Dr Olga Oikonomidou

In my private practice, I review women who require treatment with systemic (drug) therapies for the early or advanced/metastatic stages of breast cancer. I use evidence-based medicine to develop a treatment plan for each patient, while supporting patients to reduce side effects and improve their quality of life. Expert care means treating the cancer while compassionately caring for the person fighting it.

I hold a position as an Academic Consultant Medical Oncologist specialising in breast cancer at the University of Edinburgh. I am the Head of the Breast Cancer Translational Research Group at the Institute of Genetics and Cancer at the University of Edinburgh and an Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist at Western General Hospital, Edinburgh.

I obtained my first degree, a Bachelor of Science (Hon) in Human Genetics from the University of Leeds. This was followed by a Master of Science in Oncology and Cellular Pathology from the same University. I received my Medical Degree from the Medical School of Athens, Greece. After successfully completing a Master of Research in Immunology (Distinction) and a PhD (Distinction) in Translational Medicine at the Medical School of Athens, Greece, I started my training as a Medical Oncologist at the Naval Hospital of Athens. I then moved to London to work as a specialist registrar in King’s College Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital of London.

On completion of my training, I have taken up my post as an Academic Consultant Medical Oncologist with special interest in breast cancer at the University of Edinburgh. I set up my own research group that consists of a senior post doc, a PhD student/s, and a research assistant. I received a number of prestigious awards and grants to support my research in breast cancer. My research focuses on developing non-invasive analyses of breast cancer to understand better the breast cancer biology, identify potential therapeutic targets in cancer (early and advanced) and identify early a patient’s response to treatment with the aim of bringing these findings into the clinical practice. My academic qualifications, my research focus and my leading role in numerous trials gives me the opportunity to offer my patients a personalised treatment plan.

I am the site Principal Investigator in more than 60 clinical trials, the global Chief Investigator of Eucharis trial, the UK Chief Investigator of EMBER4 trial and the Chief Investigator in six currently running translational studies. I am a member of the steering committee of several international clinical trials, and I have established strong collaborations with other key opinion leaders in breast cancer across the world. Regular teaching and research supervising commitments both at the undergraduate and postgraduate level are also included in my academic role. Last but not least, I hold a position as a clinical expert for both NICE and SMC.