Kezia Gaitskell, Consultant Pathologist and Honorary Visiting Fellow at Oxford Population Health, has been awarded a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowship.
The Fellowship will support Dr Gaitskell’s research programme that uses large-scale population data to investigate the risk factors and origins of different types of endometrial and ovarian cancers. The programme will also develop methods to integrate digital and molecular pathology techniques into large cohort studies.
Cancers of the endometrium (womb) and ovary are the fourth and sixth most common cancers in women in the UK. There are different histological types of these cancers, which have different characteristic microscopic appearances, genetic mutations, and protein expression. There is also growing evidence that these histological types arise through distinct biological pathways, with different risk factors. Previous population studies have often been unable to explore these differences in detail, due to limited data on these histological types.
The research programme will use national cancer registry data and large prospective cohort studies to explore patterns in incidence and risk factors for histological types of endometrial and ovarian cancers. It will also integrate novel techniques in digital and molecular pathology, which allow in-depth characterisation of the cancers at a microscopic level, into these large population studies.
Dr Gaitskell said ‘I am delighted to receive this Fellowship from UKRI to improve our understanding of how and why these different types of endometrial and ovarian cancer develop, so that better strategies can be developed for cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment.’
Her previous research at Oxford Population Health has explored the epidemiological risk factors for ovarian cancer in participants in the Million Women Study and how this varies by histological subtype. For her postdoctoral research, she continues to investigate the variation in risk factors for different histological types of cancer. Since completing her clinical training in 2022, she has continued with research and teaching, alongside working as a Locum Consultant in Histopathology at Oxford University Hospitals.
The UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships provides long-term support for talented people in universities, businesses, and other research and innovation environments. The aim of the scheme is to develop the next wave of world-class research and innovation leaders in academia and business.
Professor Sir Ian Chapman, UKRI Chief Executive, said ‘UKRI’s Future Leaders Fellowships offer long-term support to outstanding researchers, helping them turn bold ideas into innovations that improve lives and livelihoods in the UK and beyond. These fellowships continue to drive excellence and accelerate the journey from discovery to public benefit. I wish them every success.’