Professor Janet Brown
BMedSci, MBBS, MSc, MD, FRCP
School of Medicine and Population Health
Professor of Translational Medical Oncology
Professor of Translational Medical Oncology
Chair in Medical Oncology


+44 114 226 5007
Full contact details
School of Medicine and Population Health
Weston Park Hospital
Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2SJ
- Profile
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For enquiries please contact - SMPH-West-Operational@sheffield.ac.uk
After graduating in Medicine from the 小欧视频 of Newcastle upon Tyne and appointment as a Clinical Lecturer in Oncology in Sheffield, followed by a first consultant appointment in Leeds, Janet was appointed to a Chair in Translational Medical Oncology in the 小欧视频 of Sheffield and as Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology at the Sheffield NHS Foundation Trust in 2012. Her specialist areas of clinical practice are prostate, renal and breast cancers. Her patient-orientated, practice-changing research focuses on optimising skeletal health in cancer patients and innovative treatment pathways for urological cancers, including novel approaches to immunotherapy.
As a Clinician Scientist, Janet is passionate about the need for research-led improvements for the benefit of patients and is especially concerned to support and develop clinical academic training to nurture and support the clinical academics of the future. Through her appointment as the Director of Clinical Academic Training for South Yorkshire, she leads the organisation of clinical academic training for Academic Clinical Fellows and Clinical Lecturers across all medical specialties in the region. She has brought in a number of innovations, including the organisation of workshops and training for which the trainees themselves play a major role in developing the agenda under senior guidance, as well as championing closer working between medical, dental and allied health professions, nursing and midwifery early career academics.
Amongst a range of personal awards, she gained the American Society for Clinical Oncology Pain Merit Award in 2003 and the UK McElwain Research Prize for Medical Oncology in 2005. In 2008, she won a Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist Fellowship for studies in bone oncology, which she held until 2014.
She has acquired a global reputation in the effects of cancer on bone and has been appointed as President of the International Cancer and Bone Society from July 2025. She is also currently Deputy Director (and Oncology Lead) of the Sheffield Mellanby Centre for Musculoskeletal Research.
- Research interests
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With more than 170 published, peer-reviewed research papers, Janet has had more than 50 successful grant applications in recent years and has recent and current research funding totalling over 拢15 million, with more than 拢10 million as Principal Investigator, from Cancer Research UK, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Yorkshire Cancer Research, Breast Cancer Campaign, Prostate Cancer UK, Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity and other bodies.
As an academic leader and clinician scientist, Janet engages in both clinical and laboratory research, which is internationally recognised, with publications in Lancet, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Nature Clinical Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research, Annals of Oncology Breast Cancer Research and Treatment and other journals. Her patient-orientated, practice-changing research focuses on optimising skeletal health in cancer patients and innovative treatment pathways for urological cancers. She leads clinical bone oncology research in the 小欧视频 of Sheffield, which is recognised as a global leader in this field.
As National Chief Investigator (CI) on a large Phase III kidney cancer trial in 60 UK sites (拢2.4M from NIHR), Janet and colleagues demonstrated that treatment breaks from tyrosine kinase inhibitor systemic cancer therapy improved patient quality of life and saved NHS costs without reducing survival (Lancet Oncology, 2023)- As a result of this published study, NHS England recommended a national practice change to allow such treatment breaks.
Janet has also recently embarked as lead on a 拢2.8 million digital health programme (E-IMMUNE), funded by the Yorkshire Cancer Research Pioneer scheme, to reduce the effects of immunotherapy toxicity by empowering patients and clinicians in the management of immunotherapy toxicity through a new digital care pathway.
In the most recent UK Research Excellence Framework (REF), Janet contributed five 4* papers and led a 4* Impact Case on Sheffield鈥檚 practice-changing adjuvant bisphosphonate (BP) trials, which now save 1,000 UK breast cancer lives and 拢50M annually.
Janet also leads the Clinical Bone Oncology and Biomarkers Group in the 小欧视频 of Sheffield, which has a particular focus on the impact of cancer on the skeleton in patients with breast, prostate and renal cancer. Recent research includes the use of biomarkers in established bone metastasis to aid patient management and studies of the negative impact of cancer treatments on bone health. One of the main objectives of their current clinical and laboratory work is to develop novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers for clinical use in patients with early cancer to help in prevention or delay of cancer metastasis to bone, after which disease is incurable.
- Publications
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- Research group
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Associated Staff
- Sarah Williams - YCR Support for E-IMMUNE
- Carly Fisher - PA
- Dr Steven Wood, Senior Research Associate
- Maria Oliva, Research Assistant
- Dr Margaret Paggiosi
- Dr Jo Bird
- Kate Fryer
- Dr Elisavet Theodoulou, Clinical Research Fellow
- Dr Rebecca Andrews, Clinical Research Fellow (Dr Andrew Chantry, main Clinical Supervisor)
- Dr Qizhi Huang
- Sophie Williams
- Teaching activities
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Janet has been engaged in many aspects of medical teaching including examining at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and recently been personal tutor for many medical students, educational supervisor for 2 SpRs, supervisor for 5 Clinical PhD Fellows, 2 Clinical Lecturers, 4 ACFs, 4 SHOs, 2 BMedSci and 6 MSc students and 3 research nurses.
- Principal recent professional activities and memberships
- Appointed National Cancer Expert (2021-22) to the Expert Panel of the Parliamentary Health & Social Care Select Committee, to assess Government performance in meeting its cancer targets
- Since 2024, South Yorkshire Director of Clinical Academic Training across all medical specialties
- Since 2020, appointed to the MHRA National Oncology/Haematology Expert Advisory Group to advise on safety, efficacy and approval of medicines in UK, participating in licensing decisions on more than 50 drugs.
- Since 2020, Clinical Lead for NICE appraisals of specific cancer drugs, advising on clinical need and value:- 2020-21, Alpelisib, a breast cancer drug from which 3,500 UK NHS patients are now benefiting.- 2022 radioligand targeted therapy in advanced prostate cancer, with 177Lu PSMA.
- Since 2022, ED&I lead for MRC PhD studentships for 240 students at 5 northern Universities, embedding ED&I in the appointments process and providing support to appointees.
- Since 2020, as a Disability Champion, she led disability initiatives, including a leading role in establishing the 小欧视频 of Sheffield Disability Network (Co-chair 2020-22), linking with NHS disability services.
- Ongoing. Service on various UK and global Company Advisory Boards