Chair
Vanessa
3rd Year Cancer Genomics STP
Synnovis LLP
I am based in the Haematological Malignancy Diagnostic service as Kings College Hospital where I’m primarily involved in contributing to the identification and quantification of molecular abnormalities and markers for diagnostic, prognostic and monitoring purposes in blood cancers. As part of my STP training, I’m also learning about genomic aberrations in solid tumours and how these relate to prognosis and treatment.
Advice for new trainees:
Be kind to yourself! You can’t be the best at everything and you will have periods where everything seems overwhelming, that’s normal. You’ll smash it, I promise.
Buddy Scheme Co-Leads
Francheska
2nd Year Genomics Y2 STP
Guy’s Hospital
My name is Cheska and in my specialism we look at alterations in patient’s DNA and determine whether it is the cause of their condition. As genetic material is inherited, we also test relatives who may be at risk of carrying the same alterations. These results will guide clinicians with deciding the treatment, management and monitoring of patients and their families.
My role on the committee this year as the Buddy Scheme Co-lead is to organise and manage the pairing of buddies and supporting their progression within the scheme.
Portia
2nd Year Rehabilitation Engineering STP
St George’s University Hospital
My specialism is Rehabilitation Engineering. This means I spend most of my time across a gait lab, wheelchair services and assistive technology. I get to focus on devices that can help promote independence and the people who use them.
My advice to new trainees: Get involved! Show enthusiasm! Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Case Club Lead
Anna
3rd Year Genomics STP
Royal Brompton Hospital
Hi, my name is Anna and I’m in my 3rd year of the Genomics STP. I am based at the Royal Brompton which provides specialist respiratory and cardiac genomic testing. Within the London HCSTN, I organise the monthly case club meetings which are a great opportunity to hear about interesting cases from other specialisms and to complete presentation-based training activities!
Advice to new trainees: My advice is to ask lots of questions and to put yourself forward to make the most of new and exciting training opportunities.
Communications and Social Media Leads
Kavi
2nd Year Clinical Bioinformatics STP
Great Ormond Street Hospital
My specialism is Clinical Bioinformatics. I feel like not many people know much about my speciality but it involves lots of coding in languages such as Python, Bash and SQL. We mainly create and work with pipelines to process data from sequencers and analyse it to produce a refined list of variants. We also design tools, apps and scripts to help other specialisms with their work. Maintaining the quality and integrity of data is also a big part of our work.
Advice for new trainees: I would recommend focusing on finishing one training activity at a time and make sure you set regular ‘SMART’ goals throughout your first year. This will let you complete your training activities in a timely manner. Also try to get each module signed off as you go along. Lastly, get stuck in to as many social events as you can, there are so many great networking events to take part in!
Bethany
2nd Year Embryology STP
Care Fertility
I am an Embryology STP student working in a London fertility clinic. Day-to-day my role involves working in the embryology laboratory, performing procedures such as egg collections, thawing embryos, and IVF inseminations. Alongside the laboratory procedures, embryologists have a lot of contact with the patients, providing updates on how their embryos are developing and how many are suitable for freezing or transfer. Having the patient contact whilst working in the laboratory is great as you can clearly see how your work impacts the patients and hopefully results in a pregnancy.
Advice for new trainees: When you begin the STP the amount of work that needs to be completed does seem overwhelming. I found breaking the work down into manageable chunks and having many small, personal deadlines throughout the year really helped me to stay on track. Remember to take time for yourself and do the things you enjoy!
Representative for Local/National Meetings
Bethany
2nd Year Genomics STP
Great Ormond Street Hospital
As a trainee healthcare scientist in Genomics, I am based in the Rare and Inherited Disease Laboratory at Great Ormond Street Hospital where I contribute to the identification of genetic abnormalities. This directly informs clinical decision-making for patients, their wider family and future family planning options.
My advice for new trainees: It can feel strange not immediately contributing to the service as a trainee, especially when the service is under strain. Try to remember that this is the time is to grow and develop your skills as a healthcare scientist. You will be contributing before you know it!
Social/Events Lead
Jessica
2nd Year Genomics STP
Great Ormond Street Hospital
I am a second year trainee in Genomics, where we receive patients’ (primarily) blood samples at the laboratory and test them for a range of genetic variants that cause rare & inherited disease. This may be for example to find a genetic cause for someone’s illness, or to calculate the risk they will develop a particular disease.
Advice for new trainees: Ask the question! As someone who came to the STP from undergraduate study, there have often been times where I have struggled with not knowing or understanding something. Often I didn’t speak up as I thought it would be a silly question or something I should already know. However, it definitely helps in the long run to just ask the question, no matter how obvious you think it may be! And if you don’t want to ask your trainer, speak to other STPs instead!
Pre-registration Clinical Scientist Chairs
Manali Naik
Pre-Registration Clinical Scientist
Synnovis LLP
Hi, my name is Manali & I am currently working in the Developmental Disorders team at Guy’s Hospital. My team primarily uses SNP microarrays to enable genomic diagnosis for patients with neurodevelopmental or congenital delays. My training has spanned across the prenatal, developmental disorders and haemato-oncology teams. I am very passionate about connecting with other trainees and collaborating through our training journeys!
Advice for new trainees: take your time to adjust to the role and learn the ropes, and don’t feel stressed or pressured to have a plan from the start. Also, don’t hesitate to enlist the help of a buddy or a mentor for the logistical and administrative details of your training journey, they will have a wealth of experience and would be happy to support!
Sharon O
Pre-Registration Clinical Scientist
Specialism: Cancer Genomics
I am a Pre-Reg currently working towards HCPC registration through the AHCS STPE route. My specialism focuses on acquired haematological malignancies and solid tumours, including leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and cancers of the breast, lung, colon, and brain. In my role, I analyse and interpret cytogenetic and molecular information to support the diagnosis, inform prognosis, and guide the treatment management of patients.
I am passionate about supporting education and training and advancing initiatives to help improve professional development.
My advice to new trainees: Be proactive in seeking out learning opportunities, connect with other pre-regs and trainees, and above all, stay organised with your portfolio!
Ayah
Pre-Registration Clinical Scientist
Specialism: Clinical Engineering
I work across both Medical Device Management and Rehabilitation Engineering, which gives me a broad and rewarding perspective of the field. On the Medical Device Management side, my work is often behind the scenes, focusing on technical assessments, safety checks, and risk management to ensure that devices are safe and reliable to use in hospitals. In Rehabilitation Engineering, I work with patients to carry out gait analyses and generate reports that contribute to their treatment plans.
My advice to new trainees: It’s normal to feel uncertain or lack confidence at times. Everyone starts somewhere, and you will eventually get the hang of things. Don’t hesitate to ask questions, no matter how small they may seem. Be curious, get involved in as much as you can and enjoy yourself in the process!
The London HCSTN 