Briefly, tell us about your background and career up to this point?
I studied my Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) at Queen’s University Belfast in 2016 and following my pre-registration year in Ireland in 2017, I was awarded a competitive British Heart Foundation studentship to undertake a PhD in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at King’s College London which I completed in 2022. Following this, I worked as a postdoctoral research associate on a joint clinical project between the University of Cambridge and King’s College London investigating salt-sensitivity in hypertension and subsequently was awarded one of five Clinical Research Excellence Fellowships for postdoctoral clinical academics from the newly developed Centre for Translational Medicine at King’s Health Partners to work on personalised medicine for hypertension.
What do you think people in the School would find most surprising about you?
I’m a trained classical/musical theatre singer and was auditioned for the West End in March 2020 before the lockdown closed everything!
Do you have any current projects that you’d like to tell us about?
The project I am currently working on is the fellowship proposal which I was awarded for in May 2024. This project focuses on a personalised medicine approach to treating hypertension and I’m really looking forward to seeing the outputs of this research and the potential it has for reducing health inequity.
What are you most looking forward to this year?
I’m looking forward to presenting at the American Heart Association Council for Hypertension Meeting in Chicago in September following my award at the British and Irish Hypertension Society Conference in 2023. This will be my first time in the USA and so is an exciting time! Apart from this, my friend is getting married in Rome and I’m singing at her wedding which should be fun!
Who inspires you most and why?
I would say that my late father is my biggest inspiration. He was an extremely hardworking man often working long hours in a tough manual labour job when I was a child so that my sister and I could have the best upbringing he could offer. He never had the opportunity to go to university but encouraged me to fulfill my potential and do so – to reach for the stars, even if you land in the moon. He also taught me the importance of God in my life, particularly when things don’t go to plan it’s important to remain faithful. Following his passing in 2023, I know that he is looking down from Heaven with pride for my achievements and continues to inspire me every day.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My proudest accomplishment is winning three Early Career Researcher of the Year Awards within the space of the 10 months following my father’s passing. The awards in themselves are of course excellent accomplishments, but I would say the most important win coming from this was the resilience and determination it took to get to this point.
QUICKFIRE ROUND:
Favourite season: Summer
Favourite cuisine: Irish for sure.
Netflix recommendation: It’s been ITV for me for the last 2 months – Love Island.
Coffee order: Flat White