I have worked in the Bon Secours Cork as a Cancer Clinical Trials Data Manager since 2015. Prior to working in the Bons, I worked in clinical trials in the CUH. I love working with data as I am pedantic about dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.
I am responsible for the creation, updating, maintenance and validation of clinical trial databases, and for the provision of computerised reports of these data. The role of Data Manager is to ensure the data is accurate and consistent before it is passed on to the study team for analysis which will determine the outcome of the trial. The responsibilities of the Data Manager are to manage clinical trials through review, computerisation, cleaning and auditing of clinical data and databases in compliance with standard operating procedures and regulatory agency guidelines. It is great to be part of the Bons Cancer Clinical Trial team as it enables patients to have choice through trials regarding their treatment.
I currently work as a Research Nurse (CNM1) in the Bons Cancer Clinical Trials Unit. I am responsible for providing education to patients about clinical trials, caring for and treating patients on a clinical trial, collecting data throughout the course of the trial, and inputting that data into the relevant database. Over the past 11 years I have worked in the oncology/haematology setting in the UK, Australia, and Ireland. I joined the Bon Secours Hospital Cork in 2017, working in both the day-ward and inpatient oncology ward (St Veronica’s and St Bernadettes ward), and more recently the Cancer Clinical Trials team. I completed my Oncology Nursing H.Dip in UCC in 2018.
The role of the research nurse is extremely varied and an important part of the role is being the patient advocate. It is vital that the patient’s best interests and goals are at the heart of the care we provide. A significant part of my role is to listen to a patient’s questions and concerns, and answer those questions to help the patient make an informed decision about participating in a clinical trial.
The oncology field is constantly changing and I enjoy the challenge of keeping up to date with current practices. It is great to have the opportunity to be a part of a team that can offer patients access to treatments that would not be available without clinical trials.
I am the Team Lead of the Cancer Clinical Trials team in the Bons. My role is extremely varied. I am responsible for setting up clinical trials within the Bons, the overall management of the unit and of course, managing the care and treatment of patients who participate in clinical trials.
I qualified as a Paediatric and General Nurse in 2017, commenced my Masters in Clinical Trials with UCC in 2018 and graduated from that Masters with a first class honours in 2021. I commenced work in the Bons Cancer Clinical Trials team in 2019 as a Research Nurse and commenced the role of Team Lead (CNM2) in April 2021.
I am passionate about clinical trials as it provides patients with an option which they may not be able to receive otherwise and I have seen the difference clinical trials can make to the lives of our patients. They also improve cancer care for patients of the future by improving our knowledge of cancers, testing new and novel ways of diagnosing cancers and providing evidence towards best practice and treatments.
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Dr. Bird works to combine humane medicine with modern science to give patients and their families the best possible outcome at a difficult time.
Dr Bird has conducted research and presented findings at numerous international conferences in the areas of lymphoma, breast cancer and colon cancer. He actively supports the Irish Cancer Society and Cunamh, the Bon Secours cancer charity and regularly delivers national and regional educational talks to patients and their families. Since returning to Cork he has led many clinical trials at Bon Secours Cork and currently is focussed on Biomarkers predicting response for Immune check point inhibitors in conjunction with APC laboratories in UCC.
Conleth completed his specialist registrar training in medical oncology in Ireland before pursuing a 2 year advanced medical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York. He took up his position as a Consultant Medical Oncologist at the Bon Secours Hospital in August 2010. His treatment focus includes breast cancer, gynaecologic malignancies and urologic malignancies.
Conleth is an active member of Cancer Trials Ireland and has acted as national lead investigator for several key clinical trials for cancer patients, including important studies in early breast cancer and platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. He has taken on leadership roles, acting as National Chief Investigator and European Lead Investigator for studies. His investigator-initiated research interests include a collaboration with Dr Kellie Dean in the School of Biochemistry at University College Cork, aiming to identify molecular signatures of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a pre-cancerous change in the breast that predates invasive breast cancer. He has also received grant funding for an interdisciplinary supportive care study with colleagues exploring the value of prospective surveillance for cancer-related lymphoedema (CRL) in patients receiving treatment for various cancers.
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Dr O’Mahony graduated from University College Cork in 1995 and completed speciality training in Medical Oncology in Ireland, in addition to a MSc in Molecular Medicine from Trinity College, Dublin. From there, she completed a post graduate fellowship in the world-renowed US National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. She continued there as a Consultant, continuing her research into viral associated malignancies.
In 2008, she returned to St James' Hospital, Dublin as a Consultant Medical Oncologist. She moved to serve the Cork/Kerry region in 2012. A long-standing member of the Lymphoma Forum of Ireland, she was recently nominated as its Chairperson. She co-founded the Irish Sarcoma Group and advocates for streamlining of sarcoma services in Ireland. She is an advisor to the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) and serves on various of sub-specialty advisory groups. She has been active in clinical, academic and research programs. She is the Irish Society of Medical Oncology (ISMO) immediate past-president and Committee member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) International Quality Task Force and Joint Certifications Committee.