Research Profile

Biography

Professor Roisin Connolly was appointed as the Professor Gerald O’Sullivan Chair in Cancer Research at UCC and Cork University Hospital in September. Roisin joins the university from the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center (SKCCC) at Johns Hopkins, US, where she was an Associate Professor of Oncology and Co-Director of the Developmental Therapeutics Program. She graduated with a 1st class honors medical degree from Trinity College, Dublin in 2001 and completed medical oncology fellowship training in both Ireland and at Johns Hopkins. She joined the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Program faculty at Hopkins in 2011.

Professor Connolly has expertise in the development of biomarkers of response to anti-cancer therapies, and the design and conduct of clinical trials that test investigational new drugs in the treatment of patients with both early- and late-stage cancers. She has led numerous multicenter clinical trials in collaboration with the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium (TBCRC), and the Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group (ECOG)-ACRIN in the US. Professor Connolly is Study Chair for the international phase III ECOG-ACRIN study (E2112) investigating the epigenetic agent entinostat in combination with hormonal therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer. She recently received the prestigious ECOG-ACRIN Young Investigator Award 2019 for excellence in clinical investigation.

Professor Connolly is recognised internationally as a clinical/translational researcher in the field of targeted therapeutics and epigenetics. The college faculty wishes Roisin a warm welcome to the university.

Research Interests

My principal research activities consist of designing and conducting clinical trials that test investigational new drugs in the treatment of breast cancer. I have specific expertise in the use of epigenetic modifiers in breast cancer patients, in designing neoadjuvant clinical trials and with the use of the monocloncal antibodies pertuzumab and trastuzumab, and in developing both tissue and imaging-based biomarkers of response to breast cancer therapies. I am Principal Investigator for a number of multicenter trials in collaboration with the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) at the NCI, the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium (TBCRC), and the Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group (ECOG)-ACRIN.


