Name: Dr Kate Marks
Connection to the Academy: INSPIRE student representative; Medical student at University of Leeds
"The most inspiring aspect was being able to listen to different researchers at different career levels and hear about all they had achieved over their careers."
What is your current role / stage in training?
I am an Academic Clinical Fellow in Histopathology at ST3, which allows me to undertake 25% research time.
How and when did you first hear about INSPIRE?
As a 4th year medical student, I became aware of INSPIRE when it first launched in 2014. I was the student representative that helped to apply for round 1 of INSPIRE funding at the University of Leeds. It enabled our undergraduate research societies to become fully established and run a number of events with guest speakers to help medical students get more information about becoming involved in research.
How did INSPIRE support your research interests?
The most inspiring aspect was being able to listen to different researchers at different career levels and hear about all they had achieved over their careers. This included early career researchers through to professors.
I produced a number of publications, posters and conference presentations from my undergraduate research. Since 2017, I have been Trainee Representative for Leeds Histopathology Trainees and since 2019 I have been Trainee Subcommittee Representative for the Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
I have also attended other Academy events including the mentoring events and I have a mentor through their scheme. In 2018 I won first prize in the Post Doctoral Competition at the Academy of Medical Sciences’ Clinical Academics in Training Conference. In 2019, I won poster prizes at the Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland’s Summer Meeting Poster Prize and Health Education England’s ACF presentation day.
What are your future plans?
I am about to undertake a 3 year post doctoral research fellowship funded by the MRC to continue my ongoing research in colorectal cancer (which I started as a medical student when I was first involved in INSPIRE!).
Kate (second from left) winning first prize in the Post Doctoral Competition at the Academy's Clinical Academics in Training Conference in 2018.