Emma Vincent, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, Translational Health Sciences

Following a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Bristol, I undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University, Montreal to research cancer cell metabolism and in particular how cancer cells adapt to limited nutrient conditions. After three and a half years I returned to Bristol to write a Career Development Fellowship. In October 2017 I started a 5-year RD Lawrence Diabetes UK Fellowship to begin my own research group studying the link between type 2 diabetes and cancer. Although my background is in cell biology my group works across the disciplines of biomedical and population health science.

In October 2021 I started a Senior Lectureship in Translational Health Sciences. My interdisciplinary research group continues to study metabolism in health and disease with a particular focus on the very earliest changes to metabolism that precede cancer development in the context of obesity and diabetes. 

Chrissy Hammond, Faculty of Life Sciences, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience

Our group's research focuses on the regulation of cartilage and bone homeostasis in development and in disease states such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and Stickler syndrome as well as during repair and regeneration. We are particularly interested in the interplay between genes and environmental cues such as mechanical loading, diet, and metabolism. We use the zebrafish as a model because it combines excellent genetics with beautiful imaging possibilities, which allow us to study the development of the skeletal system dynamically in vivo. We have a number of projects running in collaboration with clinicians, engineers and epidemiologists. 

Ruth Mitchell, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, Population Health Sciences

Dr Ruth Mitchell, strand senior research associate, has experience and expertise in both fundamental bioscience and population health science, in particular genetic epidemiology. Following on from her postgraduate training in cellular and molecular medicine investigating the role of cytokines in peptide immunotherapy in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) with Professor David Wraith, she transitioned into statistical genetic epidemiology in population health science  where she applied genetic and causal analysis methods in population data to examine the associations of multiple sclerosis incidence and progression with measurable traits working with Dr Lavinia Paternoster and Professor George Davey Smith. This involved understanding the various population datasets available, learning bioinformatic and statistical skills. The initial contact and experts willing to explain, teach and support her were key to a successful transition. Each field uses different methods, models and techniques to understand the underlying causes of disease and improve patient health and therefore has different capabilities and capacities. Ruth has an interest in bringing together her expertise in wet laboratory science and genetic epidemiology and exploring how they can complement each other.