Q&A with Professor Daniel Palmer
On 1 April 2017, Liverpool ECMC joined the Adult ECMC Network. We caught up with Professor Daniel Palmer, the Liverpool ECMC Lead, to hear why joining the Network is important for cancer patients in Liverpool, his love for Johnny Marr, and what inspired his career in oncology.
Welcome to the ECMC Network! How do you feel about joining?
Thank you! We feel privileged to be joining the Network and we are very excited by the opportunities that this will bring.
As Lead at Liverpool ECMC, what opportunities are you most looking forward to taking on?
Merseyside has a particularly high cancer burden with some of the poorest survival outcomes.
We aim to embrace the opportunities afforded by being part of the ECMC Network to improve access to cutting edge research and accelerate how we develop novel therapeutic approaches which benefit cancer patients within our region and beyond.
What do you feel are the strengths of the ECMC Network, and how do you feel that Liverpool can contribute?
The ECMC Network provides a unique and enviable framework to enhance the delivery of world-class clinical and translational research by supporting key research infrastructure and facilitating collaborative research across the centres.
Liverpool has particular research and clinical expertise in pancreatic cancer and haemato-oncology. Increasingly, our emphasis is on stratified approaches to treatment – utilising our extensive biobanks and GCP Labs to discover and validate potential biomarkers. We also have expertise in pharmacology and drug safety science, which we are keen to share across the ECMC Network.
What attracted you to a career in oncology?
Oncology allows the pursuit of cutting edge scientific endeavours, with collaborations with leading scientific minds, with the opportunity for direct translation in to the clinic. A career as an academic oncologist provides a perfect balance between science and patient care.
Who is your role model, and what is the best piece of advice you would pass on to someone looking to follow in a similar career?
My career in oncology was initially inspired whilst as a medical student by Prof Alan Rickinson, Head of the then CRUK Institute of Cancer Studies at the University of Birmingham. Alan was an outstanding scientist and an inspirational teacher; then, as a clinical research fellow, I was inspired by Professor David Kerr who taught me the ways of translating science to the clinic. And beyond the world of oncology: Johnny Marr – guitar legend!
My advice to the next generation of oncologists would be to embrace the joy of science but to always remember to put the patients first.