Research Grants

 ProjectFunding
Body
Start DateEnd DateAward
Z1217. Metaplastic Breast Cancer: The Johns Hopkins Experience
Testing of various PD-1 inhibitors and HDAC inhibitors in metastatic cancer patients, with a focus on triple-negative breast cancer16-APR-1415-APR-17€272,727.00
Predictive Biomarkers of Response to Pertuzumab and Trastuzumab in HER2+ Breast Cancer01-JUL-1701-JUL-18€90,909.00
J14154. Phase 2, randomized, open-label, multicenter, safety and efficacy study of oral lucitanib in patients with FGF aberrant metastatic breast cancer
J15198. KEYNOTE 119: A Randomized Open-Label Phase III Study of Single Agent Pembrolizumab versus Single Agent Chemotherapy per Physician’s Choice for Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer (mTNBC).
TBCRC022. A Phase 2 Trial of HKI-272 (Neratinib) for Patients with HER2-Positive Breast Cancer and Brain Metastases.
J15198. KEYNOTE 119: A Randomized Open-Label Phase III Study of Single Agent Pembrolizumab versus Single Agent Chemotherapy per Physician’s Choice for Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer (mTNBC).
A phase 2 clinical trial assessing the correlation of early changes in standardized uptake value (SUV) on positron emission tomography (PET) with pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant pertuzumab and trastuzumab in women with primary operable HER2-positive breast cancer01-JUL-1330-JUN-17€188,147.00
TBCRC026. A Phase 2 Clinical Trial Assessing the Correlation of Early Changes in Standardized Uptake Value (SUV) on Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with Pathological Complete Response (pCR) to Pertuzumab and Trastuzumab in Patients with Primary Operable HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
J17122: A Phase I, First-in-Human, Open-Label, Dose Escalation Study of MGD013, A Bispecific DART Protein Binding PD-1 and LAG-3 Antibody in Patients with Unresectable or Metastatic Neoplasms
NCI #9008. A Phase 1 and Pharmacokinetic Single Agent Study of Romidepsin in Patients with Lymphoma, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Select Solid Tumors and Varying Degrees of Liver Dysfunction.
NCI #9844. A Phase 1 Study Evaluating Safety, Tolerability, and Preliminary Antitumor Activity of Entinostat and Nivolumab in Combination with Ipilimumab in Advanced Solid Tumors and HER2-negative Breast Cancer.
Predicting Response to Neoadjuvant AntiHER2 Therapy Using Functional Imaging01-JUL-1230-JUN-13€119,450.00
J16112: A Phase I Study of a Combination of MM-398 and Veliparib in Solid Tumors
ETCTN10013 - Randomized Phase 2 Study of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy, Carboplatin and Paclitaxel, with or without Atezolizumab in Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)
Harnessing the immune system to treat breast cancer01-NOV-1731-OCT-20€600,000.00
Evaluation of the impact of emotional, nutritional & physical exercise support interventions delivered by a volunteer-led cancer support centre, on the unmet needs and health related qualify of life of cancer patients.Irish Funded Research Non Exchequer01-SEP-1830-DEC-20-€37,562.00
NCI Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice (MATCH). MATCH Treatment Arm: Pertuzumab and Trastuzumab. Clinical Principal Investigator.
Mindfullness Stress ReductionIrish Funded Research Non Exchequer01-JUL-1930-SEP-19-€12,592.00
J12121. A Phase I, open-label, dose escalation study of oral LGK974 in patients with malignancies dependent on Wnt ligands
E2112. A Randomized Phase III Trial of Endocrine Therapy plus Entinostat/Placebo in Postmenopausal Patients with Hormone Receptor-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer
A Phase II Multiple-Arm, Open-Label, Randomized Study of PARP inhibition (veliparib; ABT-888) and Anti-PD-L1 Therapy (atezolizumab; MPDL3280A) Either alone or in Combination in Homologous DNA Repair (HDR) Deficient Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Harnessing the immune system to treat breast cancer: Novel mechanisms of resistance and treatment strategies01-JUL-1530-JUN-18€416,664.00
A New Paradigm for De-escalation of Treatment in HER2 Positive Breast Cancer: Revolutionizing Care with More Effective and Less Toxic Therapy.Other: Not Listed01-SEP-1701-OCT-20€135,364.00
J1480. My pathway: an open-label phase 2a study evaluating trastuzumab/pertuzumab, erlotinib, vemurafenib, and vismodegib in patients who have advanced solid tumors with mutations or gene expression abnormalities predictive of response to one of these agents
Harnessing the immune system to treat breast cancer: Novel mechanisms of resistance and treatment strategies.Other: Not Listed01-JUL-1530-JUN-17€173,912.00
Phase I clinical trials of new anti-cancer targeted therapiesOther: Not Listed01-MAR-1428-FEB-19€150,000.00

