Leading ICR scientists recognised by the Royal College of Radiologists

Image: Professor Nick James and Professor Emma Hall.

Professor Nick James and Professor Emma Hall were recognised for their contributions to radiology and oncology by the Royal College of Radiologists in a virtual admission ceremony today.

Professor James was awarded the Royal College of Radiologists’ Gold Medal ‘in recognition of his enormous contribution to treatment of prostate and bladder cancer and to patient education.’

The Gold Medal is the highest honour that the College can bestow. It is awarded to an esteemed Fellow of the College who has made a significant contribution in their field whether in the UK or overseas.

Previous ICR recipients of the Gold Medal include Professor John Yarnold and Professor Janet Husband.

Transformative clinical trials and patient education

Professor James leads the Prostate and Bladder Cancer Research team and is Deputy Dean, Clinical Studies at the ICR, and a consultant oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. He is a clinical academic who seeks to improve patient outcomes through large-scale clinical trials. His work focuses on bladder and prostate cancer with a strong emphasis on novel trial design.

Professor James is the Chief Investigator on the STAMPEDE trial, which has been recruiting men with advanced prostate cancer to a rolling programme of different clinical questions for 15 years. The results have changed practice and include exploring the value of radiotherapy to the prostate in men with newly-diagnosed metastatic disease.

His other area of research is bladder cancer with a focus on bladder preservation techniques, including the practice-changing BC2001 trial and its predecessors which showed substantial benefit to the addition of synchronous chemotherapy to bladder radiotherapy. Professor James has successfully collaborated with Professor Hall on a number of trials, including on the BC2001 trial where she was lead statistician.

Outside of clinical trials, Professor James is engaged with patient initiatives, having co-founded the leading patient website CancerHelp UK in 1994. In 2002 it became the main patient resource on the Cancer Research UK website. He is also leading a project with a custom-built 'Man Van' where researchers are evaluating the uptake and impact of targeting men for health screening at their places of work.

Professor James said: “I am incredibly honoured to receive the Gold Medal from the Royal College of Radiologists and join the ranks of many esteemed scientists who have been recognised by this prestigious award.

“I am touched by this recognition of my contributions to treatment of prostate and bladder cancer and to patient education. I have devoted my career to improving the lives of people with cancer and believe that translating research from bench to bedside is inextricable from empowering and engaging patients.”

Professor Hall awarded honorary membership

Professor Hall was awarded an Honorary Membership of the Royal College of Radiologists.

Honorary Membership is awarded to those who have promoted the interests of clinical radiology or clinical oncology and made notable contributions to either.

Professor Hall is the Deputy Director of the Cancer Research UK-funded Clinical Trials and Statistics Unit and leads the Radiotherapy, Urology and Head and Neck Cancers Trials team. She is a medical statistician with a particular interest in clinical trials that aim to improve the treatment of urological, and head and neck cancers.

Professor Hall has been Methodology Lead on many highly influential clinical trials. One of those, the CHHiP radiotherapy trial, demonstrated the effectiveness of a new radiotherapy regime for prostate cancer that  involved fewer but higher doses of radiation. The results could mean patients need fewer hospital visits and save the NHS tens of millions per year.

Professor Hall is a member of the National Clinical Research Institute’s Bladder & Renal cancers Research Group and its Clinical and Translational Radiotherapy Research Group. She has been a member of the College’s Clinical Oncology Exam Board as a specialist examiner in Medical Statistics since 2015.

Professor Hall said: “I am thrilled to be awarded an Honorary Membership from the Royal College of Radiologists. This is a great honour.

“Throughout my career, I have focused on the design and analysis of clinical trials that test new radiotherapy techniques and treatments. The College has played a crucial role in improving the standard of practice and this is an especially meaningful recognition of my work across the field of clinical oncology.”