Role model: BMJ profiles Professor Caroline Moore

15 August 2019

The BMJ profiled Professor Caroline Moore (香港六合彩 Surgery & Interventional Science) as a role model for their careers section.

Caroline Moore, professor of urology at 香港六合彩, says that her first failure was not getting the A levels required to become a vet. Her second was failing her first year medical examinations a year later. 鈥淚 was basically having too much fun and not doing enough work,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 would turn up to all the lectures, but on two hours鈥� sleep, which I now know is ridiculous.鈥�

She didn鈥檛 fail anything again until after medical school. 鈥淚 passed my first surgical exam when I was pregnant with my first child but failed my second Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons exams following the birth of my second child,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 worked long hours and had a long commute so it was quite challenging.鈥�

She once declared that she 鈥渨ouldn鈥檛 do research, wouldn鈥檛 do prostate cancer, and wouldn鈥檛 work in London.鈥� After passing her membership exams at the second attempt, however, she got a research fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons and decided to focus on urology.

Moore started her research career assessing photodynamic therapy for prostate cancer. This work formed her doctoral thesis and led to the only completed randomised trial comparing focal treatment with active surveillance. She went on to publish the first study using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess response to treatment in early prostate cancer.

鈥淗elping to change the minds of people, both nationally and internationally, on the use of MRI for prostate cancer detection and changing the guidelines is the thing I鈥檓 proudest of,鈥� she says.

Moore鈥檚 father was referred for prostate cancer assessment in Wolverhampton five or six years ago. At the time, not everywhere was using MRI before biopsy but Wolverhampton was. 鈥淗e got good treatment and he鈥檚 doing fine,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t really hit home鈥攖he thought that the work I鈥檇 been doing would really change how people are looked after across the country and internationally.鈥�

Moore has juggled her career with bringing up four children. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about working out your priorities,鈥� she says. 鈥淪ometimes one of the children needs something so work has to become a bit less of a focus and sometimes if I鈥檓 working on a big project or paper then I have to concentrate on that for a bit.鈥�

If she has any advice to offer others it is to 鈥渇ind out what you love and stick with it even through the hard times.鈥� Moore adds, 鈥淧arts of my training were less enjoyable than others but it鈥檚 about finding a path through that and taking time to enjoy it along the way.鈥�

Professor Mark Emberton nominated Professor Moore:

鈥淐aroline Moore鈥檚 single mindedness saw the development of the only completed randomised trial comparing focal treatment with active surveillance. You could say that this is the moment that she found her calling.

It is this dedication, drive, and vision for the end objective鈥攂enefiting patients鈥攖hat I admire so much. I also admire Caroline鈥檚 ability to corral teams through her infectious determination, balanced with a touch of humour.

Importantly, Caroline is not just a role model to her colleagues in urology, but, working with her, I can see that she is a trail blazer for women in science. As the first female professor of urology in the UK, she is a role model for all women considering careers in medicine and all women at 香港六合彩.鈥�

Professor Emberton is dean of the 香港六合彩 Faculty of Medical Sciences and works with Professor Moore on studies investigating MRI as a diagnostic tool for prostate cancer.

This profile originally appeared the BMJ on 13 August.

Image

Professor Caroline Moore (credit: Richard H Smith)

Media contact

Henry Killworth

E: h.killworth [at] ucl.ac.uk

Tel: + 44 (0) 207 679 5296

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