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Congratulations to Caroline Joyce on successfully defending her PhD!

24 Apr 2024
Pictured following Caroline’s successful viva defense, L-R: Dr Collette Hand, Prof Tommie McCarthy, Caroline Joyce, Dr Christianne Lok, Professor Keelin O’Donoghue

Congratulations to Caroline Joyce who successfully defended her PhD thesis titled “Evaluation of biomarkers for the diagnosis, management and follow-up of women with gestational trophoblastic disease” on Friday, 19 April.

Funded by the Irish Research Council Employment-Based Postgraduate Programme, Caroline’s PhD aimed to evaluate biomarkers for gestational trophoblastic disease to allow earlier detection of disease recurrence and progression to malignant disease. Gestational trophoblastic disease, also known as molar pregnancy, is a rare disorder affecting one in 600 pregnancies.

Caroline has published seven peer-reviewed papers from her doctoral studies to date, and presented her work at various national and international conferences.

Caroline’s PhD was supervised by Professor Keelin O’Donoghue (PLRG) and Prof Tommie McCarthy (School of Biochemistry, UCC), with Dr John Coulter (Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Cork University Maternity Hospital and Clinical Lead of the National Gestational Trophoblastic Disease Centre) as External Advisor.

Her thesis was examined by Dr Collette Hand (Senior Lecturer, Department of Pathology, UCC) and Dr Christianne Lok (Gynaecological Oncologist, The Netherlands Cancer Institute).

Caroline Joyce is a Principal Biochemist at Cork University Hospital, and was recently awarded Fellowship (by examination) of the Royal College of Pathologists London.

Man and two women standing smiling for a photograph on a rooftop area overlooking an urban area

Caroline pictured with her supervisors: Prof Tommie McCarthy and Prof Keelin O’Donoghue

Two women and a man standing smiling for a photograph on a rooftop area overlooking an urban area

Caroline pictured with Susan Dineen (Specialist Medical Scientist in Perinatal Pathology) and Dr Brendan Fitzgerald (Consultant Perinatal Pathologist), collaborators on her PhD research and colleagues at CUH

Pregnancy Loss Research Group

Pregnancy Loss Research Group, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University College Cork, Fifth Floor, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Wilton, Cork, T12 YE02, Ireland,

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