Cliona Kirwan

Overview

Cliona Kirwan is a NIHR Clinician Scientist in Surgical Oncology and Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon. Her work is split equally between clinical work and academia. Clinically, Cliona leads diagnostic and follow up clinics for breast disease, particularly breast cancer. She performs all forms of surgery for the treatment of breast disease, particularly breast cancer surgery including breast reconstruction, symmeterisation operations and oncoplastic remodelling to minimise the cosmetic impact of breast surgery. Cliona trains medical students, allied staff and trainee surgeons and she is a lecturer for the Manchester University medical undergrauate course and the ASiT (Association of Surgeons in Training) MRCS (Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons) course. Academically, as a Senior Lecturer, she leads a team investigating the symbiotic relationship between cancer and the clotting system. Cliona specialises in translational research and runs clinical and laboratory based studies, and supervises PhD, MD and MRes students. In addition, her managment roles include membership of the NCRI Early Disease Subgroup of the Breast Cancer Studies Group, Trials Management Group for the IMPORT Low and High and POETIC national randomised controlled trials, Manchester University Womens Cancer Centre Principal Investigators Board, Manchester Breast Centre Principal Investigators Board and the Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Medical Advisory Board. She is also mentor to the Northwest Research Collaborative (a trainee led collaborative) and the Northwest and Mersey Breast Trainees Research Collaborative.

Biography

Cliona Kirwan obtained her medical degree from Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School. She completed her basic surgical training in London (Chelsea and Westminster Hospital), Poole and Bournemouth, Bristol (general and paediatric surgery) and South Africa (emergency and trauma surgery). She then studied for her PhD, entitled 'The Role of Procoagulants in Cancer and Chemotherapy Induced Venous Thromboembolism' at the University of Manchester. Whilst completing her general surgery specialist training in the Northwestern deanery, she was awarded a NIHR Clinical Lecturship, to continue her research into cancer and clotting. Simultaneous with her clinical lectureship, Cliona completed a National Oncoplastic fellowship in the Mersey Deanery. She was then awarded a NIHR Clinician Scientist Award, which she commenced in March 2012 at the University of Manchester and University Hospital of South Manchester.