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What does "normal" actually look like in a system as complex as the human endometrium? And why does it still take over eight years for so many to find answers for their pain? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Charlotte Cassie, a postdoctoral researcher in the Vento-Tormo lab at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. Charlotte is at the forefront of efforts to map the endometrium at single-cell resolution, to build a cellular "atlas" that serves as the essential blueprint for understanding gynaecological health. Complementing the science is the lived experience of Sahir Ahmed-Evans. Over the last 15 years, Sahir has navigated a grueling journey through endometriosis and chronic illness, eventually undergoing a hysterectomy and bowel surgery that led to surgical menopause. Sahir shares her story of resilience and her transition into systemic advocacy, community building, and education within the women’s health space. Join us as we explore how this high-resolution science is finally shedding light on endometriosis, one of the most historically under-researched conditions in medicine. Resources mentioned in this episode: Spatiotemporal cellular map of the developing human reproductive tract | NatureGynaecology Information Zine: Created by Charlotte and her colleagues at the Vento-Tormo Lab: Outreach - VenTo LabFollow Sahir’s Advocacy: SAHIR AHMED EVANS | LinkedIn(2) InstagramSahir Ahmed-Evans | Menopause & Midlife Empowerment Coach for Women 40+

Dr Rouchelle Srinanjan-Rothwell, NIHR clinical lecturer at the University of Cambridge, talks about her recently published IVORY trial, in which the Cambridge team investigated anti-inflammatory therapy using repurposed IL-2 drug to treat acute coronary syndromes You can find the study here: Anti-inflammatory therapy with low-dose IL-2 in acute coronary syndromes: a randomized phase 2 trial | Nature Medicine In this episode, we also hear from Mark Andrews, recently treated at CUH for a heart attack, and who took part in the trial. Let us know what you would like to hear from next by commenting!

Founder and CEO of Elcella, and lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, Dr Madusha Peiris, spills the tea on her team's discovery in human gut tissue which has resulted in an impactful, natural weight management treatment. Could this be the new natural alternative to Ozempic? Tune in to find out! Elcella: https://elcella.com Madusha's research: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zXeh8S4AAAAJ&hl=en The Times feature: https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/article/first-natural-ozempic-pill-weight-loss-elcella-tb25lnjgq?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPNTY3MDY3MzQzMzUyNDI3AAGna-36ZeAqvomHmj4VVQSjh7PCh2QXZE77BgUvc1zZvV3vwnFDJdx2XyiD9WE_aem_lP19PUZubMclwqyHP4c-Lw Want to share your story? Get in touch via the comments!

In Episode 3, I'm joined by award-winning science writer, public speaker and broadcaster, Dr Kat Arney. She takes us on the evolutionary journey of her career from being a geneticist in the lab, to becoming a bestselling author, while providing a new lens on cancer. You can buy Rebel Cell wherever you source your books: Rebel Cell by Dr Kat Arney | Waterstones Contact Ahsen with feedback, questions, or if you're interested in sharing your story, at [email protected] or @ahsenonfilm on Instagram

In this episode, I'm joined by Prof Serena Nik-Zainal, a legendary research group leader in genomic medicine. Join us for a deep dive into the cancer genome, and how we can harness it to better inform treatment for patients. Serena's research: https://www.earlycancer.cam.ac.uk/professor-serena-nik-zainal Contact Ahsen with feedback, questions, or if you're interested in sharing your story, at [email protected] or @ahsenonfilm on Instagram.

Welcome back to Coffee Break Science Season 2! In this episode I'm joined by Christen Williams, co-founder of cancer prevention charity BRCA Chat who support people navigating a germline genetic mutation that significantly increases risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers. The expert scientific landscape is then beautifully set by Dr Siddhartha Kar, associate professor of clinical epidemiology at the Early Cancer Institute, University of Cambridge. You can find out more about BRCA chat on their website: https://brcachat.com/ Siddhartha's latest research: https://www.earlycancer.cam.ac.uk/dr-siddhartha-kar https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12916-025-04543-8 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/alcohol-breast-cancer-symptoms-cause-b2884770.html Contact Ahsen with feedback, questions or if you're interested in sharing your story, contact her at [email protected], or @ahsenonfilm on Instagram

It has been a while! Welcome back to Coffee Break Science. This season, we're brewing up something truly special. This podcast is sponsored by NIHR Cambridge BRC Devices and Advanced Therapies Theme

