The Team

Aidan McCormick

  • Aidan is Chairperson of NI Cancer Research Consumer Forum (NICRCF) and a Member of Queens University Belfast PPI Network. He is an Executive Committee Member of NI Cancer Trials Network (NICTN) and Patient Advocate Member of the All-Island Cancer Research Institute (AICRI). Aidan is also a Member of the Cancer Consortium Implementation Group.

    Until his retirement in 2019, Aidan McCormick was employed by the Northern Ireland Education Authority. Previously he was a teacher of science and careers education at post primary level and a Governor of the Southern Regional College. He has been a blood cancer patient for over twelve years.

    Aidan explains why he got involved in the NI Cancer Research Consumer Forum.

    I was introduced to the Cancer Forum by my Sister-in-law whose husband was a Prostate Cancer Patient. The Forum I discovered was a body of like-minded people, from all walks of life, consisting of patients and carers all with an experience of cancer and involved in supporting the work of cancer researchers and clinicians. For me it was an ideal opportunity to give back to the community that cares for me and allows me to add my patient’s voice. Patient and public involvement (PPI) empowers us, it builds our confidence and gives us hope in challenging times. We can help improve the quality and relevance of a research project as we bring a different perspective, a patient’s or carer’s perspective. As patient advocates we can inform all parts of the research cycle and help improve outcomes for patients.

Jacqueline Daly

  • Jacqueline is a former Malignant Melanoma cancer patient, co-founder of East Galway & Midlands Cancer Support and Director of Services. She is a member of Cancer Patients Europe and Vice-Chair. She is a patient advocate and campaigner, bringing awareness and lobbying for change to local and national government agencies. She is a UCAN Ireland committee member and a member of the Saolta University Cancer Network Advisory Board.

    She is also a member of the Patient Committee of Cancer Trials Ireland and the National Cancer Research Group for the National Cancer Control Programme. Jacqueline is an active Public and Patient Involvement Group member of the Irish Society of Gynaecological Oncology, a member of the EPAG working group of the European Association of Urology in Europe, and a member of the Let’s Talk Prostate Cancer expert group in Brussels and the HPV Action steering group of the European Cancer Organisation. She is also a patient advisor with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer.

    As a member of the Movember advisory group, Jacqueline is also a member of Independent Cancer Patients' Voice and has completed VOICE – The Science for Patient Advocates study week at the Barts Cancer Institute.

    Jacqueline is a complementary Healing Touch therapist. She also develops and presents community outreach programmes and facilitates the CLIMB Program for children between the ages of 5 and 12 who have an adult in their lives diagnosed with cancer.

    The main driving force behind Jacqueline’s patient advocacy is her own experience with cancer and her experience caring for her husband when he was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. She felt the turbulence that comes with a diagnosis firsthand, and as a result of this, she is a passionate advocate for improving and easing the cancer experience for others.

Prof. Mark Lawler

  • Professor Mark is an Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor of Digital Health and Chair in Translational Cancer Genomics at The Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen’s University Belfast and Co-Lead of AICRI.

    Professor Lawler is an internationally renowned scientist with over 30 years experience in cancer research, who is passionate about translating his research for the benefit of patients and society.

    He has received numerous awards including the prestigious 2018 European Health Award and he 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, translated into 17 European languages and adopted in 25 European countries, 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.

    His research in colorectal cancer (CRC) has increased our understanding of this common disease. His leadership of Bowel Cancer UK’s Critical Research Gaps in Colorectal Cancer Initiative will influence CRC 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, with a particular emphasis on cancer has been world leading with key publications in the premier scientific and medical journals.  

    His recent work on Coronavirus and cancer, highlighting how the current COVID-19 pandemic may lead to a future cancer epidemic, has received international recognition, with over 300 media stories and publications in key international scientific journals

    Professor Lawler is also a passionate advocate for the development of outreach activities, fostering increased public understanding of science and medicine.

Prof. Amanda McCann

  • Professor. Amanda McCann PhD, is a Principal Investigator and Senior Conway Fellow in the UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research in University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland. She is also Professor in the UCD School of Medicine and was Head of Pathology within the School from 2015-2018.