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journals

 YearPublication
(2019)'Reply to E. Hindié et al'
Connolly, R. M.,Huang, C. Y.,Stearns, V.,Wahl, R. L. (2019) 'Reply to E. Hindié et al'. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 37 (23):2092-2093   [DOI] [Details]
(2019)'TBCRC026: Phase II trial correlating standardized uptake value with pathologic complete response to pertuzumab and trastuzumab in breast cancer'
Connolly, R. M.,Leal, J. P.,Solnes, L.,Huang, C. Y.,Carpenter, A.,Gaffney, K.,Abramson, V.,Carey, L. A.,Liu, M. C.,Rimawi, M.,Specht, J.,Storniolo, A. M.,Valero, V.,Vaklavas, C.,Krop, I. E.,Winer, E. P.,Camp, M.,Miller, R. S.,Wolff, A. C.,Cimino-Mathews, A.,Park, B. H.,Wahl, R. L.,Stearns, V. (2019) 'TBCRC026: Phase II trial correlating standardized uptake value with pathologic complete response to pertuzumab and trastuzumab in breast cancer'. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 37 (9):714-722   [DOI] [Details]
(2019)'Pre- and Postoperative Neratinib for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Brain Metastases: Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium 022'
Freedman, R. A.,Gelman, R. S.,Agar, N. Y. R.,Santagata, S.,Randall, E. C.,Gimenez-Cassina Lopez, B.,Connolly, R. M.,Dunn, I. F.,Van Poznak, C. H.,Anders, C. K.,Melisko, M. E.,Silvestri, K.,Cotter, C. M.,Componeschi, K. P.,Marte, J. M.,Moy, B.,Blackwell, K. L.,Puhalla, S. L.,Ibrahim, N.,Moynihan, T. J.,Nangia, J.,Tung, N.,Burns, R.,Rimawi, M. F.,Krop, I. E.,Wolff, A. C.,Winer, E. P.,Lin, N. U.,Translational Breast Cancer Research, Consortium (2019) 'Pre- and Postoperative Neratinib for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Brain Metastases: Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium 022'. Clinical Breast Cancer,   [DOI] [Details]
(2019)'TBCRC 022: A phase II trial of neratinib and capecitabine for patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer and brain metastases'
Freedman, R. A.,Gelman, R. S.,Anders, C. K.,Melisko, M. E.,Parsons, H. A.,Cropp, A. M.,Silvestri, K.,Cotter, C. M.,Componeschi, K. P.,Marte, J. M.,Connolly, R. M.,Moy, B.,Van Poznak, C. H.,Blackwell, K. L.,Puhalla, S. L.,Jankowitz, R. C.,Smith, K. L.,Ibrahim, N.,Moynihan, T. J.,O'Sullivan, C. C.,Nangia, J.,Niravath, P.,Tung, N.,Pohlmann, P. R.,Burns, R.,Rimawi, M. F.,Krop, I. E.,Wolff, A. C.,Winer, E. P.,Lin, N. U. (2019) 'TBCRC 022: A phase II trial of neratinib and capecitabine for patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer and brain metastases'. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 37 (13):1081-1089   [DOI] [Details]
(2019)'Sharing in care: engaging care partners in the care and communication of breast cancer patients'
Wolff, J. L.,Aufill, J.,Echavarria, D.,Heughan, J. A. A.,Lee, K. T.,Connolly, R. M.,Fetting, J. H.,Jelovac, D.,Papathakis, K.,Riley, C.,Stearns, V.,Thorner, E.,Zafman, N.,Levy, H. P.,Dy, S. M.,Wolff, A. C. (2019) 'Sharing in care: engaging care partners in the care and communication of breast cancer patients'. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 177 (1):127-136   [DOI] [Details]
(2019)'Phase I study combining the aurora kinase a inhibitor alisertib with mFOLFOX in gastrointestinal cancer'
Goff, L. W.,Azad, N. S.,Stein, S.,Whisenant, J. G.,Koyama, T.,Vaishampayan, U.,Hochster, H.,Connolly, R.,Weise, A.,LoRusso, P. M.,Salaria, S. N.,El-Rifai, W.,Berlin, J. D. (2019) 'Phase I study combining the aurora kinase a inhibitor alisertib with mFOLFOX in gastrointestinal cancer'. Investigational New Drugs, 37 (2):315-322   [DOI] [Details]
(2019)'Pathogenic Germline Variants in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer'
Stuttgen, K.,Croessmann, S.,Fetting, J.,Stearns, V.,Nunes, R.,Connolly, R. M.,Park, B. H. (2019) 'Pathogenic Germline Variants in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer'. JAMA Oncology,   [DOI] [Details]
(2018)'Correction to: Phase I study combining the aurora kinase a inhibitor alisertib with mFOLFOX in gastrointestinal cancer (Investigational New Drugs, (2018), 10.1007/s10637-018-0663-0)'
