![Dr Leigh Jackson](http://www.exeter.ac.uk/images/profiles/Leigh_Jackson.jpg?cachePrevention=6424cf56d6e35354deec4475912c830d)
Dr Leigh Jackson
Lecturer in Genomic Medicine
lj335@exeter.ac.uk
01392 408328
RILD Building 4.07
University of Exeter Medical School, RILD Building, RD&E Hospital Wonford, Barrack Road, Exeter, EX2 5DW, UK
Overview
Leigh has a combination of experience in both laboratory and social science settings. His current work involves investigating the penetrance of rare genetic variants in population cohorts and the implications for patient communication. His previous work around informed consent for genetic testing in research and the clinic was a natural extension of his time based in a research laboratory within Derby General Hospital, during which time he was responsible for obtaining informed consent to participate in genetic research from women undergoing clinical treatment. Closely working with NHS scientists, nurses, midwives and surgeons within the 100,000 Genomes Project, as well as in fertility and oncology contexts has given Leigh a sound understanding of the healthcare system – an absolute necessity for health services research. His progression into social science research has been helped enormously by his involvement in a number of pan-European, multi-disciplinary, multi-partner projects where he has worked alongside the preeminent clinical, ethical and social researchers in genomics. Working with human stem cells for many years gave Leigh invaluable insight into the myriad ethical issues and concerns which closely mirror those surrounding the current debate on genome-wide technologies. Leigh has experience of conducting systematic reviews, and both qualitative thematic analysis and quantitative analysis of large datasets, including UK Biobank data.
In 2014, Leigh volunteered to be deployed to Sierra Leone as part of the Public Health England response to the Ebola epidemic. He worked as part of a team to establish a rural field lab in a treatment centre testing samples from the local community for Malaria and Ebola.
Leigh currently lectures on a number of undergraduate and post-graduate modules giving him experience of teaching to both student and fully qualified healthcare professionals. He has received positive feedback from students and course leads, and in March 2015 he was nominated for an SSTAR staff award for outstanding contribution to University life. Leigh also leads the Gen-Equip project delivering genetics education to primary care which received the 2017 European Health Award from the European Health Forum Gastein.
Leigh has supervised two PhD students to successful completion and has another student who has just started, along with a large number of MSc students; in previous roles Leigh has been responsible for the training and supervision of:
• Medical doctorate students on their 6-month laboratory placements
• PhD students
• Master’s students
• Undergraduate project students.
Qualifications
- BSc (Hons) Genetics
- PgCert Genomic Medicine
- PgCert Academic Practice
- PhD Human Development
Grants/Funding:
- Sanctuary PhD Scholarship award (primary supervisor) £90,000. Pharmacogenomic risk genotypes in UK Biobank
- Science foundation Ireland, €48750 (Co-investigator) Developing resources and touring Southern Ireland regarding the options available for genetic testing around and during pregnancy. (Project not yet commenced due to referendum)
- Gastein Forum, European Health Award, €10,000 2017
- Astra Zeneca unrestricted educational grant, £43,492 (Co-investigator) 2015
- ERASMUS + GenEquip project grant €246,748 (named researcher) 2014
- Plymouth University Pump-priming grant 2014
- Visiting researcher fellowship, Brocher Foundation, Geneva. March-April 2014
- EU COST CHIP-ME project grant (UK substitute management committee member) €36,000,000 2013
- EU TEMPUS MedGen project grant (Project council member and named researcher) €742,877 2013
- Plymouth University Social Science collaboration fund 2012-2013
- Plymouth University Pump-Priming grant 2011-2012
Research
Research interests
- Penetrance of rare genetic variants in population cohorts
- Incidental and secondary findings from genomic testing
- Patient communication of risk
- Pharmacogenomic risk variants and duty to disclose to research participants
- Genomics education interventions for healthcare professionals
Research projects
Current Projects:
- Assessing the prevalence, penetrance and pathogenicity of rare genomic variants in UK Biobank
- Assessing the prevalence of genotypes conferring a risk of severe adverse drug reaction in participants of UK Biobank and determining if and where a risk threshold exists to require ethical disclosure of this information
Publications
Journal articles
Chapters
Conferences
External Engagement and Impact
Invited lectures
- Invited lecture and workshop at EU funded Pharmacogenomics summer school, 2018
- Invited expert observer for launch of EU H2020 SIENNA project on ELSI in genomics and AI, 2018
- Expert workshop on NGS reporting considerations, Paris 2017
- Invited oral presentation on Gen-Equip project at ESHG conference, Copenhagen 2017
- ESHG young investigator award shortlist 2017
- Invited talk on genetic ethics at London Virology Discussion Group annual conference, 2016
- Invited oral presentation on genetic education at ESHG conference, Barcelona, 2016
- ESHG EMPAG young investigator award shortlist 2016
- Invited talk at Brocher Foundation governance of patient-centric initiatives meeting, 2015
- Expert tutor at EU CHIP-ME genome ethics summer school, Aegina, 2015
- Invited talk on genetic incidental findings at World Health Organisation (WHO), Geneva. April 2014
- ESHG young investigator award shortlist 2013
- Invited oral presentation at ESHG conference, Paris. June 2013
- Invited speaker at EuroGentest annual scientific meeting, Prague. March 2013
- Poster prize winner – UK Genomics Forum, London. April 2012
- Invited oral presentation – ESHG conference, Nuremburg. June 2012
Media Coverage
- https://www.altmetric.com/details/52998006/news
- https://theconversation.com/researchers-discover-a-genetic-cause-that-links-erectile-dysfunction-and-type-2-diabetes-109120
- https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/21/senior-doctors-call-for-crackdown-on-home-genetic-testing-kits
- https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/research/title_612324_en.html
Teaching
Teaching responsibilities: (Undergraduate, Postgraduate)Undergradute
- Co-lead of Medical Genomics module
- Delivers sessions on Medical Genetics and Pharmacogenomics modules
Postgraduate
- Module lead for ELSI of Genomics module
- Delivers sessions on Fundamentals of Human Genomics, Omics Techniques and their Application to Genomic Medicine, Pharmacogenomics and Counselling Skills for Genomics
Modules
2023/24
- CSC3011 - Medical Genomics
- HPDM044 - Ethical, Legal and Social Issues in Applied Genomics
- HPDM044Z - Ethical, Legal and Social Issues in Applied Genomics ONLINE