    Her group’s specific cancer research interests are focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying chemoresistance for women presenting with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). In this regard she has published extensively in the area of cancer cell senescence and the role of extracellular vesicles/exosomes in the chemoresistant phenotype. She was also a member of the founding committee in the establishment of the International Cellular Senescence Association (ICSA).

    In 2006, she established and subsequently chaired the Summer Student Research Award (SSRA) programme until 2016, at which stage circa 700 undergraduate students had successfully completed this research initiative. In 2016, she established and currently chairs the UCD Patient Voice in Cancer Research (PVCR) committee made up of patients, researchers and health professionals that aims to engage the general public and cancer survivors in cancer research ensuring a two-way dialogue between patients and researchers. In December 2019, she was awarded a VIA (Values in Action) award for her work in this regard. Within UCD. In relation to patient advocate groups, she previously was a Co-Director of IPPOSI and research advisor to Debra Ireland.

    In 2017, Amanda was elected President of the Irish Association for Cancer Research (IACR), and has led on patient involvement with cancer researchers across Ireland as part of the annual IACR conferences.

Anisa Shah

  • Elaine Quinn has a B.Sc. (Applied Sciences) from Trinity College Dublin and TU Dublin; a M.Sc. Science Communication from Dublin City University and Queen’s University Belfast. She is a member of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland and her current role is as Institute Manager (Communications & Education) in UCD Conway Institute, a biomedical research centre in University College Dublin. Elaine has more than 18 years’ experience in communications and public engagement. In addition to promoting the research reputation of the Institute, Elaine facilitates the development and delivery of public engagement initiatives and builds capacity for public engagement practice through training.

    Elaine has managed the Patient Voice in Cancer Research (PVCR) from inception in 2016. This initiative, led by UCD Professor Amanda McCann, builds connections between cancer patients and researchers across the island of Ireland. To date, PCVR have run 25+ events reaching more than 1500 people; delivered training workshops for researchers nationally and across the EU; co-authored publications with patient partners and brought diverse voices from new communities in Ireland into research conversations. PVCR is part of the wider umbrella initiative by UCD Conway Institute, the Patient Voice in Health Research that includes a range of specific pathologies.

Ruth Boyd

  • Ruth Boyd is Cancer Research UK Senior Research Nurse and a Deputy Director in the NI Cancer Trials Network (NICTN) based at the NI Cancer Centre, Belfast City Hospital. Ruth is Personal and Public Involvement (PPI) Professional Lead for the NICTN and Belfast Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre. She is a passionate advocate for PPI in research and has worked closely with the members of the NI Cancer Research Consumer Forum (NICRCF) since it was established in 2011, facilitating partnership between patients/carers and researchers to benefit research and patient outcomes. 

Programme Coordination

  • Dr. Niamh Lynam-Lennon is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Biology, Maynooth University, where she leads the Translational Cancer Research Group. She leads a research team investigating why some cancers are resistant to radiation and chemotherapy treatment. Her research aims to develop tests that can tell doctors which patients will benefit from these treatments and develop novel treatments that can prevent resistance in tumours,  with the ultimate goal of improving treatment and survival for cancer patients. She sits on the steering committee of the VOICE-Ireland. 

Debbie Keatley

  • Debbie Keatley who has experienced cancer as a patient and carer, as well as other long-term conditions, is passionate about the rights of patients to be involved as equal partners in decisions that affect their treatment and care. Debbie’s ambition is for patients and the public across the UK to feel confident that they can access and understand the information in their health records and can make informed choices about how it’s used in their direct care and in research.

    Debbie has worked in the private sector in international finance, in the voluntary sector in IT and training and development, in the public sector in further education and more recently as a policy adviser.

    Debbie is now involved in an advisory capacity with many organisations and movements who rely on health data and recognise its importance in research to improve outcomes for patients. This includes useMYdata, Independent Cancer Patient Voice, Cancer Research UK’s Population and Clinical Research committees, National Cancer Research Institute’s Consumer Forum, and the Clinical Evaluations and Trials committee at National Institute for Health Research’s Health Technology Assessment programme.

    Living in Belfast, Debbie is also a member of Northern Ireland Cancer Research Consumer Forum and the Council of Northern Ireland Cancer Registry. She is also involved in patient and public involvement in clinical studies from international to local level.

