Welcome to the Irish Research Radiation Oncology Group (IRROG)
The Irish Research Radiation Oncology Group (IRROG) is a national initiative working to improve cancer care through cutting-edge radiotherapy research. Formed in 2022 with support from the Health Research Board, IRROG brings together all public radiotherapy departments and private hospital partners across Ireland. Our shared goal is simple: to give more patients better access to high-quality clinical trials.
Why IRROG Matters
Clinical trials are essential to advancing cancer treatment. But in the past, Irish patients often had limited access to radiotherapy trials—delays in approvals, lack of resources, and limited technology meant some hospitals couldn’t take part. As a result, many patients missed out on innovative treatments available elsewhere.
IRROG is changing that.
We’re investing in people and infrastructure to streamline how radiotherapy trials are set up and run across the country. By improving collaboration and communication across the national network, we can open trials faster and bring them closer to where patients live—reducing travel burdens and giving more people access to new and promising treatments.
Thanks to recent upgrades in radiotherapy technology nationwide, trials are no longer limited to a few centres in Dublin. Patients around the country can now benefit from advanced techniques like stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) in their local hospitals.
Our Goals at IRROG
At IRROG, our mission is to:
- Improve how radiotherapy research is delivered in Ireland
- Support Irish-led clinical trials that put patient needs first
- Expand access to international studies offering new treatment options
- Make sure every trial includes the patient voice from the start
Professor Sinéad Brennan
Professor Sinéad Brennan
Professor Sinéad Brennan serves as the National Lead of IRROG and has been a Consultant Radiation Oncologist at St. Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network (SLRON) and St. James’s Hospital since 2010. She is also a Clinical Associate Professor at Trinity College Dublin, with a clinical and academic focus on head and neck and breast cancers.
Professor Brennan plays a central role in the design, delivery, and governance of radiotherapy research in Ireland. She is a senior leader within Cancer Trials Ireland, serving on both the Executive Committee and Senior Management Group, and chairs the Irish Head and Neck Cancer Disease Subgroup. She has also been a Director on the Board of the Irish Cancer Society from 2016 to 2025, and is an active faculty member of the Radiology and Radiation Oncology Committee at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
Her leadership extends into the Trinity St James’s Cancer Institute, where she is a member of the Executive Committee, helping shape integrated cancer research strategies. Professor Brennan has led numerous international multicentre clinical trials as Irish Principal Investigator, including DARS, CompARE, and PRESERVE, and continues to advocate for improving trial access, speeding up approval processes, and embedding the patient voice into every step of clinical research.
Róisín Ó Maolalaí
Professor Joe Martin
Professor Joe Martin
Dr. Joe Martin is the Site Lead for IRROG at University Hospital Galway (UHG) and a Consultant Radiation Oncologist with the Saolta University Health Care Group. He has been instrumental in expanding radiotherapy services and research in the West of Ireland and is a national advocate for equitable access to clinical trials across all regions.
Dr. Martin received his medical degree from University College Dublin, followed by specialist radiation oncology training through the RCSI/St. Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network. He completed an international clinical fellowship in Canada, where he gained advanced training in SBRT, image-guided radiation therapy, and clinical trial integration in large academic centres.
Since joining UHG, Dr. Martin has led the expansion of clinical research activity and advanced treatment delivery in the West. He has served as Principal Investigator on trials in prostate, lung, and gastrointestinal cancers, and is actively involved in developing investigator-led trials that reflect real-world patient needs.
He is deeply committed to decentralising access to radiotherapy trials, ensuring that patients across Saolta hospitals have the opportunity to benefit from innovative therapies and participate in cutting-edge studies. Dr. Martin also mentors junior doctors and research staff, helping to build capacity for radiotherapy research in the region.
His work through IRROG supports a more connected and inclusive national research network, advancing cancer care across every corner of Ireland.
Professor John Armstrong
Professor John Armstrong
Professor John Armstrong is the IRROG Site Lead at St. Luke’s Hospital Rathgar and has been a major force in advancing radiotherapy research and innovation in Ireland for more than two decades. A former Director of Research at the St. Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network (SLRON), he has overseen some of the most impactful clinical developments in Irish radiotherapy.
Professor Armstrong trained at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where he directed the Lung Cancer Radiation Research Programme—bringing back with him extensive expertise in advanced radiotherapy techniques and trial methodology. Under his leadership, SLRON was one of the first Irish centres to implement Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), now standard in the treatment of complex cancers.
Over his career, Professor Armstrong has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, lectured extensively, and mentored emerging clinicians and researchers. He has been instrumental in the enrolment of over 2,080 patients into clinical trials at SLRON—a significant national milestone. He currently leads the 18-33 Source Trial, a pioneering investigator-initiated study focused on advanced radiation techniques, which IRROG is supporting for national rollout.
