Spotlight: Monica Koo, Final Year PhD student
24 August 2017
What attracted you to study at IEHC?
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reputation for being a highly collaborative research environment was a big
draw. Also, my current primary supervisor Dr Yoryos Lyratzopoulos had just
moved to the Health Behaviour Research Centre (HBRC) (now Dept of Behavioural Science and
Health) led by the late Professor Jane Wardle, and I saw great
potential in combining both epidemiological and psychosocial approaches to
improve cancer outcomes.
What
do you like about your area of research and why?
My
PhD looks at the presenting symptoms of cancer and intervals to diagnosis. I am
using data collected as part of a national audit, and so have access to unique
information on symptoms and intervals for around 18,000 patients who were later
diagnosed with one of 28 different cancers. The underlying motivation of this
research is to improve cancer outcomes through earlier diagnosis but it also
aims to contribute to the evidence base of public health interventions and
clinical interventions. Knowing that my research could improve the
effectiveness and efficiency of public health policy and practice is very
meaningful.
What
did you do before you programme of study began?
I
worked as an Epidemiologist in a business intelligence company.
What
piece of advice would you give to new IEHC research students?
Familiarise
yourself with the organisational structure you sit in and make the most of the
support networks that exist for early career researchers - like the Institute
Early Careers Forum (). Identify
your strengths and try to align your project to these to maintain motivation.
Remember that a PhD is time for training and skills development as well as
research: be mindful of how far you've come since starting as well as how far
you have to go and don't be too hard on yourself!
Tell
us something surprising about yourself
I
grew up in Aberdeenshire and so consider myself partly Scottish - which
explains my love for Irn-Bru bars and ceilidhs…
Where
do you identify as home?
Having
escaped the Granite City at 18, London is my adopted home.