Clare Turnbull MD PhD FRCP FRCPath MFPH

Clare Turnbull MD PhD FRCP FRCPath MFPH

• Professor of Translational Cancer Genetics, Institute of Cancer Research, London
• NHS Consultant in Clinical Cancer Genetics (Honorary), Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London
• Consultant in Public Health Medicine (Honorary), NHS Digital, London

Clare is Professor of Translational Cancer Genetics in the Division of Genetics and Epidemiology at the Institute of Cancer Research.   Having trained as a Clinical Geneticist, her clinical work at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust focuses on management of patients and families with genetic susceptibility to cancer.

Much of her research now focuses on evaluation of health impact of cancer genomic testing, as well as addressing practical challenges to its implementation in the NHS, using statistical, population and public-health-related analyses approaches. From 2014 to 2020, Clare worked as Clinical Lead for Cancer Genomics for the Genomics England 100,000 Genomes Project.  She is currently rolling out a £4.3 million CRUK-funded Catalyst Award: ‘CanGene-CanVar: Data Resources, Clinical and Educational Tools to leverage Cancer Susceptibility Genetics for Early Detection and Prevention of Cancer’ program.  A major element of this program involves assembly of genomic datasets (from NHS cancer susceptibility gene testing) from all 19 English NHS diagnostic laboratories and individual-level linkage (using pseudonimised identifiers) to National Cancer Registration datasets held in NHS Digital.  She is also leading BRCA-DIRECT: initially a CRUK-funded program to pilot in 6 hospitals across London and Manchester a digital platform to deliver BRCA testing.  Working with NHSE, this is now being adapted to deliver as standard-of-care community-based BRCA-testing in the Jewish population.   

She also continues to explore the genetic basis of cancer predisposition via generation and integration of germline, somatic and functional datasets relating to both common and rare variant susceptibility: her team has led the international field in identification of genetic factors influencing testicular germ cell tumorogenesis.