Professor Armstrong remains a driving force for innovation, standardisation, and equitable access to radiotherapy research across Ireland.
Professor Aisling Barry
Professor Aisling Barry
Professor Aisling Barry is the Site Lead for IRROG at Cork University Hospital (CUH) and holds the pioneering post of Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology at University College Cork (UCC). She brings a unique blend of international clinical experience, academic leadership, and translational research expertise to the IRROG network.
Professor Barry previously served as a Radiation Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PMCC) in Toronto and as Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, where she was Clinical Lead of the Palliative and Oligo-metastatic Radiation Programme. Her clinical specialties include breast, gastrointestinal, and liver and lung oligo-metastatic cancers, with a strong focus on stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT).
She is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and completed specialist training via the RCSI/St. Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network. Her post-specialist fellowships in breast cancer radiotherapy and SBRT were completed at PMCC, alongside a Master’s in Clinical Epidemiology that focused on quality-of-life outcomes in cancer patients.
Professor Barry is widely recognised for her academic excellence and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Dr. Richard Steevens’ HSE Fellowship Award, the ASCO Merit Award for her work in liver cancer, and the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Symposium Award. Her current research integrates cutting-edge radiotherapy with patient-reported outcomes and personalised treatment strategies, and she continues to lead Irish participation in international collaborative trials.
Professor Brian O’Neill
Professor Brian O’Neill
Professor Brian O’Neill is the IRROG Site Lead at the St. Luke’s Centre in Beaumont Hospital, where he has served as a Consultant Radiation Oncologist with the St. Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network (SLRON) since 2008. He is deeply involved in shaping national policy and clinical guidelines, and is a key voice in strategic research and ethics governance in Ireland.
Professor O’Neill is the Chair of the National Cancer Control Programme’s (NCCP) Radiation Oncology Subgroups for both Prostate and Gastrointestinal Cancers, setting national standards for radiotherapy treatment and research. He is also a Board Member of the St. Luke’s Cancer Research Fund and the St. Luke’s Institute of Cancer Research, and contributes as a faculty member of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
In addition to his clinical leadership, Professor O’Neill serves on the SLRON Research Ethics and Research Management Committees, guiding ethical oversight and scientific integrity for clinical trials. He has served as Principal Investigator on several international trials including TRILARC (colorectal), Neo-AEGIS (gastrointestinal), and PACE-C (prostate), and remains a national leader in multidisciplinary research.
Professor O’Neill’s work is driven by a strong belief in patient-centred care, access equity, and the importance of Irish participation in global cancer research.
Dr. Mazen El Bassiouni
Dr. Mazen El Bassiouni
Dr. El Bassiouni qualified from Cairo University in 1995 and completed his radiation oncology training at Cairo University Hospital and the University Hospital Zurich, where he mastered intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) techniques for the treatment of head and neck and prostate cancers. He holds both a Master’s (MSc) and Doctorate (MD) in Clinical Oncology and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists (FRCR, London).
Throughout his career, Dr. El Bassiouni has demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing clinical research and innovation in radiation oncology. He has multiple peer-reviewed international publications focusing on prostate, head and neck, and gastrointestinal cancers.
Dr. El Bassiouni moved to Ireland in 2008, where he established the first head and neck IMRT treatment at St Luke’s Hospital, Dublin. In 2010, he joined the Mater Private Hospital as a Consultant in Radiation Oncology.
His special research interests include prostate cancer, radioactive seed implant brachytherapy, and high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy; gastrointestinal cancer, head and neck cancer, and central nervous system tumours.
Professor Alina Mihai
Professor Alina Mihai is the Site Lead for IRROG at Beacon Hospital, where she brings international research expertise and a commitment to personalised cancer care. Dr Alina Mihai is a key contributor to IRROG, bringing deep clinical and academic expertise in radiotherapy trials. She is a member of the Executive Committee of Cancer Trials Ireland and serves as national Principal Investigator on multiple international Phase III studies, including NRG 005 and COMET-3. Her site was a top global recruiter for both trials, reflecting her leadership in patient access and trial delivery.
With a team comprising clinicians, a research radiation therapist, and an administrator, Dr Mihai has led or participated in 19 national and international radiotherapy trials. Her academic focus includes stereotactic ablative radiotherapy and technical innovations in lung cancer, with publications in high-impact journals. She plays a vital role in strengthening academic-industry partnerships and expanding access to cutting-edge trials for Irish patients.
Over the next five years, IRROG will focus on four key areas:
Involving Patients Every Step of the Way
Patients and the public play a central role in everything we do. We’ve established a dedicated Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) group to help guide our work and ensure that clinical trials reflect what matters most to those affected by cancer.