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Cancer Care Expert Group
Our mission is to improve cancer care for all. We work with experts from a diverse range of disciplines, including technology, science, engineering and psychology. We work alongside NHS professionals, Government, patients and their families, from the very young, to the very old. When we work together, we create innovative ways of being diagnosed quicker and living well, with and beyond cancer. Our work helps optimise cancer outcomes and impacts positively on experiences of care.
Research interests
Evidence shows that people with cancer have unmet needs, particularly at the point of diagnosis, end of treatment and longer term. Whilst some people feel well, others are struggling with the consequences of cancer treatment, creating a burden of illness that impacts on quality of life, patient outcomes and family life. Early diagnosis is considered a cornerstone of improving cancer survival- and is importantly related to improved patient experience and quality of life.
Our work focuses on changing the way we diagnose and support people with cancer – and families managing cancer – in order to meet increasing demands and care needs. We work across the age span and disease course - from diagnosis to survivorship and palliative care.
Research areas
- Early diagnosis
- Inequalities in cancer outcomes (individually and intersectionally)
- Cancer as a chronic condition
- Influence of cancer treatment on people, informal carers, parents, siblings and other family members. Specific interests include:
- Symptom assessment and management
- Psychological support needs
- Decision-making
- Multi-morbidity
- Survivorship
- End-of-life care.
- Patient reported outcome and experience measures
- Optimising teamwork and patient care
- Digital health/connected health, supportive technologies and web-based programmes to support mental and physical health for people with cancer.
Research methodologies
- Participant co-design
- Mixed methods
- Development and evaluation of complex interventions
- Film technologies
- Creative arts based approaches.
- Research Priority Setting Partnerships
- Questionnaire design and validation approaches
- Data linkage, statistical and machine learning
Areas of interest for doctoral study
We welcome approaches from people wishing to undertake postgraduate research with us. We particularly welcome enquiries in the following areas:
- Prevention and early diagnosis
- Supportive care and innovations
- Cancer in children, teenagers and young adults
- Digital health.
Please contact Freda Mold (freda.mold@surrey.ac.uk) and Jenny Harris (jen.harris@surrey.ac.uk), our postgraduate research directors, if you are considering postgraduate research.
Research Group members
Expert Group leads
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Professor Katriina Whitaker
Professor of Psychology and Co-Lead for Cancer Care
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Dr Robert Kerrison
Senior Lecturer and Co-Lead for Cancer Care
Expert Group members
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Susie Aldiss
Research Fellow (Child Health)
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Dr Anne Arber
Visiting Reader in Cancer and Palliative Care
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Professor Jo Armes
Professor of Cancer Care and Lead for Digital Health
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Dr David Bartlett
Senior Lecturer of Exercise Immunology
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Laura Boswell
Postgraduate Researcher
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David Brighton
Lecturer, (adult nursing)
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Dr Gemma Bryan
Research Fellow
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Hugh Claridge
Postgraduate Research Student
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Zoe Clothier
Research Assistant
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Dr Jane Cockle Hearne
Research Fellow
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Dr Christos Dadousis
Research Fellow in Health and Biomedical Informatics Research Group
Mar Estupiñan Fernandez De Mesa
Fellow in Cancer Care
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Professor Sara Faithfull
Visiting Professor of Cancer Nursing Practice, Lead for Clinical Innovation
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Professor Faith Gibson
Professor of Child Health and Cancer Care
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Natalie Gil
Postgraduate Research Student
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Dr Jenny Harris
Senior Lecturer in Cancer Care and Health Statistics
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Dr Chris Jacobs
Associate Professor, Genetic and Genomic Counselling
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Dr Robert Kerrison
Senior Lecturer and Co-Lead for Cancer Care
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Dr Agnieszka Lemanska
Senior Lecturer in Health Data Science
Dr Afrodita Marcu
Research Fellow (RA II)
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Jackie McBride
Associate Head of School – Education
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Tetyana Perchyk
Research Fellow in Health Data Science
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Claire Price
Postgraduate Research Student
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Alexandra Pritchard
Postgraduate Research Student
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Professor Emma Ream
Professor, Director of Health Sciences Research
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Dr Katie Sutton
Research Fellow
Related sustainable development goals
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