Group Structure
The ultimate responsibility for group decisions lies with the ICORG executive. The executive makes decisions regarding group direction, financial issues and scientific direction based on the advice and recommendations of the executive management group, the finance committee, the disease specific sub-groups and the external advisory group. Executive decisions are passed on to the Group Central Office (GCO) who then implements these decisions through their functions with the membership and the sites.
ICORG Organisational Structure:
Executive Group Chair
The role of the Chair is to lead the debate at Executive meetings and work with the GCO CEO, Group Develpment Executive and SDMO Director to action executive decisions. This position is rotated every 4 years and is filled by the previous Executive group vice chair. The election process for position of vice chair is as follows – any group member may be nominated and seconded by any other group member. All nominees go before the ICORG executive and a secret ballot takes place to elect the incoming vice chair. This vice chair takes this position for 4 years and assumes the Chair at the next time of rotation.
The ICORG Executive Management Group
The executive management group is a sub-set of the ICORG Executive who meets on a more frequent basis than the executive to review the progress of key strategic and operations projects. This committee meets 8 to 10 times per year and consists of the group chair, vice chair, medical modality leader, ex-group chair, group statistician, GCO CEO, Group Develpment Executive and SDMO director.
The ICORG Finance Committee
The financial decisions of the Executive are informed by the Finance Committee which is a sub committee of the Executive appointed by the group chair. The Finance Committee is currently chaired by the previous executive group chair. The remainder of the committee is made up of two external financial experts, the GCO CEO and a member of the Irish Cancer Society management team, with administrative support provided by the ICORG GCO office manager.
The ICORG Scientific Management Group
The scientific management group reviews studies approved by the DSSG(s) from a resource feasibility perspective and group priority. This committee is comprised of the vice chair, CEO, DSSG chairs and finance committee chair.
The ICORG Disease Specific Sub-Groups
The DSSG’s meet approximately every 3 months. They consist of all ICORG members with an interest in that disease area. The chair of each DSSG is elected by its membership and has a period of tenure of 4 years. The group’s policy on the operation of the DSSG’s is that all member ideas get included on the meeting agenda.
Functionally, the DSSG chairs frequently delegate subsections of DSSG activity to other members of the group. All functions of the DSSG’s are managed by the GCO. The group statistician is also in attendance at each meeting.
The ICORG Scientific External Advisory Committee
ICORG has established an external advisory committee, which regularly reviews the groups’ organisation and structures, trial portfolio, research profile and trial activity. Its role is to analyse these criteria in the context of international best practice and advise how they are likely to evolve in the future in keeping with international trends. They also rank all group protocols for scientific merit, suitability for the group and priority for the future.
This committee currently consists of:
- Mr. Walter C. Cronin: Associate Director for Operations, NSABP Biostatistical Centre, Pittsburg, USA
- Dr. Peter O’Dwyer, MD:Director of Developmental-Therapeutics Program, Abramson Cancer Center, Director of Haematology – Oncology, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Philadelphia, USA
- Prof Richard Sullivan: Department of Social Policy (Health, Population & Society),London School of Economics & Political Science. UK (& Chairman, European Cancer Research Managers Forum: www.ecrmforum.org).
- Dr. Eileen O’Reilly: Consultant Medical Oncologist, Gastrointestinal Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
- Prof Robert Leonard: Director of Cancer Services, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK
The committee reports via ICORG’s formal structures, and is fully operational providing regular feed back to the group.
