Hi! I’m Grace and I’m a first year medical student at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. For some time now I’ve been interested in the mechanics of cancer and how the inner workings of a tumour affect a patient’s diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. 

We are fortunate to live in a time of ever-growing research, and with as many as one in two people being diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime, there’s an urgent need to bring this research into a clinical context so that patients can benefit from it. This interest is what has compelled me to look into the presence of certain biomarkers and their relation to immune cells within tumours, which I will start researching during my first summer as a Laidlaw scholar this year. In an effort to make this as relevant as possible to patient care, I will use this data to develop an AI algorithm which will aim to predict patient prognosis by analysing tumour samples. 

Alongside my studies I’ve enjoyed being the charity representative of our Oncology Society, especially since it’s allowed me to fundraise by baking treats and going on seaside runs!

Outside of medicine I love to sing and spend every spare moment I have in chapel singing choral music with the university’s chapel choir, although I have been known to spend hours singing along to Les Mis whenever I get the chance.