Elizabeth Soilleux | Department of Pathology

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Liz Soilleux is a professor in the Department of Pathology, an honorary consultant in haematopathology, molecular pathology and autopsy pathology, and the preclinical director of studies for medicine at Churchill College, Cambridge University. Her research interests lie in immunology and haematology, particularly the analysis of T-cells in diagnostics, related both to lymphoma and to immunological/ inflammatory conditions. She is also interested in the application of novel mathematical algorithms to various aspects of diagnosis, including digital image analysis and the analysis of large datasets, with the aim of improving objectivity of diagnosis and efficiency of workflow, perhaps with future automation of aspects of diagnostic histopathology. She has recently founded Lyzeum Ltd, a company with the aim of rapidly advancing digital image analysis for the diagnosis of benign immunological conditions, principally coeliac disease, and the company has been awarded Coeliac UK/ Innovate UK grant funding. She teaches parts of the Part 1b course (year 2), as well as components of the clinical medical course (years 4 – 6). Liz is also pleased to supervise at least one part 2 (3rd year) project each year for a medical, veterinary or natural science student. To support her teaching work, she undertook the University of Cambridge Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Education, in which she was awarded a Distinction. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Educators. In 2023, she was the recipient of one of the university's prestigious Pilkington Teaching Awards.

In addition to teaching and research, Liz also undertakes NHS work (lymphoma and leukaemia diagnosis, molecular pathology and autopsy work) as a consultant pathologist in the Haematopathology and Oncology Diagnostic Service (HODS) and the Department of Histopathology at Addenbrookes Hospital. On occasions, autopsy work results in appearances in the Coroner’s court. Because of the legal aspects of such work, Liz also holds the Bond Solon/ Cardiff University Expert Witness Certificate in Civil Law. She has on one occasion been responsible for a legal precedent in the High Court.

Liz has a strong interest in molecular diagnostics, including cutting edge DNA/ RNA-based testing. Between 2018 and 2020, she was the Molecular Pathology Lead for the East Midlands and East of England Genomic Laboratory Hub, which is the largest of England's seven genomic laboratory hubs, covering a population of around 10 million. This role involved setting clinically focused strategy and making decisions about assays for molecular testing of solid cancer and lymphoma specimens.

She is also very interested in working with industry, to undertake translational research that can make a real difference to the lives of patients. As such, she has been appointed as one of the two Industrial Champions, representing the Cambridge University School of Biological Sciences.

Liz Soilleux undertook both undergraduate and clinical medical training at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating in 1996 and moving rapidly towards specialisation in histopathology, working both as a senior house officer and registrar in Cambridge, while holding a teaching fellowship at Churchill College. She was awarded a Medical Research Council Clinical Training Fellowship to undertake a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Immunology, with additional funding from the Sackler Foundation. Her work made significant impact in the fields of HIV and immunology and culminated in the Dolph Adams Award from the Journal of Leucocyte Biology for the most highly cited original research paper in the journal in the preceding 5 years, in addition to a Glaxo Smith Kline fellowship from the Royal Society of Medicine and the Association of Clinical Pathologists’ Trainee Pathologists prize, both for being the most outstanding academic trainee pathologist in the UK in her cohort.

She moved to Oxford to take up a Clinical Lectureship in 2004, running and lecturing on a large component of the university’s 4th year medical course. She was also appointed as a lecturer at St Hugh’s College in 2004 and undertook tutorials (supervisions) in pathology for the undergraduate and graduate entry preclinical courses, as well as laboratory medicine tutorials for the clinical medical students. She completed her final FRCPath examination and ascended to the consultant grade in 2005. She served as the Chief Examiner for the Oxford University Laboratory Medicine Course in 2009. She taught at postgraduate level on the internationally renowned ‘Oxford FRCPath Course’ between 2006 and 2017, which draws delegates from across the UK and internationally. Between 2008 and 2010, she was the training programme director for registrars (junior doctors) in pathology in the Oxford deanery, which included hospitals in Slough, Reading, Stoke Mandeville, High Wycombe and Milton Keynes. Between 2009 and 2017, she was also the lead pathologist for Sudden Cardiac Death in young adults in the Oxford deanery and a member of the Cardiac Pathology Network Steering Group, which aims to improve the autopsy investigation of such potentially heritable disorders.

At a national level, she chaired the Education Subcommittee of the Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland (2014 – 2017) and has been involved in organising a number of successful ‘PathSoc’ conferences. Liz is an eidtor of the journals, Diagnostics and Lymphatics and was on the editorial board of Diagnostic Histopathology between 2009 and 2012. She is also a regular examiner for the FRCPath examinations and acts as external examiner for Experimental Pathology at Barts and The London Medical School, Queen Mary, University of London. She is a faculty member of the Nottingham Molecular Pathology course, its Viennese Society for Pathology counterpart and the PathSoc Winter School Clinical Pathology course. She also undertakes extensive outreach work on behalf of Coeliac UK.

Outreach videos

Coeliac disease and COVID, made for Coeliac UK

https://www.facebook.com/CoeliacUK/posts/3130084173679284

https://www.facebook.com/CoeliacUK/posts/3130252866995748

https://www.facebook.com/CoeliacUK/posts/3130622940292074

Coeliac disease made for Cambridge Pint of Science

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rO50QpSma8 (starts at 15 minutes 06 seconds)

CRUK outreach material (printed)

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/funding-for-researchers/research-features/2020-05-28-cancer-detection-researchers-innovate-covid-19-testing

Outreach material for prospective medical students (applications, BMAT, masterclasses)

https://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/study-us/undergraduates/subjects/medicine/

PhD studentship opportunities