Two Irish doctors win fellowships to US cancer centre

Oncology: In the first initiative of its kind in Ireland, two Irish doctors will shortly take up residence in the world's oldest…

Oncology: In the first initiative of its kind in Ireland, two Irish doctors will shortly take up residence in the world's oldest and most revered cancer centre, courtesy of a new €200,000 scholarship programme.

At the world's premier Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, the recipients of two newly established oncology fellowships, Dr Austin Duffy and Dr David Gallagher, will oversee some of what is said to be very innovative cancer research.

Although Irish doctors could traditionally gain salaried work in the centre, the past decade has witnessed increased competition for places and tightened visa controls since September 11th.

Subsequently, the number of Irish doctors travelling to New York has decreased dramatically.

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Dr John McCaffrey, president of the Irish Society of Medical Oncology (ISMO), spent seven years in the centre at a time when salaried work was available and believes the training acquired by doctors there is invaluable. He held his experience of the centre in such high esteem that he recently approached companies about providing funding for a "no strings attached" fellowship which would expose Irish doctors to the focal point of cancer research.

It is hoped the scholarships, which are the first of their kind in the oncology field in Ireland, will develop a cohort of doctors who can gain specialised experience abroad and return to Ireland with new research and knowledge.

"These doctors will be super specialised in their chosen cancer areas. When they return, they will most likely continue to work in all cancer areas in Ireland but Ireland will have that resource of specialised education and training in reserve which we will need in the future," said Dr McCaffrey.

Dr David Gallagher, a registrar in oncology in the Mater Hospital, is looking forward to gaining additional experience in clinical-based research.

"We are very lucky in Ireland in that a lot of consultants have been trained in a similar way.They went abroad and brought their experience back here and it has been very beneficial for people like me," he said.

One aspect, which Dr Gallagher expects to gain unique understanding of, is the shift in cancer treatment practices towards targeted therapies.

On completion of the two-year fellowship, the two recipients will receive a diploma from the centre, which is recognised by the American Board of Internal Medicine and equates to a master's degree in clinical investigation.

Not to be outdone by the doctors' fellowship programme, two bursaries, which enable nurses to attend a week's clinical observation at the New York hospital, were awarded to Janice Richmond and Dr Ursula Courtney.

President of the Irish Association for Nurses in Oncology (IANO), Kay Leonard, said 19 people who worked in cancer care either at bedside or research level had applied for the bursaries. Applicants had to produce evidence of in-depth research or highlight some practical clinical innovations. The two recipients will interact with patients who have survived cancer and observe the aftercare practices, according to Ms Leonard.

The programmes are awarded by ISMO, the IANO in conjunction with sanofi-aventis and Roche Products (Ireland) Limited.