol MSB William Gallagher is Director of the UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, and Professor of Cancer Biology in the UCD School of Biomolecular & Biomedical Science. He is also the Director of the first Irish Cancer Society Collaborative Cancer Research Centre, BREAST-PREDICT, which will received 7.5 million euro in funding from 2013 to 2018 (www.breastpredict.com). His primary research interests are in the areas of cancer biology and molecular therapeutics.

Prof. Gallagher originally graduated from the Department of Biochemistry, UCD in 1993 with a 1st Class Joint Honours degree in Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry. Subsequently, he obtained a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the Cancer Research UK Beatson Laboratories in Glasgow. In 1997, he moved to Paris to undertake a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer (currently Sanofi-Aventis). Afterwards, he returned to Ireland upon receipt of an Enterprise Ireland Post-Doctoral Fellowship (1999-2000) and, subsequently, a Marie Curie Return Fellowship (2000-2001). In 2001, he was employed in a permanent capacity as College Lecturer at UCD within the former Department of Pharmacology.

In 2005, he was appointed Senior Lecturer within the UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science and was promoted to Associate Professor of Cancer Biology in 2006. In September 2009, Prof. Gallagher took up the position of Vice-Principal of Research and Innovation at the UCD College of Life Sciences, and was appointed a Conway Fellow at the UCD Conway Institute. In 2007, he co-founded OncoMark Ltd. (where he is currently Chief Scientific Officer), which is a private company centred on the development and application of biomarker panels and associated technologies, on both tissues and biological fluids (www.oncomark.com).

Dr Ruth Barrington

Board Member, Cancer Trials Ireland

Dr Barrington is a director of the Voluntary Health Insurance Board and a member of the Press Council of Ireland. She is the Chair of TREOIR, the federation of services for unmarried parents; the Chair of the Council of the National Children’s Research Centre; and Chair of the St John of God Research Foundation. She is a director of the Children’s Medical Research Foundation and the Daniel O’Connell Summer School.

She was chief executive of Molecular Medicine Ireland from 2007-2012 and of the Health Research Board from 1998 to 2007. She previously served as an Assistant Secretary in the Department of Health.

From 2002 to 2012 she was a governor of The Irish Times Trust, serving as Chair of the Trust from 2010 to 2012. She was a director of the Board of Irish Times Ltd. from 2008-2012. She was previously a Director of TASC, a not-for-profit research organisation dedicated to reducing economic inequalities and improving the quality of democracy in Ireland.

She is a graduate of University College Dublin and the College of Europe, Bruges and was awarded a PhD from the London School of Economics in 1985. She was awarded an honorary degree in laws by the National University of Ireland, Maynooth in May 2005.

Margaret Hearty

Designated Officer and Director of Business Services, InterTradeIreland

Margaret heads up InterTradeIreland’s suite of Business Supports and is part of the organisations Senior Management Team. She is currently Assistant Designated Officer. Margaret has worked with the organisation since its inception in a number of key roles.

Margaret has over 20 year’s experience working with entrepreneurs, small & medium sized enterprises and start-up businesses. She has extensive experience designing innovative solutions and supports for business. Margaret is passionate about helping and supporting businesses to grow and develop through InterTradeIreland’s supports.

Margaret is a business and marketing graduate and has an MBA. She was appointed to her current position in December 2009.