Goff, L. W.,Azad, N. S.,Stein, S.,Whisenant, J. G.,Koyama, T.,Vaishampayan, U.,Hochster, H.,Connolly, R.,Weise, A.,LoRusso, P. M.,Salaria, S. N.,El-Rifai, W.,Berlin, J. D. (2018) 'Correction to: Phase I study combining the aurora kinase a inhibitor alisertib with mFOLFOX in gastrointestinal cancer (Investigational New Drugs, (2018), 10.1007/s10637-018-0663-0)'. Investigational New Drugs, 36 (6)   [DOI] [Details]
(2018)'Tumor and serum DNA methylation in women receiving preoperative chemotherapy with or without vorinostat in TBCRC008'
Connolly, R. M.,Fackler, M. J.,Zhang, Z.,Zhou, X. C.,Goetz, M. P.,Boughey, J. C.,Walsh, B.,Carpenter, J. T.,Storniolo, A. M.,Watkins, S. P.,Gabrielson, E. W.,Stearns, V.,Sukumar, S. (2018) 'Tumor and serum DNA methylation in women receiving preoperative chemotherapy with or without vorinostat in TBCRC008'. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 167 (1):107-116   [DOI] [Details]
(2018)'Racial disparities in the rate of cardiotoxicity of HER2-targeted therapies among women with early breast cancer'
Litvak, A.,Batukbhai, B.,Russell, S. D.,Tsai, H. L.,Rosner, G. L.,Jeter, S. C.,Armstrong, D.,Emens, L. A.,Fetting, J.,Wolff, A. C.,Silhy, R.,Stearns, V.,Connolly, R. M. (2018) 'Racial disparities in the rate of cardiotoxicity of HER2-targeted therapies among women with early breast cancer'. Cancer, 124 (9):1904-1911   [DOI] [Details]
(2018)'Optimizing HER2-Directed Therapy in Early-Stage Breast Cancer'
Roussos Torres, E. T.,Connolly, R. M. (2018) 'Optimizing HER2-Directed Therapy in Early-Stage Breast Cancer'. Current Breast Cancer Reports, 10 (4):262-273   [DOI] [Details]
(2018)'A phase II study evaluating the efficacy of zoledronic acid in prevention of aromatase inhibitor-associated musculoskeletal symptoms: the ZAP trial'
Santa-Maria, C. A.,Bardia, A.,Blackford, A. L.,Snyder, C.,Connolly, R. M.,Fetting, J. H.,Hayes, D. F.,Jeter, S. C.,Miller, R. S.,Nguyen, A.,Quinlan, K.,Rosner, G. L.,Slater, S.,Storniolo, A. M.,Wolff, A. C.,Zorzi, J.,Henry, N. L.,Stearns, V. (2018) 'A phase II study evaluating the efficacy of zoledronic acid in prevention of aromatase inhibitor-associated musculoskeletal symptoms: the ZAP trial'. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 171 (1):121-129   [DOI] [Details]
(2018)'E2112: Randomized phase III trial of endocrine therapy plus entinostat/placebo in patients with hormone receptor-positive advanced breast cancer'
Yeruva, S. L. H.,Zhao, F.,Miller, K. D.,Tevaarwerk, A. J.,Wagner, L. I.,Gray, R. J.,Sparano, J. A.,Connolly, R. M. (2018) 'E2112: Randomized phase III trial of endocrine therapy plus entinostat/placebo in patients with hormone receptor-positive advanced breast cancer'. npj Breast Cancer, 4 (1)   [DOI] [Details]
(2018)'Entinostat converts immune-resistant breast and pancreatic cancers into checkpoint-responsive tumors by reprogramming tumor-infiltrating MDSCs'
Christmas, B. J.,Rafie, C. I.,Hopkins, A. C.,Scott, B. A.,Ma, H. S.,Cruz, K. A.,Woolman, S.,Armstrong, T. D.,Connolly, R. M.,Azad, N. A.,Jaffee, E. M.,Roussos Torres, E. T. (2018) 'Entinostat converts immune-resistant breast and pancreatic cancers into checkpoint-responsive tumors by reprogramming tumor-infiltrating MDSCs'. Cancer Immunology Research, 6 (12):1561-1577   [DOI] [Details]
(2017)'Whole-exome sequencing of metaplastic breast carcinoma indicates monoclonality with associated ductal carcinoma component'
Avigdor, B. E.,Beierl, K.,Gocke, C. D.,Zabransky, D. J.,Cravero, K.,Kyker-Snowman, K.,Button, B.,Chu, D.,Croessmann, S.,Cochran, R. L.,Connolly, R. M.,Park, B. H.,Wheelan, S. J.,Cimino-Mathews, A. (2017) 'Whole-exome sequencing of metaplastic breast carcinoma indicates monoclonality with associated ductal carcinoma component'. Clinical Cancer Research, 23 (16):4875-4884   [DOI] [Details]
(2017)'Liver resection for breast cancer liver metastases'
Spolverato, G.,Vitale, A.,Bagante, F.,Connolly, R.,Pawlik, T. M. (2017) 'Liver resection for breast cancer liver metastases'. Annals of Surgery, 265 (4):792-799   [DOI] [Details]
(2017)'Individualized Molecular Analyses Guide Efforts (IMAGE): A prospective study of molecular profiling of tissue and blood in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer'
