Maria Andreia Hawkins MD, MCRP, FRCR

Maria Hawkins is a clinician-scientist in precision radiotherapy committed to improving outcomes through research investigating effects in normal tissue and novel agents - novel radiation combinations. Professor of Radiotherapy at University College London Sept. 2019, having been an MRC Group leader, Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, University of Oxford, 2012-2019. Prof. Hawkins is now the clinical director of CRUK City of London RadNet Radiation Research Unit and director of translational research at UCL/UCLH and the proton center.

The research undertaken by her group is to develop biological-driven radiotherapy treatments to maximize clinical benefit in terms of better tumor control and reduction in toxicity. The novel radiotherapy techniques will, if successful, change routine clinical practice in high-priority cancers. This is already showing impact in clinical practice through the commissioning of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy as the standard of care for new indications (hepatocellular carcinoma); in the delivery of intensity-modulated radiotherapy as the new standard of care for anal cancer and the basis of the national anal cancer trial PLATO.

She has developed and is currently testing in clinical trials, novel stereotactic radiotherapy in cancers of unmet need (pancreas, hepatobiliary), and findings of radiobiology research are being investigated in 2 national studies. She is the CI of 4 CRUK-funded trials including radiation novel agents combination in phase I, in the radical setting.