Rebecca Fitzgerald has made outstanding contributions to knowledge of malignancies of the upper gastrointestinal tract, particularly adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus, and its precursor lesion, Barrett’s oesophagus. She is an Honorary Consultant Gastroenterologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, and a Programme Leader in the MRC Cancer Cell Unit. Her research achievements include demonstration that bile acids and acid reflux can cause fundamental changes to oesophageal epithelium in ex-vivo models of Barrett’s oesophagus. She has developed a combination of a sponge cell sampling device and a range of diagnostic biomarkers to develop screening technology to look for Barrett’s oesophagus in patients with history of acid reflux and to monitor the progression of Barrett’s oesophagus patients.