Centre of Choice for UICC Fellow

Kim Hawkins, head of Statistics at the Clinical Trials Research Unit (CTRU) at the University of Leeds, will spend a month at CHERE, learning more about the methodology involved in the development of evidence-based interpretation guidelines for health-related quality of life questionnaires. 

Kim is currently starting a part-time PhD at the University of Leeds with CHERE’s Dr Madeleine King as one of her supervisors. "The fellowship from the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) has provided me with the opportunity to come and train at CHERE and funding from Cancer Research UK will enable us to develop the methodology and produce evidence-based interpretation guidelines for the QLQ-C30 questionnaire.”

“My first exposure to quality of life (QOL) was during the completion of my Masters when I completed my dissertation on the statistical analysis of quality of life data.  This is really where my interest in measuring QOL in cancer patients developed.”

Kim attended a presentation given by Dr King at a European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Group meeting in Rome where she presented her work on the FACT-G EBES project and introduced the work to the QLQ-C30 evidence based interpretation guidelines group. “I went to this meeting to tell the Group about my work and in the hope of developing ongoing collaboration.  The QLQ-C30 is the EORTC’s questionnaire, and is used in the majority of its trials.  I was delighted when Kim approached me afterwards and here we are,” Dr King said.

At the CTRU, Kim heads up a team of 5 statisticians, working primarily on cancer trials in haematological and breast cancers. CTRU work portfolio also includes quality of life, informed consent and participation of ethnic minorities in clinical trials. 

UICC fellowships aim at facilitating the transfer of knowledge, skills and expertise to where they are needed. They offer continued professional development to a comprehensive range of health professionals, from epidemiologists, public health and tobacco control educators, and behavioural scientists to investigators, clinicians, general practitioners, laboratory technicians, nurses and cancer society staff and volunteers. As the largest independent, non-profit, non-governmental association of 280 cancer-fighting organisations in over 80 countries, UICC is a global resource for action and voice for change.

After graduating with a Maths Bachelor of Science at the University of Nottingham, Kim commenced working for a pharmaceutical company on Phase III trials of novel cancer treatments. During this time, Kim completed a Master of Science in Applied Statistics.