What is your background in the field of genomic medicine and data science?
I’ve been working in the field of Genetic Epidemiology for over 25 years. During this time my work has been wide ranging, from small family-based studies to more recent large-scale genome-wide association studies. I was part of the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium, the first major genome-wide association study, and have worked as part of GenoMEL (the melanoma genetics consortium), chairing the analysis team, for many years. In recent years most of my work has been in melanoma and vasculitis but I’ve also worked on gestational diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and many others.
When did you start at the University? And what inspired you to get into this field?
After completing a PhD in genetic epidemiology I worked for 4 years as a lecturer at the University of Sheffield where I co-led an MSc in Genetic Epidemiology. Then I spent a couple of years at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm as a senior scientist, which was entirely research-oriented working on the genetics of breast cancer as well as statistical methodology. I joined the University of Leeds in 2006 as a research fellow and have been here ever since.
As an undergraduate in mathematics I’d come across the idea of game theory applied to animal behaviour and was fascinated by the idea that maths could give insight into biology. But it was during my masters degree that I was first exposed to the analysis of human genetic data and was drawn to an area that was not only relevant to medicine and human health but could also reveal the mechanisms underlying these.
What makes this area so important?
Right now I think the idea of using genetics as a routine part of clinical practice is just starting to open up. This could be to provide risk assessment in the general population to inform lifestyle changes or screening schedules, or to assess treatment in terms of risk of side effects and disease progression for precision medicine. There are huge national cohorts across the globe, as well as many individual studies, looking at using genetics far more widely in public health and patient care. It’s a very exciting time.
What students can expect to learn on this course?
Students will learn about the basics of genetic epidemiology: how we demonstrate heritability of a trait, the population genetics of a disease, simple tests of association through to recent advances: genome-wide association studies, polygenic risk scores, Mendelian randomisation.
How can prospective students use these skills in their careers?
There are career opportunities in this area from pharmaceutical companies who are interested in using genetics to support drugs trials, identifying those who will most benefit from their products, to the NHS where they want to tailor preventative advice and treatment more effectively. And academia of course!