How we help

Dr. Morven C. Brown - Research Associate & Health Psychologist

My work focuses on the psychological, social and behavioural outcomes of childhood cancer survivors. Most of my research involves interviewing survivors about different issues, for example how they perceive the cancer to have impacted on them and their lives and what their views and experiences are of looking after their own health. It is important to have survivors own views as then we can understand what support they may need and want, and it can help us to try and develop ways (interventions) in which we can support them.

Do you have a secret talent for anything? I can wiggle my ears.

What’s your favourite food? My favourite has to be Shepherd’s pie (with some veggies on the side to make it seem a bit healthier!)

What do your colleagues say is your best quality? That I regularly bring biscuits in.

What’s the best part of being involved with childhood cancer research? I find it rewarding and motivating to know that we are working together to understand the issues that survivors face and discover what we can do to improve their health outcomes and their lives. I am proud that Newcastle is place of excellence for childhood cancer research.

Stacey Richardson - Postdoctoral researcher

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumour in children, and although recent advances in treatment have significantly improved cure rates, relapse occurs in 30-40% of patients and is almost universally fatal (accounting for around 10% of all childhood cancer deaths).  Advancing our understanding of relapsed MB biology is now essential to improve outcome.  Our research aims to identify novel therapeutic targets at relapse through comprehensive genomic/epigenomic characterisation of the human disease alongside the development of novel model systems.

What do you like doing in your spare time? Being outdoors, visiting new places and spending lots of time with friends/family.

What do your colleagues say is your best quality? Motivation and sense of humour.

What’s the best part of being involved with childhood cancer research? Knowing that the work we do in the lab can be translated in to more effective or kinder therapies for children with cancer.

Louise Hayes - researcher

I am a researcher with an interest in the epidemiology of cancer and other chronic diseases. I am particularly interested in socio-economic inequalities in the development, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and how epidemiological work can inform health interventions to reduce health inequalities.

What do you like doing in your spare time? I’m a keen runner. I’m a member of North Shields Poly athletics club. I also like to cook.

If you didn’t do this job what else would you be doing? I’ve always harboured a dream of running a coffee and book shop.

What’s your favourite food? Pizza, no question!

What’s the best part of being involved with childhood cancer research? It’s a privilege to be involved in the interesting and challenging work undertaken by NECCR and to make a contribution towards helping to improve the care of children with a diagnosis of cancer.

Julie Irving - Reader in Experimental Haematology

While the improvement in the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) over the last fifty years has been a resounding success, clinical challenges remain. They include the need for new drugs for relapsed disease and those at high risk of relapse because of persistent disease. In addition, treatment is prolonged, causes debilitating side effects and a proportion of children may be cured with less treatment. My research aims to address these challenges by using advanced technologies to optimise therapy in children with ALL.

What is the best part of being involved with childhood cancer research? Being part of pioneering science for the benefit of sick children.

What hobbies do you enjoy when you’re not in the lab? Dog training, reading.

Deepali Pal - Research Associate/Fellow

Although childhood leukaemia can now be successfully treated in 90% of cases, relapse has a very poor outcome and the medicines have side effects that compromise health and long-term quality of life. We have developed a method by which patient-derived leukaemia cells (not cell lines) can now be grown in the laboratory and studied. We are now advancing a drug development technique which will test several medicines on individual patient samples. This project will establish a tool that will rely on patient samples to generate more efficient and less toxic medicines for children with leukaemia.

What is the best part of being involved with childhood cancer research? A healthy, happy, secure and successful future is every child’s birthright. Children build our future and I feel very privileged to be able to contribute towards wellbeing of children.

What hobbies do you enjoy when you’re not in the lab? Cooking (and chillies and spices!), kettlebell sport, kickboxing, drinking cocktails.