Our research advisory panel

Our panel

Our research advisory panel is made up of a number of experts in the field of childhood cancer.

They are independent of our board of Trustees and the members come from a number of different institutions and have a number of varied specialisms. This is to help ensure that decisions are well informed and impartial when they are made.

The panel also includes at least one expert parent reviewer whenever possible.

What does the research advisory panel do?

The panel is made up individuals who give their time and expertise on a purely voluntary basis. We are exceptionally grateful to these volunteers for helping us to ensure high quality research recommendations are made to the Board of Trustees.

It is through these recommendations that the Trustees at the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust can be sure that they are helping to fund research of the highest possible quality. This is so important.

How we award research funding

Meet our advisory panel

Professor Bernadette Brennan

Consultant Paediatric Oncologist and Chair Of The RAP

Professor Bernadette Brennan

Professor Bernadette Brennan is elected Chair of the Trust's Research Advisory Panel and the MAHSC Honorary Clinical Chair in Paediatric Oncology at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital UK; MAHSC Honorary Clinical Chair in Paediatric Oncology; Consultant Paediatric Oncologist and Honorary Consultant Paediatric Oncologist at The Christie NHS Trust and Associate Director of Research and Innovation (Governance) for Manchester University Foundation Trust.

Paediatric Cancer Services E04 CRG/NHS England Commissioning –Greater Manchester, Lancashire and South Cumbria Senate Rep, Greater Manchester Cancer -Clinical Director for Children’s pathway -for the Manchester Cancer Services Provider Board, Chair NCRI Sarcoma CSG.

Dr Martin Elliott

Consultant Paediatric Oncologist

Dr Martin Elliott,

Dr Martin Elliott, paediatric oncologist Leeds Teaching Hospitals since 2004 and in my post I treat children and teenagers with all types of solid tumours including brain tumours.

My clinical research interest is in neuroblastoma and I am the UK chief investigator of a major European clinical trial for patients with high-risk neuroblastoma SIOPEN HR-NBL2. I lead the Leeds Children’s Hospital NIHR / CRUK funded Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre and have recently been appointed as the NIHR Clinical Research Network, National Specialty Lead for Children and Young People’s Cancer.

I am committed to conducting and promoting high quality research in paediatric oncology to improve outcomes for affected children and their families.

Dr Mette Jorgensen

Consultant Paediatric Oncologist

Dr Mette Jorgensen

Dr Mette Jorgensen, MD PhD MRCPCH graduated from Aarhus University, Denmark. She did her post graduate paediatric oncology training in the UK (London). Mette works as a Consultant Paediatric Oncologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital. She is the lead for neuro-oncology (children with brain tumours) and Genetic Oncology (cancer predisposition syndromes).

Dr Kate Bishop

Operations Manager

Dr Kate Bishop

Dr Kate Bishop and my current role is the Director of Operations for the College of Medical and Dental Sciences at the University of Birmingham. My role includes overseeing the operations of the College, across our research (annual research awards £80m) and teaching (7000 undergraduate and postgraduate students) activities.

I have a background in medical research having completed my PhD in liver research at the University of Birmingham, following a BSc in Biochemistry. Following my PhD I moved into research management and development, having a variety of roles including leading the grant application support service across the University of Birmingham, working as a panel secretary for the Research Excellence and working on a regional investment fund focussed on medical technologies. I am a mother of two young girls, an avid horse rider and keen runner. I am really looking forward to supporting the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust to take forward their research strategy and enable important research to happen.

Dr Louise Chapman

Senior Training Scientist

Dr Louise Chapman

I am currently working as a senior training scientist in one of the government Covid testing laboratories, but my scientific background is in immunology. I completed my PhD and worked on several research grants as a post-doc at the University of Manchester where our main area of interest was gut inflammation.

In 2017 my daughter Molly, almost 6, was diagnosed with a malignant rhabdoid tumour in her neck. She underwent aggressive chemotherapy and proton beam therapy and is thankfully now a thriving 10 year-old. We were supported throughout Molly’s treatment by the GKCCT and have since been committed to helping this amazing charity in any way we can.

We have a named fund ‘Molly’s Way’ and I am honoured to have been asked to take up this role within the committee.