Parsons, H. A.,Beaver, J. A.,Cimino-Mathews, A.,Ali, S. M.,Axilbund, J.,Chu, D.,Connolly, R. M.,Cochran, R. L.,Croessmann, S.,Clark, T. A.,Gocke, C. D.,Jeter, S. C.,Kennedy, M. R.,Lauring, J.,Lee, J.,Lipson, D.,Miller, V. A.,Otto, G. A.,Rosner, G. L.,Ross, J. S.,Slater, S.,Stephens, P. J.,Vandenberg, D. A.,Wolff, A. C.,Young, L. E.,Zabransky, D. J.,Zhang, Z.,Zorzi, J.,Stearns, V.,Park, B. H. (2017) 'Individualized Molecular Analyses Guide Efforts (IMAGE): A prospective study of molecular profiling of tissue and blood in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer'. Clinical Cancer Research, 23 (2):379-386   [DOI] [Details]
(2017)'Entinostat: A promising treatment option for patients with advanced breast cancer'
Connolly, R. M.,Rudek, M. A.,Piekarz, R. (2017) 'Entinostat: A promising treatment option for patients with advanced breast cancer'. Future Oncology, 13 (13):1137-1148   [DOI] [Details]
(2017)'Combination epigenetic therapy in advanced breast cancer with 5-azacitidine and entinostat: A phase II national cancer institute/stand up to cancer study'
Connolly, R. M.,Li, H.,Jankowitz, R. C.,Zhang, Z.,Rudek, M. A.,Jeter, S. C.,Slater, S. A.,Powers, P.,Wolff, A. C.,Fetting, J. H.,Brufsky, A.,Piekarz, R.,Ahuja, N.,Laird, P. W.,Shen, H.,Weisenberger, D. J.,Cope, L.,Herman, J. G.,Somlo, G.,Garcia, A. A.,Jones, P. A.,Baylin, S. B.,Davidson, N. E.,Zahnow, C. A.,Stearns, V. (2017) 'Combination epigenetic therapy in advanced breast cancer with 5-azacitidine and entinostat: A phase II national cancer institute/stand up to cancer study'. Clinical Cancer Research, 23 (11):2691-2701   [DOI] [Details]
(2016)'Combined treatment with epigenetic, differentiating, and chemotherapeutic agents cooperatively targets tumor-initiating cells in triple-negative breast cancer'
Merino, V. F.,Nguyen, N.,Jin, K.,Sadik, H.,Cho, S.,Korangath, P.,Han, L.,Foster, Y. M. N.,Zhou, X. C.,Zhang, Z.,Connolly, R.,Stearns, V.,Ali, S.,Adams, C.,Chen, Q.,Pan, D.,Huso, D. L.,Ordentlich, P.,Brodie, A.,Sukumar, S. (2016) 'Combined treatment with epigenetic, differentiating, and chemotherapeutic agents cooperatively targets tumor-initiating cells in triple-negative breast cancer'. Cancer Research, 76 (7):2013-2024   [DOI] [Details]
(2016)'FDG-PET/CT and MRI for evaluation of pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patientswith breast cancer: A meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies'
Sheikhbahaei, S.,Trahan, T. J.,Xiao, J.,Taghipour, M.,Esther, Mena,Connolly, R. M.,Subramaniam, R. M. (2016) 'FDG-PET/CT and MRI for evaluation of pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patientswith breast cancer: A meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies'. Oncologist, 21 (8):931-939   [DOI] [Details]
(2016)'Translational breast cancer research consortium (TBCRC) 022: A phase II trial of neratinib for patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer and brain metastases'
Freedman, R. A.,Gelman, R. S.,Wefel, J. S.,Melisko, M. E.,Hess, K. R.,Connolly, R. M.,Van Poznak, C. H.,Niravath, P. A.,Puhalla, S. L.,Ibrahim, N.,Blackwell, K. L.,Moy, B.,Herold, C.,Liu, M. C.,Lowe, A.,Agar, N. Y. R.,Ryabin, N.,Farooq, S.,Lawler, E.,Rimawi, M. F.,Krop, I. E.,Wolff, A. C.,Winer, E. P.,Lin, N. U. (2016) 'Translational breast cancer research consortium (TBCRC) 022: A phase II trial of neratinib for patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer and brain metastases'. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 34 (9):945-952   [DOI] [Details]
(2016)'A clinicopathologic analysis of 45 patients with metaplastic breast carcinoma'
Cimino-Mathews, A.,Verma, S.,Figueroa-Magalhaes, M. C.,Jeter, S. C.,Zhang, Z.,Argani, P.,Stearns, V.,Connolly, R. M. (2016) 'A clinicopathologic analysis of 45 patients with metaplastic breast carcinoma'. American Journal of Clinical Pathology, 145 (3):365-372   [DOI] [Details]
(2016)'Optimizing the use of gene expression profiling in early-stage breast cancer'
Kim, H. S.,Ashley, C. M.,Maria, C. F. M.,Umbricht, C. B.,Illei, P. B.,Cho, S.,Chowdhury, N.,Pesce, C.,Jeter, S. C.,Mylander, C.,Rosman, M.,Tafra, L.,Turner, B. M.,Hicks, D. G.,Jensen, T. A.,Miller, D. V.,Armstrong, D. K.,Connolly, R. M.,Fetting, J. H.,Miller, R. S.,Park, B. H.,Stearns, V.,Visvanathan, K.,Wolff, A. C.,Cope, L. (2016) 'Optimizing the use of gene expression profiling in early-stage breast cancer'. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 34 (36):4390-4397   [DOI] [Details]
