TROG Awards Recognise Research Excellence

By m.howe
28 March, 2025
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Latest news: 28 March 2025.

TROG Members who have made significant contributions both to the work of TROG and to advancing radiation medicine clinical trial research more broadly were recognised with our 2025 Research Excellence Awards this month.

We congratulate the following winners on their well-deserved awards, which were presented at the Gala Dinner during our Annual Scientific Meeting in Brisbane:

Lifetime Membership Award: Prof Farshad Foroudi, who has been an active and committed TROG member for more than 15 years, during which his significant contributions include leading and being involved in several collaborative clinical trials, successfully obtaining competitive grants and mentoring young investigators. He is past President of TROG (2016-2019), past Chair of the TROG Scientific Committee (2013-2015) and past Chair of the TROG Breast Cancer Working Party (2023-2025). Most recently, he was instrumental in establishing and chairing the TROG MR Radiation Therapy special interest group.

Trial Excellence Award: Professor Trevor Leong and the AGITG AG0407GR/TROG 08.08 TOPGEAR trial team. The practice-changing TOPGEAR trial, which investigated preoperative chemoradiotherapy for gastric cancer, was led by the Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group (AGITG), with TROG successfully conducting the radiation therapy quality assurance program. Involving 574 patients across 15 countries, the trial helped determine the optimal adjuvant therapy regimen for potentially curable gastric cancer. Prof Leong presented globally significant results from the trial at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Barcelona, Spain in 2024, coinciding with publication of the findings in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Outstanding Contribution Award: Prof Val Gebski, who has made exceptional contributions to the TROG clinical trial design and statistical methodology over more than 30 years. This includes Prof Gebski’s role as biostatistician on the TROG Scientific Committee, and his involvement in trials including TROG 96.01 trial on head and neck cancers, and TROG 03.04 RADAR trial on androgen deprivation therapy in prostate cancer.

Emerging Clinical Researcher Award: A/Prof Sweet Ping Ng, who has made an outstanding scientific contribution at an institutional, national and international level since completing her primary qualification seven years ago. This includes publishing 92 peer-reviewed research studies, gaining US medical qualification to work as a Head & Neck and GI Radiation Oncology Fellow at the MD Anderson Cancer Centre in the US, and her participation and leadership across multiple professional societies including TROG.

Secondary Data Analysis Award: A/Prof Wee Loon Ong, who has contributed to multiple secondary data analyses using TROG clinical trial data from TROG-96.01 (Prostate-Androgen Deprivation) and TROG 03.04 (RADAR) trials, resulting in multiple high-impact scientific publications that have generated new insights, especially in genitourinary cancer. He is one of the few invited Australian members of the international MARCAP (Meta-Analyses of Randomised Trials in Cancer of the Prostate) Consortium, contributing to multiple meta-analyses using TROG clinical trial data.

Peer Recognition Award: Ms Kelly Skelton, who has made significant contributions to the field of cancer research, data management and clinical quality. Kelly is currently Project Manager for TROG 21.12 Australian Particle Therapy Clinical Quality Register (ASPIRE) and has taken on leadership roles including serving as co-convenor for the TROG 2023 ASM and co-chairing the 2025 ASM Clinical Research Education Workshop (CREW).