Dr Olga Slater

Consultant Paediatric Oncologist

Dr Olga Slater

Olga is Consultant Paediatric Oncologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. She undertook her undergraduate degree in Medicine in Zagreb, Croatia. Her training in paediatric and paediatric oncology was conducted in London and South East. She completed PhD in Innovative therapies in rhabdomyosarcoma at the ICR and University of London. She has special interest in sarcoma and rare tumours, especially in infants. Olga lives in Kent with her husband and has two daughters.

Dr Tim Ritzmann

Clinical Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant Paediatric Oncologist

Dr Tim Ritzmann

Tim is a clinical academic in paediatric neuro-oncology. His research focusses on a type of childhood brain tumour called Ependymoma. He is the current UK chief investigator for the ongoing SIOP Ependymoma II clinical trial which is looking at better ways of treating children for ependymoma. Clinically, he works as a consultant paediatric oncologist at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust where he cares for children and young people with all types of brain tumours. Tim is excited to join the research advisory panel as he is passionate about supporting research into all types of childhood cancer.

Dr Madhumita Dandapani

Clinical Associate Professor of Paediatric Neuro-Oncology and Consultant Paediatric Oncologist

Dr Madhumita Dandapani

Dr Madhumita Dandapani is a paediatric oncologist in Nottingham and also leads a research group focused on paediatric tumour metabolism group at the Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre at the University of Nottingham. She is the chief investigator for the European international liver tumour trial (PHITT), as well as lead metabolomic expert for the paediatric liver biology group. She is the secretary of the International Society of paediatric oncology Epithelial Liver tumour (SIOPEL). She is also chief investigator for the PAED5ALA CNS trial.

She has a strong record of leading international collaborative projects on metabolomics-based research and research publications.

Dr Gail Halliday

Research Active Paediatric Solid Tumour Oncologist

Dr Gail Halliday

Dr Halliday is a research active Paediatric Solid Tumour Oncologist with a particular passion for improving outcomes for Teenagers and Young Adults (TYA) with sarcoma. She works as a Consultant in Newcastle upon Tyne where she has an active role in research as lead investigator on a range of clinical trials and has worked collaboratively to expand and strengthen Newcastle’s solid tumour service and clinical trial portfolio, ensuring equitable access across the age range. She is deputy lead of the North of England Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma Service, co-chair of the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) National Sarcoma Advisory Panel and TYA lead for Newcastle’s Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC). Additionally she is a member of both the Innovate Therapies in Childhood and Adolescent Cancer solid tumor committee and the EURO EWING Consortium New EWing Therapeutics Strategy Group, where she works alongside like-minded colleagues from across Europe to bring new treatments rapidly into carefully designed clinical trial testing that is accessible to as many young people with solid tumours as is possible.

Dr Charlie Cragg

Dr Charlie Cragg Paediatric Oncology Specialist Doctor

Dr Charlie Cragg

I’m a Paediatric Specialist Doctor with an interest in oncology, and Deputy POSCU Lead at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. My role focuses on supporting the delivery of safe, high-quality cancer care closer to home for children and young people across Worcestershire and Herefordshire. I’m passionate about supporting projects that improve patient journeys and outcomes. I work closely with the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust in my day-to-day practice, so I’m really pleased to be joining their Research Advisory Panel.

Projects we have funded

Find out a little more information by clicking below

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Our research advisory panel

Our panel

What does the research advisory panel do?

Meet our advisory panel

Professor Bernadette Brennan

Consultant Paediatric Oncologist and Chair Of The RAP

Dr Martin Elliott

Consultant Paediatric Oncologist

Dr Mette Jorgensen

Consultant Paediatric Oncologist

Dr Kate Bishop

Operations Manager

Dr Louise Chapman

Senior Training Scientist

Dr Olga Slater

Consultant Paediatric Oncologist

Dr Tim Ritzmann

Clinical Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant Paediatric Oncologist

Dr Madhumita Dandapani

Clinical Associate Professor of Paediatric Neuro-Oncology and Consultant Paediatric Oncologist

Dr Gail Halliday

Research Active Paediatric Solid Tumour Oncologist

Dr Charlie Cragg

Dr Charlie Cragg Paediatric Oncology Specialist Doctor

Projects we have funded

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