Student shaping oncology education on national scale
Final-year Student Doctor Emma Khoury has always used her passion for oncology to drive her path through medical school, shaping her choice of intercalated degree and opening up national opportunities on the committees of prestigious clinical networks.
As part of my intercalated degree in Biomedical Sciences and Translational Medicine (link) last year at the University of Liverpool, I was involved in a systematic review and meta-analysis on outcomes of patients with cancer and SARS-CoV-2 infection.
I worked closely with Professor Palmieri at the Liverpool Institute of Translational Medicine and was delighted to have had my work recently published in JAMA Network Open (link). Our research found that cancer patients who were younger, had lung cancer, or haematological cancer were at an increased risk of mortality from COVID-19. Among anticancer treatments, chemotherapy was associated with the highest mortality risk and endocrine therapy with the lowest risk.
My intercalated year allowed me to further my research skills, learn how to critically appraise academic papers, prepare grant applications, as well as improve confidence on presenting research both orally and as posters.
I very much enjoyed my intercalated degree and have gained a variety of transferable skills that I will develop throughout my training. I would highly recommend intercalating if you are interested in research or learning more about a particular area.
I was on the committee of the Liverpool Oncology Society for four years, where we held clinical skills days, regular revision lectures and fundraisers for Alder Hey Children’s Charity. Through this committee I came to learn about British Oncology Network for Undergraduate Societies (BONUS), which is a national organisation that promotes medical, clinical, surgical, and interventional oncology amongst student and junior doctors.
We work to support undergraduate oncology education, facilitate student involvement in national, collaborative research projects and have established a mentoring network to support students interested in oncology.
I have been on the BONUS committee for three years and was delighted to be elected as Co-President this academic year. We have recently held our annual revision days covering topics in oncology, haematology, and palliative care. The content is aimed at final year medical students and is in line with the medical curriculum.
We are pleased to have a paper published in Clinical Oncology (link) exploring medical student perspectives on undergraduate oncology teaching in the UK and are currently conducting research around the benefits of an undergraduate oncology mentorship scheme. We host annual international conferences in the autumn on a range of topics within oncology and will be holding our next conference in October 2022.
Our committee and university representatives are involved with all aspects of the committee, from planning lectures and revision days, conferences, and journal clubs to the writing up of research papers and networking with oncologists, there are ample opportunities to get involved.
I have really enjoyed being on the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) Clinical Oncology Undergraduate Steering Committee this year, which aims to raise awareness of clinical oncology and help shape the undergraduate medical curriculum. Additionally, we are responsible for organising the annual RCR’s Undergraduate Oncology Day.
Being on this committee has allowed me to better appreciate the need to increase undergraduate oncology teaching and clinical exposure, network with likeminded individuals as well as get involved in producing articles for the RCR newsletter.
I am looking forward to starting FY1 this August in Wessex as an academic doctor. I am very grateful for all the opportunities I received whilst a student at Liverpool. I would really encourage all to get involved and engage with any opportunity that presents to you. Liverpool has been an excellent university to train as a doctor and I am very sad to be leaving this wonderful city after six amazing years!
Discover more
- If you are interested in joining the British Oncology Network for Undergraduate Societies (BONUS) committee or want to find out more, email bonus.oncology@gmail.com or reach out over social media - links on the BONUS website (link).
- The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) Clinical Oncology Undergraduate Steering Committee is currently recruiting for new undergraduate representatives. Learn more on the RCR’s webpage (link) and feel free to reach out to Emma Khoury with any questions about the role.