Shirley Hodgson, BSc, BM, BCh, DM, FRCP, FRSB, trained at UCL as an undergraduate, gaining a BSc in Physiology, and then went to Somerville College, Oxford, to do her clinical studies. She initially trained in paediatrics, and then worked as a general practitioner whilst her children were young. In the 70’s, she spent six months working in Saadi Hospital, Shiraz, Iran.
She became a registrar in Clinical Genetics at Guy’s Hospital, 1980, and worked with Prof. Dubowitz at the Hammersmith Hospital on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at a time when the first genotype–phenotype correlations were emerging. She became a Consultant in Clinical Genetics at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in 1988, then Consultant/Reader in Clinical Genetics at Guy’s from 1990. She became interested in Cancer Genetics from 1989, specialising in the subject, and developed Regional Cancer Genetics services from Guys and later St George’s Hospitals in London. She was appointed Professor of Cancer Genetics at St.George’s, University of London, in 2003, now emeritus, and currently works part time as a consultant in Cancer Genetics in Leicester. She did translational research with ICRF (now CR-UK), investigating aspects of inherited cancer predisposition. She has published widely on the subject, and co-authored several books, notably “A Practical Guide to Human Cancer Genetics”, now in 4th edition.
Shirley has participated in international research, and is developing genetic counselling in collaboration with Indian and Chinese colleagues. Recently she designed and initiated the clinical paediatrics course in the Medical School in Windhoek, Namibia, at a time when this was the only Medical School in the country. She has continued her interests in Namibia by supporting research into malnutrition there. She remains very committed to international collaboration. She has been a member of MAPW, MCANW, and now Medact, all her working life, and is very committed to applying a medical perspective on current world issues such as the prevention of war, climate change, refugee concerns and health inequities. She is a trustee for several charities, including the Catherine Bullen Foundation, the Adelphi Forum and is chair of the Lionel Penrose Trust. She and her husband set up a charity Nutritional Research and Education for Namibia, which she chairs.
