LATEST NEWS: 25 March 2026

TROG Cancer Research proudly celebrated the outstanding contributions of its members at our 2026 Research Excellence Awards (the ‘TROGIES’) this month, recognising those who are helping to advance radiation medicine through impactful clinical research.

We congratulate the following winners on well-deserved awards, which were presented by TROG President A/Prof Puma Sundaresan at the Annual Scientific Meeting Gala Dinner in Melbourne on 19 March:

Outstanding Contribution to TROG Award: Prof Trevor Leong, Consultant Radiation Oncologist and past Director of Radiation Oncology at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

Trevor is an internationally respected radiation oncologist whose three-decade career has shaped modern gastrointestinal cancer care and strengthened Australia’s leadership in clinical trials.

He has served as TROG President, Board Director and TROG Scientific Committee (TSC) Chair, driving scientific rigour, fostering multidisciplinary collaboration, and championing radiotherapy innovation across the TROG portfolio.

Trevor has led landmark TROG and AGITG/TROG studies, including TROG 03.02 and the multinational AGITG AG0407GR/TROG 08.08 TOPGEAR trial, which is now informing global treatment guidelines on preoperative chemoradiotherapy for gastric cancer.

“His vision, leadership and enduring dedication exemplify the purpose of the TROG Outstanding Contribution Award,” TROG President A/Prof Puma Sundaresan said in presenting the Award.

Secondary Data Analysis Award: Dr Lachlan McDowell, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland.

Lachlan was recognised as demonstrating strong leadership and initiative in advancing secondary data analysis through a series of well-conceived and collaborative research projects.

His outstanding secondary analyses of TROG 12.01 trial – HPV Oropharynx trial had advanced understanding of patient experience in HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer, the Award noted.

The analyses, published in one of the field’s leading journals – International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics – provided data that may inform future TROG research, supported treatment decision-making and enhanced patient counselling.

Emerging Clinical Researcher Award: Prof Wee Loon Ong, Radiation Oncologist, Alfred Health

Wee Loon is an early career clinician researcher with a strong upward career trajectory and proven track record, who is already making his mark in radiation medicine in prostate cancer, nationally and internationally, the Award noted.

This includes multi-million-dollar research funding, multiple research awards, multiple invited presentations at national and international conferences, and more than 80 peer-reviewed publications.

Currently Chair of the TROG Genitourinary Working Party, Wee Loon is an Adjunct Clinical Professor at Monash University School of Translational Medicine, and is leading the Australian arm of the new NRG-GU013 HIGH-FIVE trial, which aims to change practice in the treatment of high-risk prostate cancer.

Peer Recognition Award: Gemma Warner, Principal Medical Physicist at Christchurch Hospital, New Zealand

Gemma, lead Project and Research Co-ordinator for the Oncology Physics team at Christchurch Hospital, was recognised as a passionate advocate for clinical trial participation and international collaboration within her department.

As well as being a representative in the Radiation Oncology department’s Research Development Steering Groups, she had contributed to the centre’s active participation in TROG trials and projects, including the SEAFARER project.

She was recognised for facilitating and contributing to the multidisciplinary team’s integration of clinical trials into clinical practice to advance research.

Trial Excellence Award: The TROG 17.02 – OUTRUN Trial

The OUTRUN team, led by A/Prof Fiona Hegi-Johnson, Dr Yu Yang Soon (pictured left), A/Prof Chee Lee and Dr Ross Soo, is recognised for delivering TROG’s first investigator-initiated but pharma-funded trial and its first study integrating drug delivery with stereotactic radiosurgery.

The study investigated the efficacy and safety of upfront stereotactic radiotherapy with or without the drug Osimertinib, in patients with asymptomatic brain metastases in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer.

OUTRUN successfully opened internationally at NUH Singapore, under the leadership of Dr Soon in his dual-country PI role. The trial informed TROG’s SRS Technical Framework, expanded IMP capability, and produced the STARLET pooled analysis, combining OUTRUN with the Canadian LUOSICNS trial.

OUTRUN was recognised as exemplifying innovation, multidisciplinary excellence and international collaboration.

Gamma Gurus Outstanding Contribution to TROG Radiation Therapy Quality Assurance (RTQA): Prof Martin Ebert, Professor of Medical Physics, University of Western Australia, and Director of Physics Research in Radiation Oncology at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, WA.

Martin was recognised for his outstanding and sustained contribution to TROG RTQA over multiple decades. As a trial physicist, researcher and internationally respected leader in medical physics, he had played a pivotal role in shaping the scientific and technical foundations of RTQA across TROG clinical trials and advancing clinical trial RTQA methodology.

Martin was recognised as having pioneered the development of the SWAN software platform, which enabled TROG’s transition from two-dimensional to three-dimensional RTQA review and transformed the way RTQA is conducted. He was also a key contributor to landmark TROG trials including TROG 03.04 – RADAR, TROG 08.03 –RAVES and TROG 18.06 – FIG, and represented TROG internationally through the Global Harmonisation Group.

The Award also noted Martin’s contributions to the TROG New Techniques and Technologies Committee and his current role as Chair of the TROG Secondary Data Analysis Committee.