OUSV Speaker Lunch Wednesday 19 March 2025

Guest speaker - Dr Emma Link

The title of Emma’s presentation is:

Life Changing Stats: Melbourne to Oxford and back again with Mergers, Medicines and Mentors

Emma graduated from Monash University (Science Scholar Programme) with Honours in Statistics in 2004 and, with a Commonwealth Scholarship, went to Green College, University of Oxford to complete a DPhil in Medical Statistics. While at Green, she studied under Sirs Richard Doll, Richard Peto and Rory Collins and met Queen Elizabeth II through the Clinical Trial Service Unit at the Radcliffe Infirmary and then Old Road Campus in Headington. During her time in Oxford Emma was Middle Common Room President for Green College at the time of a merger with Templeton College – to form a new Oxford College of Green Templeton College.

Emma’s DPhil project investigated if there were any genetic markers that could predict which patients were at risk of developing muscle pain when taking simvastatin, a common lipid-lowering medication. Interestingly, there were, which led to a few patents and safer prescription of these drugs.

Since her return to Melbourne in 2009, Emma has been employed at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and has turned her interest towards oncology clinical trials – academic investigator-initiated ones. She is Manager for Biostatistics and a Senior Statistician at the Centre for Biostatistics and Clinical Trials and, as an Associate Professor, she and her team work with clinicians to design and analyse data to help keep patients safe and healthy for longer.

Emma’s talk will cover the rationale for the merger of two Oxford Graduate Colleges and how statistics have assisted with improving lives through cholesterol lowering and cancer treatments.

Lunch is at the Kelvin Club (www.kelvinclub.com) where we meet from 12-30 pm onwards. A two-course meal is served at 1 pm and the formal part of the proceedings will conclude around 2-15 pm.

The price for OUSV and CSV members and guests is $70 with drinks at bar prices. For non-members the price is $80.

Queries: please contact secretary.ousv@gmail.com