Hi, I’m Jenny and I’m originally from Australia, grew up in England and have now lived in Scotland for well over 10 years. I was appointed as a Clinical PhD Fellow within the Ninewells Cancer Campaign’s Fraser Fellowship Doctoral Training Programme in September 2021, supervised by Dr Craig Mowat and Dr David Baty. My PhD was centred on whether we could design a ‘liquid biopsy’ – a blood test which can detect small amounts of circulating genetic material from a cancer, along with other changes to blood cells and proteins – to identify bowel cancer in high-risk patients with blood in their stool, prior to colonoscopy (camera test).
We found that we could pick up around 1 in 5 cancers based on a blood test, but that development and investment in more advanced technology within the NHS would be required to improve the pick-up rate. The work done as part of this project will inform current and future trials for cancer diagnosis and monitoring using liquid biopsy within Tayside.
I graduated in November 2025, having had a period of maternity leave shortly after starting my PhD. I’m currently working as a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Dundee whilst I finish my medical training. I hope to continue working for both the University of Dundee and NHS Tayside as a consultant Chemical Pathologist. I was very pleased to be able to extend my time in Dundee, especially given that this is the home of the Scottish Bowel Screening Laboratory and has a strong output of high-quality colorectal cancer research. I am very grateful to the Ninewells Cancer Campaign for its support, allowing me to develop skills and knowledge that I will use as a clinician scientist with an interest in diagnostic and referral pathways.
