Dr Ellen Copson

I am an associate professor and honorary consultant in medical oncology at the University of Southampton, where she treats patients with early and advanced breast cancer. Following a PhD studying the molecular genetics of heritable breast cancer, I developed a particular interest in the genomic and modifiable host factors which influence the outcome of early breast cancer. I am involved with a number of research studies investigating the impact of breast cancer genomics and body composition/ nutrition factors on oncological outcomes. I am lead oncologist of the observational POSH study, a large national cohort study of young breast cancer patients and of the CANDO 3 pilot study of body composition and chemotherapy toxicity which is currently recruiting early breast cancer patients at a number of cancer centres across the UK. I also act as clinical advisor for several early breast cancer survivorship studies Having sat on the World Cancer Research Fund expert for the last 6 years, I have recently been invited to take the role of chair of the WCRF Global Cancer Survivorship expert panel.
I am the principle investigator for a number of observational and interventional clinical trials in early and advanced breast cancer and was a member the NIHR Breast Cancer Clinical Studies Group from 2013-2019. During this period I set  up the national Breast Cancer Trainees Research Collaborative Group and I remain senior chair of this group. I have also recently been invited to join the UK Breast Cancer Group Executive Committee.

I have been co-chair of the Wessex Molecular Tumour Board since 2017 and cancer lead of the West Midland, Oxford and South Central Genomic Laboratory Hub since October 2021. I am chair of the National Oncogenetics Training Working Party and lead oncology advisor for the educational workstream of the ‘CanGene-CanVar research program and for the Health Education England GeNotes educational resource initiative. Locally, I am oncology lead and deputy lead of year one of the University of Southampton medical degree course.

Prizes