Professor Crown is a founding member and leader of many organisations, including: the All-Ireland Cooperative Oncology Research Group (ICORG), the Anglo-Celtic Cooperative Oncology Group (ACCOG), the European Breast Cancer Dose Intensity Study, and the Irish Society of Medical Oncology (ISMO). Professor Crown founded the Clinical Trials Unit at St. Vincent’s University Hospital (SVUH), which has developed an international leadership role in oncology trials. Over 11,000 women world-wide have been enrolled on 6 randomised trials which were chaired or co-chaired by Professor Crown.

He has also been awarded a Health Research Board (HRB) Clinician Scientist Award in 2007 (through 2012), which provided protected research time for increased involvement at the clinical-laboratory research interface.

In 2009, Professor Crown was awarded €5.6 million funding from Government, through Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), for the establishment of a Strategic Research Cluster (SRC) entitled Molecular Therapeutics for Cancer Ireland (MTCI, www.mtci.ie). MTCI is a multi-institutional, translationally-focused cancer research group which spans 4 academic and 9 industrial partners and is SFI funded from 2009-2014. The focus of the MTCI research programme is to develop novel targeted therapies for cancer, with a particular emphasis on breast cancer.

In 2011, Professor Crown was successfully elected as an Independent member to Seanad Éireann and is also a frequent contributor to the lay press, and professional meetings, on the subject of health policy.