Dr Dearbhaile Collins is a Consultant Medical Oncologist at Cork University Hospital and Clinical Director of Cancer Services, Cork University Hospital. She was awarded her medical degree (MBBCh BAO) from University College Dublin and embarked upon her medical career in Ireland. She has a PhD in translational oncology, a Master’s degree in Medical Ethics and Law from the University of Manchester and a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical and Translational Medicine from University College Dublin.

Following Specialist Training (SpR) in Medical Oncology in Ireland, she undertook an Oncology Fellowship at the Drug Development Unit, Royal Marsden Hospital and Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK, under the supervision of the Regius Professor Johann de Bono, before returning to a consultant position at Cork University Hospital in 2017. She has a subspecialty interest in gynaecological and thoracic cancers as well as translational research and early phase trials. Recently, she has shifted into hospital leadership as Clinical Director of Cancer Services at Cork University Hospital.

She was named one of the top 100 Women in Leadership, Campaigning and Community by the Irish Examiner in 2024, awarded the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) Postgraduate Award in Research and Innovation in 2024 and named as one of the top 100 healthcare professionals in Ireland in 2023, 2021 and 2020 by the Irish Hospital Professional News.

As regards her gynaecological cancer specialty, she is the President of the Irish Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ISGO) and the Cancer Trials Ireland (CTI) Gynaecological cancer clinical trials co-chair. Dr Collins represents CTI at the European Network of Gynaecological Oncology Trials (ENGOT). In the recent past, she has represented CTI at the 1st Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG) Cervical Cancer Consensus Conference 2024 and at the ENGOT Gynaecological Cancer Academy from 2019-21. She is the Irish Principal Investigator (PI) of a number of past and ongoing international clinical trials in ovarian, endometrial and cervical cancer. She is a member of a number of Scientific Advisory and Data Monitoring Committees of international gynaecological cancer clinical trials.

As regards other interests, Dr Collins is the national lead of the CTI Molecular Tumour Board. Her translational research has led to being awarded the Irish Cancer Society Clinician Research Leadership Award 2020. She is also a co-founder of the Women 4 Oncology Ireland group. She is involved in many NCCP expert advisory groups, acts as a medicolegal expert, is involved in groups striving for equitable access to cancer treatments and is a reviewer for the Clinical Research Ethics Committee in Cork.