(2015)'TBCRC 008: Early change in 18F-FDG uptake on PET predicts response to preoperative systemic therapy in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative primary operable breast cancer'
Connolly, R. M.,Leal, J. P.,Goetz, M. P.,Zhang, Z.,Zhou, X. C.,Jacobs, L. K.,Mhlanga, J.,Joo, H. O.,Carpenter, J.,Storniolo, A. M.,Watkins, S.,Fetting, J. H.,Miller, R. S.,Sideras, K.,Jeter, S. C.,Walsh, B.,Powers, P.,Zorzi, J.,Boughey, J. C.,Davidson, N. E.,Carey, L. A.,Wolff, A. C.,Khouri, N.,Gabrielson, E.,Wahl, R. L.,Stearns, V. (2015) 'TBCRC 008: Early change in 18F-FDG uptake on PET predicts response to preoperative systemic therapy in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative primary operable breast cancer'. Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 56 (1):31-37   [DOI] [Details]
(2014)'Immune regulation by low doses of the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-azacitidine in common human epithelial cancers'
Li, H.,Chiappinelli, K. B.,Guzzetta, A. A.,Easwaran, H.,Yen, R. C.,Vatapalli, R.,Topper, M. J.,Luo, J.,Connolly, R. M.,Azad, N. S.,Stearns, V.,Pardoll, D. M.,Davidson, N.,Jones, P. A.,Slamon, D. J.,Baylin, S. B.,Zahnow, C. A.,Ahuja, N. (2014) 'Immune regulation by low doses of the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-azacitidine in common human epithelial cancers'. Oncotarget, 5 (3):587-598   [DOI] [Details]
(2014)'Treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer'
Figueroa-Magalhães, M. C.,Jelovac, D.,Connolly, R. M.,Wolff, A. C. (2014) 'Treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer'. Breast, 23 (2):128-136   [DOI] [Details]
(2014)'Pertuzumab and its accelerated approval: Evolving treatment paradigms and new challenges in the management of HER2-positive breast cancer'
O'Sullivan, C. C.,Connolly, R. M. (2014) 'Pertuzumab and its accelerated approval: Evolving treatment paradigms and new challenges in the management of HER2-positive breast cancer'. ONCOLOGY (United States), 28 (3)   [Details]
(2013)'Fixed-dose capecitabine is feasible: Results from a pharmacokinetic and pharmacogenetic study in metastatic breast cancer'
Rudek, M. A.,Connolly, R. M.,Hoskins, J. M.,Garrett-Mayer, E.,Jeter, S. C.,Armstrong, D. K.,Fetting, J. H.,Stearns, V.,Wright, L. A.,Zhao, M.,Watkins Jr, S. P.,McLeod, H. L.,Davidson, N. E.,Wolff, A. C. (2013) 'Fixed-dose capecitabine is feasible: Results from a pharmacokinetic and pharmacogenetic study in metastatic breast cancer'. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 139 (1):135-143   [DOI] [Details]
(2013)'Postmenopausal hormone receptorpositive advanced breast cancer'
Connolly, R. M.,Stearns, V. (2013) 'Postmenopausal hormone receptorpositive advanced breast cancer'. ONCOLOGY (United States), 27 (6)   [Details]
(2013)'Current approaches for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer'
Connolly, R. M.,Stearns, V. (2013) 'Current approaches for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer'. European Journal of Pharmacology, 717 (1-3):58-66   [DOI] [Details]
(2013)'Molecular pathways: Current role and future directions of the retinoic acid pathway in cancer prevention and treatment'
Connolly, R. M.,Nguyen, N. K.,Sukumar, S. (2013) 'Molecular pathways: Current role and future directions of the retinoic acid pathway in cancer prevention and treatment'. Clinical Cancer Research, 19 (7):1651-1959   [DOI] [Details]
(2013)'Omics as useful tools in clinical practice: Are we there yet?'
Connolly, R. M.,Wolff, A. C. (2013) 'Omics as useful tools in clinical practice: Are we there yet?'. ONCOLOGY (United States), 27 (3)   [Details]
(2012)'Use of androgen deprivation therapy in prostate cancer: Indications and prevalence'
Connolly, R. M.,Carducci, M. A.,Antonarakis, E. S. (2012) 'Use of androgen deprivation therapy in prostate cancer: Indications and prevalence'. Asian Journal of Andrology, 14 (2):177-186   [DOI] [Details]
(2012)'In reply'
Connolly, R. M.,Bardia, A. (2012) 'In reply'. Oncologist, 17 (10)   [DOI] [Details]
(2012)'Complete radiologic response and long-term survival with use of systemic high-dose methotrexate for breast cancer-associated leptomeningeal disease'
