Professor
Amanda is a Principal Investigator and Senior Conway Fellow in the UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research UCD. She is also Professor in the UCD School of Medicine. Her leading research group focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying chemoresistance for women presenting with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) including comparative oncology approaches. Throughout her career, she has strived to ensure that patient voices are heard, while working to support the next generation of researchers.
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. The programme was set up to encourage, support and reward excellence in student research.
Amanda also established, and currently chairs, the UCD Patient Voice in Cancer Research (PVCR) committee made up of patients, researchers and health professionals. This initiative 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 this work.
"My advice? Secure an amazing Mentor! Look at a blank canvas and make it yours."
Within UCD, Amanda sits on an expert panel for the Rapid Realist Review (RRR) detailing the mechanisms that enable involvement of seldom heard groups in health and social care. Funded through a HRB Ignite award and in collaboration with 10 partner organisations, this panel is developing a network and resource platform to firmly embed patient and public involvement (PPI) in research learning and teaching activities.
In 2017, Amanda established the UCD Centre in Translational Oncology (UCTO) and was elected President of the Irish Association for Cancer Research (IACR). As President of the IACR, she represents the association on the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) National Societies Committee and was previously Honorary Secretary of the IACR 1998-2000.