Ingrid Slade

Dr Ingrid Slade currently holds a prestigious Wellcome Trust Research Fellowship carrying out work into ethical issues related to public health and genomic medicine. She completed her PhD in Genomic Medicine at The Institute of Cancer Research in 2012.

Ingrid initially trained as a medical doctor and specialised in paediatrics and clinical genetics. Her PhD at the ICR focused on studying genetic susceptibility to childhood cancer.

“As well as having my results published in scientific journals and presented at conferences – most importantly, my results are having a direct impact on people’s lives – leading to improved diagnosis, advice and management for families across the UK,” she says.

After leaving the ICR, Ingrid chose to train in public health medicine to increase her understanding of healthcare systems and population health. “During my PhD it became evident that genomic medicine was becoming increasingly population driven,” she says.

In her current position as a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow at the Ethox Centre at the University of Oxford, Ingrid is carrying out a project looking at public health ethics values for application in clinical genomic medicine.

“I have the space and the freedom to develop my work on questions which I believe to be important for the appropriate and successful implementation of genomic medicine,” she says.

Reflecting on her career so far, Ingrid believes that support from her peers has been integral to her success.

“The most invaluable thing for me has been to have a network of friends who have pursued similar career paths to offer support, advice, or just a listening ear. I met many of these friends through my time at the ICR,” she says.

Looking to the future, Ingrid hopes her career will continue to focus on work that combines her three areas of interest: public health, molecular genetics and bioethics. She says: “My dream would be to develop my own research team dedicated to addressing these important healthcare and policy-related questions.”