Santa-Maria, C. A.,Cimino-Mathews, A.,Moseley, K. F.,Wolff, A. C.,Blakeley, J. O.,Connolly, R. M. (2012) 'Complete radiologic response and long-term survival with use of systemic high-dose methotrexate for breast cancer-associated leptomeningeal disease'. Clinical Breast Cancer, 12 (6):445-449   [DOI] [Details]
(2012)'Trastuzumab for small HER-2 breast cancer: Small tumor, big decision'
Connolly, R. M.,Bardia, A. (2012) 'Trastuzumab for small HER-2 breast cancer: Small tumor, big decision'. Oncologist, 17 (4):508-511   [DOI] [Details]
(2012)'Epigenetics as a therapeutic target in breast cancer'
Connolly, R.,Stearns, V. (2012) 'Epigenetics as a therapeutic target in breast cancer'. Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia, 17 (3-4):191-204   [DOI] [Details]
(2011)'Docetaxel metabolism is not altered by imatinib: Findings from an early phase study in metastatic breast cancer'
Connolly, R. M.,Rudek, M. A.,Garrett-Mayer, E.,Jeter, S. C.,Donehower, M. G.,Wright, L. A.,Zhao, M.,Fetting, J. H.,Emens, L. A.,Stearns, V.,Davidson, N. E.,Baker, S. D.,Wolff, A. C. (2011) 'Docetaxel metabolism is not altered by imatinib: Findings from an early phase study in metastatic breast cancer'. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 127 (1):153-162   [DOI] [Details]
(2011)'Beta blockers and breast cancer mortality: A population-based study'
Barron, T. I.,Connolly, R. M.,Sharp, L.,Bennett, K.,Visvanathan, K. (2011) 'Beta blockers and breast cancer mortality: A population-based study'. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 29 (19):2635-2644   [DOI] [Details]
(2010)'A multidisciplinary approach to neoadjuvant therapy for primary operable breast cancer'
Connolly, R.,Stearns, V. (2010) 'A multidisciplinary approach to neoadjuvant therapy for primary operable breast cancer'. ONCOLOGY, 24 (2)   [Details]
(2010)'International disparity in breast cancer outcomes: The time to close the gap is now'
Connolly, R. M.,Wolff, A. C. (2010) 'International disparity in breast cancer outcomes: The time to close the gap is now'. ONCOLOGY, 24 (13)   [Details]
(2010)'Pharmacogenetics of aromatase inhibitors: Present understanding and looking to the future'
Connolly, R.,Stearns, V. (2010) 'Pharmacogenetics of aromatase inhibitors: Present understanding and looking to the future'. Current Breast Cancer Reports, 2 (3):138-145   [DOI] [Details]
(2009)'High-Dose Chemotherapy plus Stem Cell Transplantation in Advanced Germ Cell Cancer: A Review'
Connolly, R. M.,McCaffrey, J. A. (2009) 'High-Dose Chemotherapy plus Stem Cell Transplantation in Advanced Germ Cell Cancer: A Review'. European Urology, 56 (1):57-64   [DOI] [Details]
(2009)'Pregnancy and fertility with breast cancer: What are the options?'
Connolly, R.,Wolff, A. C. (2009) 'Pregnancy and fertility with breast cancer: What are the options?'. ONCOLOGY, 23 (6)   [Details]
(2008)'Research highlights'
Connolly, R. M.,Visvanathan, K. (2008) 'Research highlights'. Pharmacogenomics, 9 (12):1797-1798   [DOI] [Details]
(2007)'Reply to early discontinuation of tamoxifen: A lesson for oncologists [4]'
Barron, T. I.,Connolly, R. M.,Feely, J. (2007) 'Reply to early discontinuation of tamoxifen: A lesson for oncologists [4]'. Cancer, 110 (11)   [DOI] [Details]
(2007)'Chemotherapy induced reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome'
Connolly, R. M.,Doherty, C. P.,Beddy, P.,O'Byrne, K. (2007) 'Chemotherapy induced reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome'. Lung Cancer, 56 (3):459-463   [DOI] [Details]
(2007)'Early discontinuation of tamoxifen: A lesson for oncologists'
Barron, T. I.,Connolly, R. M.,Bennett, K.,Feely, J.,Kennedy, M. J. (2007) 'Early discontinuation of tamoxifen: A lesson for oncologists'. Cancer, 109 (5):832-839   [DOI] [Details]
(2006)'Collecting duct carcinoma of the kidney: A case report with variable immunohistochemistry'
Connolly, R. M.,Downey, P.,McCaffrey, J. A. (2006) 'Collecting duct carcinoma of the kidney: A case report with variable immunohistochemistry'. Irish Journal of Medical Science, 175 (3):66-68   [DOI] [Details]
(2002)'The Geriatric Depression Scale: Feasibility of cardbased-administration [1]'
Brewer, L.,Connolly, R.,Smith, D.,O'Neill, D. (2002) 'The Geriatric Depression Scale: Feasibility of cardbased-administration [1]'. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 19 (4)   [Details]

