Lauren has worked clinically as a Radiation Therapist at multiple NHS Foundation Trusts, including at Royal Preston Hospital (Preston) and Clatterbridge Cancer Centre (Liverpool), England.  Lauren is currently a Lecturer in Therapeutic Radiography & Oncology at the University of Liverpool, England, where she teaches on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and conducts research on the Pelvic Radiation Disease (PRD) and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures.

Lauren’s dedicated research interest on PRD began during her postgraduate radiotherapy studies in 2018, following a family members’ experience with the condition. Her literature review on PRD was awarded ‘Best Poster’ at the Annual Radiotherapy Conference, which led to Lauren being invited to deliver a presentation on PRD at the UK Radiological and Radiation Oncology Congress 2018. Whilst undertaking her Masters degree, Lauren developed an e-learning package on PRD to enhance awareness amongst healthcare professionals, which was disseminated across several hospitals in England. The findings from this study have since been presented at international conferences (ESTRO 2021 and BIR 2021), and as a journal paper in the British Journal of Radiology Open. In her role as a lecturer, Lauren has recently supervised a Masters student undertaking an 'Evaluation of Radiotherapy Late Effect Clinics’ operating within the UK, which is currently being written up as a journal publication. Lauren is currently working collaboratively with colleagues at the University of Liverpool and Maggie’s Centres (England) to evaluate a novel ‘Living With and Beyond Anal Cancer’ survivorship programme.

Lauren is committed to continuing research into PRD and improving awareness of the condition amongst healthcare professionals, patients and the public.  She is currently undertaking her doctoral thesis, which focuses on the lived experiences of people who have been diagnosed with PRD, and the impact the current diagnostic pathway has had on their quality of life/wellbeing. Patient/public involvement is integral to this work, ensuring that the aspects considered important to people living with PRD are prioritised. Lauren hopes this work will help to support future improvements in the diagnosis and management of PRD, and to improve support for people post-diagnosis.