Professor Dame Lesley Jean Fallowfield DBE (born October 1949) is a British cancer psychologist and a professor of psycho-oncology at the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

. The main outcomes of her research have been the establishment of assessment tools to measure

quality of life Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...

in clinical trials of cancer patients and the design of educational programmes to improve oncologists' communication with their patients.

Career

Fallowfield initially trained as a nurse at

Guy's Hospital Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. ...

in London before studying a bachelor's degree in

experimental psychology Experimental psychology refers to work done by those who apply experimental methods to psychological study and the underlying processes. Experimental psychologists employ human participants and animal subjects to study a great many topics, in ...

at the

in 1980. She went on to complete a doctorate in

psychophysics Psychophysics quantitatively investigates the relationship between physical stimuli and the sensations and perceptions they produce. Psychophysics has been described as "the scientific study of the relation between stimulus and sensation" or, m ...

at Sussex and the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. She had originally planned to pursue a career in visual science but the death of a friend from

graft-versus-host disease Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is a syndrome, characterized by inflammation in different organs. GvHD is commonly associated with bone marrow transplants and stem cell transplants. White blood cells of the donor's immune system which remain wit ...

secondary to a bone marrow transplant for

acute myeloid leukaemia Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells, characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal cells that build up in the bone marrow and blood and interfere with normal blood cell production. Symptoms may include ...

inspired her to focus on cancer. In 1984, she began working for the

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

Clinical Trials Unit, where she established assessment criteria to measure

in trials of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

. These tools are in use worldwide as of 2016. Fallowfield received a grant from the

Cancer Research Campaign Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organization. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...

in the late 1980s to research oncologists' communication skills and potential areas for improvement. She focused on the communications between doctors and their patients—particularly in communicating complex medical concepts, giving bad news, and recruiting patients to take part in clinical trials. This led her to design educational materials to enhance doctors' communication skills and to study the resulting effects on patients' health and wellbeing. In 1990, she became the director of the Cancer Research Campaign Communication and Counselling Research Centre and a lecturer at the

London Hospital Medical College Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, commonly known as Barts or BL, is a medical school, medical and dental school in London, England. The school is part of Queen Mary University of London, a constituent college of the federal Un ...

. She was appointed the first professor of psycho-oncology in the United Kingdom by

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

in 1997. In 2001, Fallowfield moved from UCL to the University of Sussex, where she is a professor of psycho-oncology at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and the director of the University of Sussex Health Outcomes Research & Education in Cancer (SHORE-C) group. Throughout her career she has authored over 450 articles, book chapters and textbooks.

Honours

* 2008 - elected Fellow of the

Academy of Medical Sciences The Academy of Medical Sciences is an organisation established in the UK in 1998. It is one of the four UK National Academies, the others being the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society. Its mission is to adv ...

* 2009 - received the

BMJ Group BMJ (branded as BMJ Group until 2013) is a British publisher of medical journals. Established in 1840, the company is owned by the British Medical Association. Publications * 1840: '' Provincial Medical and Surgical Journal'' (later renamed th ...

Lifetime Achievement Award * 2010 - received Pfizer/BOA Excellence in Oncology Lifetime Achievement Award * 2016 - appointed a

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

* 2019 - ESO Umberto Veronesi Memorial Award

Personal life

Fallowfield has two children. Her son is a

hepatologist Hepatology is the branch of medicine that incorporates the study of liver, gallbladder, biliary tree, and pancreas as well as management of their disorders. Although traditionally considered a sub-specialty of gastroenterology, rapid expansion ...

and her daughter is a paediatric nurse.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fallowfield, Lesley Living people 1949 births Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Date of birth missing (living people) British psychologists Cancer researchers Academics of the University of Sussex Academics of University College London Alumni of the University of Sussex Alumni of the University of Cambridge Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) People from Brighton Place of birth missing (living people)