12.05.2023

The award presentation was marked during the Opening Session of the ESTRO2023 Congress where Cai Grau gave the Breur Award Lecture entitled From innovation to action, together.

Cai Grau has been a long-time advocate and driving force of national and European collaborations within radiotherapy innovation, research and clinical trials. He has played key roles in ESTRO, e.g. as chair of the health economics Task Force (HERO), board member and currently co-chairing the European Particle Therapy Network in ESTRO (EPTN).

‘In my talk, I described some recent examples on how we work together nationally and internationally to create evidence for innovations in radiotherapy,’ says Cai Grau.

Cai Grau is the Head of Research at the Danish Centre for Particle Therapy and has been pivotal for building the strong foundation for collaboration within research and implementation of proton therapy in Denmark, a treatment method which is still in rapid development.

‘With an always open approach, a great sense of overview and a positive outlook, Cai Grau in the Danish context has ensured a national and international approach to research and clinical trials within proton therapy,’ says Morten Høyer, Professor and Medical Director at the Danish Centre for Particle Therapy, ‘He has a very inviting and inclusive way of collaborating’.

Cai Grau has worked with broader national collaboration within radiotherapy and oncology as director of the national research center DCCC Radiotherapy and as chair of the Scientific Committee in the Danish Comprehensive Cancer Center.

‘We know from ESTRO-HERO studies that access to radiotherapy in general is not equal across Europe. For access to expensive innovations, this imbalance in terms of access is even worse. As a profession, we can facilitate broad implementation of innovations by collaborating to create the clinical evidence to show the value of these innovations,’ says Cai Grau.

Facts

The Breur Award is the highest honour that can be conferred on an ESTRO member and is awarded in recognition of the major contribution made by the recipient to European Radiotherapy. More information at the ESTRO website https://www.estro.org/About/Hall-of-fame/Breur-award

Professor Cai Grau, MD, DMSc

Short bio

• Born 1958. Married, two children, five grandchildren
• Research areas: Clinical radiotherapy and radiobiology, particle therapy, head and neck cancer, breast cancer, image-guided and adaptive radiotherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy, morbidity, functional imaging, health economics
• More than 200 scientific publications, supervisor of 26 PhD/DMSc projects (6 ongoing)

Current positions and academic leadership

• Professor, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
• Research director, Danish Centre for Particle Therapy (DCPT), Aarhus, Denmark
• Director, Danish Comprehensive Cancer Center - Radiotherapy (DCCC-RT)
• Coordinator, European Particle Therapy Network (EPTN)
• Coordinator PROTECT-trial H2020 EU-IMI2 project (PROTECT)
• Vice-chair, Scientific Council, Danish Comprehensive Cancer Center (DCCC)
• Chair, Radiotherapy QA group of the Danish Head and Neck Cancer Group (DAHANCA)

Past leadership positions

• Chair, Scientific Council, Danish Comprehensive Cancer Centre (DCCC) 2017-2022
• Vice-chair, Scientific Advisory Board of the Helmholz Zentrum Dresden-Rössendorf (HZDR) 2016-2021
• Chair, ESTRO task force on Health Economics in Radiation Oncology (HERO) 2010-2020
• Chair, Scientific Committee of the Danish Cancer Society (KBVU) 2015-2017
• President, Scandinavian Society for Head and Neck Oncology (SSHNO) 2012-2016
• Secretary, Board member, European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) 2007-2011
• President, Danish Society for Clinical Oncology (DSKO) 2006-2008