Professional Activities

Honours and Awards

 YearTitleAwarding Body
2019ECOG-ACRIN Young Investigator Award The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group
2017V Foundation Translational Science Award V Foundation
2015National Comprehensive Cancer Center (NCCN) Young Investigator Award National Comprehensive Cancer Center (NCCN)
2013Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO, Career Development Award Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO
2010ASCO Cancer Foundation 2010 Oncology Trainee Travel Award ASCO Cancer Foundation
2007Travel Bursary for presentation “Chemotherapy induced reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome” N/A
200710th International Breast Cancer Meeting Travel Bursary Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
2007Irish Society of Medical Oncology (ISMO) Educational Meeting and Bursary Awards Irish Society of Medical Oncology (ISMO)
2001Reuben Harvey Prize, First Place in Medicine/Surgery/Obstetrics Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
2001Sir James Craig Memorial Prize, First Place in Medicine Trinity College Dublin
2000Irish Medical Schools Pathology Competition, 1st Place Irish Medical Schools

Teaching Activities

Teaching Interests

At JHMI, I provided classroom instruction to medical students and fellows in Hematology-Oncology, Phase 1 Drug Development in Oncology,Scientific Foundations of Medicine, Radiation Oncology Systemic Therapy for Breast Cancer. I provided clinical skills instruction for internal medicine residents and medical oncology fellows on the Medical Oncology Inpatient Service and medical oncology fellows on the Medical Oncology Consult Service and the Medical Oncology Outpatient Department. I have been a mentor to 6 postgraduate students. 

                  

Contact details

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School of Medicine

Scoil an Leighis

Room 2.59, T12 AK54

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