In the final episode of Season 1, we are joined by the phenomenal Dr Amina Yonis, a research scientist by background who became a Youtuber with over 200K subscribers and set up her own academic consultancy business: ThePageDoctor We discuss what Amina loved about academia, and what made her start her YouTube channel which has since grown into multiple other streams of income resulting in her eventually leaving academia to pursue her business and social media presence full time. Hope you enjoy our discussion! (23) Dr Amina Yonis - YouTube

In this episode, Dr Carla Usai talks about her international career journey so far as a postdoctoral scientist in infectious disease. Carla has a science communication blog where she writes about viruses, immunology and more, in both English and Italian: Home – Virus&Co. (art.blog) You can contact her on LinkedIn: (4) Carla Usai, PhD | LinkedIn

In this episode, I am joined by Dr Elham Sahafi, a dentist who became a scientist through a drive to make a difference to the lives of Head and Neck Cancer Patients. We talk about her incredible PhD research which found EGFR as a molecular biomarker for worsened prognosis for HNCSCC. You can find her publication mentioned in the episode here: EGFR overexpression increases radiotherapy response in HPV-positive head and neck cancer through inhibition of DNA damage repair and HPV E6 downregulation - ScienceDirect We also talk about the challenge of going through pregnancy, miscarriage and motherhood during a PhD, and how Elham has managed to handle them all. You can connect with Elham on LinkedIn: (22) Elham Sahafi | LinkedIn

Today I'm joined by Dr Irem Ishlek, a clinical doctor who is currently undertaking paediatric training and we talk all things medical education, research during medical training and challenges commonly faced by doctors from minority backgrounds! If you'd like to join or find out more about the Widening Participation Medics Network mentioned in the episode, you can do so here: Home | Widening Participation Medics Network (wpmedicsnetwork.com)

In this episode, we explore Dr Heather Fitzke's diverse career journey from social anthropology to public health & epidemiology, to a PhD and now post-doc in medical imaging in the field of neurogastroenterology. We explore the beauty and perils of working for the public sector, and academia in particular, and discover how Heather steered herself into the STEM field.  If you work for a university, be sure to sign up for University and College Union: UCU - Join UCU Did you know that PhD students in the UK are twice as likely than other educated members of the general public to report symptoms of depression or anxiety, according to a recent study published in Nature by Chris Woolston? 71% of PhD students have at least mild depression, while 74% have some level of anxiety. Please speak to your GP or university counselling service if you are struggling with your mental health!

In this episode, we explore Dr Joe Worrall's path to landing a PhD in molecular oncology, and how he decided to pursue a career in medical writing/publishing in the pharmaceutical industry, including his side hustle: The Examiners. Automatic Question & Flashcard Generator - The Examiners The Examiners is a web-tool that Joe himself coded and allows university students to generate flashcards tailored to their own course content! Join us to hear how he was able to engineer this, navigate his PhD with all its technical challenges, and his thoughts on the medical publishing industry.

Today I am joined by Dr Hannah Thompson, who is a PhD scientist by training, but has now worked in many start-ups across product, business, operations and people functions. She has worked on software products that monitor health and enable precision medicine and clinical trials. We speak about how to navigate different jobs, not with the aim of finding the 'perfect' job, but rather, with the aim of increasing awareness of what you enjoy/ don't enjoy in a job to land a better next job. We speak about digital nomadism as a scientist-turned product manager.  She is running a 'Become a Science Product Manager' Course with Wilbe, giving scientists insight into what it means to be a Product Manager at a Science Company and what key skills are needed: Home | GoPotato helping people who want to leave academia with: CV, financial planning, brand, interview energy, negotiation, finding their passion, storytelling and more  And for fun she’s starting a tiktok where she’ll dress up as various potato snacks and share career advice for scientists - @gopotatoteam Hannah Thompson, PhD | LinkedIn

Today we are joined by Dr Kristen Smith-Edwards who talks about her rather unconventional route to earning a faculty position at the Mayo Clinic, US. Her passion for neuroscience research is inspiring, as she discusses key career-defining moments in her academic journey so far, including a coffee-break introduction to her research on the gut-brain axis.  If you would like to get in touch with Kristen or follow her progress further, you can reach her on Twitter @KristenSEdwards Kristen Smith-Edwards (@KristenSEdwards) / Twitter