Prof. William Gallagher

  • Professor William Gallagher is a Full Professor of Cancer Biology at UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Co-Lead of AICRI and Director the the St. Vincent’s UCD Cancer Centre.

    Professor Gallagher has received numerous awards for his research and innovation achievements in the oncology arena, including the NovaUCD 2011 Innovation Award, the inaugural Irish Association for Cancer Research Medal in 2017, the SFI Entrepreneurship Award in 2019 and the SFI Researcher of the Year Award 2021.

    Prof. Gallagher was the Director of the first Irish Cancer Society Collaborative Cancer Research Centre, BREAST-PREDICT, which 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.

    In 2007, he co-founded OncoMark Ltd. 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). He is currently Chief Scientific Officer of OncoAssure Ltd (formerly OncoMark Ltd.).

    Since 1999, he has attracted more than 65 million euro in research funding from both national and external sources, over 28 million euro of this as a principal applicant.

Chantal Halley

  • Chantal Halley is the Research and Engagement Programme Manager for the All-Island Cancer Research Institute (AICRI) at University College Dublin. She manages several initiatives within AICRI, including the AICRIstart programme, a €4 million initiative funded through the HEA North South Research Programme that is developing expertise in Precision Cancer Medicine across ten academic institutions on the island of Ireland. She is also centrally involved in managing part of the Irish participation in the ECHoS (Establishing Cancer Mission Hubs: Networks and Synergies) project, an EU initiative supporting the implementation of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan through the development of National Cancer Mission Hubs.

    A significant focus of Chantal’s work is patient and public involvement in research, working to ensure that the perspectives of those with lived experience of cancer and broader communities are meaningfully integrated into research discussions across the cancer ecosystem.

    Chantal is also a member of the VOICE-Ireland Steering Committee, where she contributes to the development and rollout of the programme’s training activities.

    Alongside her work at AICRI, Chantal is undertaking a Master’s in Business Administration Leadership and Development at UCD Smurfit Business School, where she is exploring organisational change and strategy development with a focus on supporting positive transformation within the cancer research ecosystem

Dr. Niamh Lynam-Lennon

Elaine Quinn

  • Anisa is a Cancer Research Project Manager with the AICRI team, where she supports the strategic coordination and delivery of the UCD-QUB All-Island Cancer Research Alliance.

    She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Technological University Dublin and a Master’s degree in Precision Medicine from University College Dublin, where she gained a strong foundation in translational research, genomics and personalised healthcare.

    Anisa brings a multidisciplinary background spanning research and clinical settings. She previously worked as a Project Manager at the St. Vincent’s-UCD Cancer Centre. In addition, she has hands-on experience in medical pathology and has contributed to molecular oncology research, specifically investigating long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as potential biomarkers in non-small cell lung cancer.

    Anisa also serves as Project Manager for the All-Island Oncology Innovation Cluster, led by UCD and QUB and Project Coordinator for VOICE-Ireland, where she supports the delivery of the programme.

Steering Committee

Chantal Halley

  • Chantal Halley is the Research and Engagement Programme Manager for the All-Island Cancer Research Institute (AICRI) at University College Dublin. She manages several initiatives within AICRI, including the AICRIstart programme, a €4 million initiative funded through the HEA North South Research Programme that is developing expertise in Precision Cancer Medicine across ten academic institutions on the island of Ireland. She is also centrally involved in managing part of the Irish participation in the ECHoS (Establishing Cancer Mission Hubs: Networks and Synergies) project, an EU initiative supporting the implementation of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan through the development of National Cancer Mission Hubs.

    A significant focus of Chantal’s work is patient and public involvement in research, working to ensure that the perspectives of those with lived experience of cancer and broader communities are meaningfully integrated into research discussions across the cancer ecosystem.

    Chantal is also a member of the VOICE-Ireland Steering Committee, where she contributes to the development and rollout of the programme’s training activities.

    Alongside her work at AICRI, Chantal is undertaking a Master’s in Business Administration Leadership and Development at UCD Smurfit Business School, where she is exploring organisational change and strategy development with a focus on supporting positive transformation within the cancer research ecosystem