Dr Juliet Usher-Smith

Degrees and honours

MA (Cantab), MB BChir, MPhil, PhD, MRCGP, FHEA

Research interests

Dr Usher-Smith’s main research interest focuses on optimising the implementation of risk-stratified medicine to promote prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease. This includes the development and validation of risk models as well as considering the societal, psychological and behavioural aspects associated with their implementation.

Within this area she has a particular interest in the potential for introducing risk stratification into bowel cancer screening programmes. Previous work has included systematic reviews, external validation of risk models for the development of bowel cancer, and health economic modelling of  the potential impact of introducing risk stratification into the current English bowel screening programme. She is currently leading a grant from the Cambridge Cancer Research UK Early Detection centre on the social and ethical implications of risk stratified screening and holds an NIHR Advanced Fellowship focusing on developing a strategy for implementation of risk stratification into bowel cancer screening programmes.

She also works closely with Professor Grant Stewart in the Department of Surgery on a programme of work relating to screening and surveillance for kidney cancer. This includes a series of projects evaluating potential screening strategies for kidney cancer and the Yorkshire Kidney Screening Trial which is the first trial of its kind to assess the feasibility of incorporating an additional abdominal CT-scan within lung cancer screening programmes.

Biography

She first joined the college as a Supernumerary Fellow in 2007 whilst she was completing a PhD in the department of Physiology with Professor Chris Huang as part of the Cambridge MB/PhD programme. She taught the homeostasis course to first year medical students until 2012 and served on the Library committee in 2012/13. She is now a University Lecturer in General Practice based in the Primary Care Unit, and a General Practitioner in Cambridge. Within the College, she is a Fellow and Director of Studies for Clinical Medicine.  She also teaches on the Gateway programme and advises current and previous medical students on opportunities for research, careers and job applications.

Books

• Juliet Usher-Smith, George Murrell, Harold Ellis and Christopher Huang. Research in Medicine 3rd edition. Cambridge University Press. (2010) ISBN 9780521132282
• Ian N Sabir, Juliet A Usher-Smith. A thinking approach to Physiology. World Scientific publishing. (2008) ISBN 981270602X

Selected publications

• Usher-Smith JA, Mills K, Riedinger C, Saunders C, Helsingen LM, Lytvyn L, Buskermolen M, Lansdorp-Vogelaar I, Bretthauer M, Guyatt G, Griffin SJ. (2021) The impact of different absolute risks and benefits of screening on intention to take up colorectal cancer screening. PLoS ONE 16(2): e0246991. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246991
• Thomas C, Mandrik O, Saunders CL, Griffin SJ, Whyte S, Usher-Smith JA. (2020) Should colorectal cancer screening start at different ages for men and women? Cost-effectiveness analysis for a resource constrained service Cancer Reports Feb 2:e1344. doi: 10.1002/cnr2.1344
• Usher-Smith JA, Harvey-Kelly L, Harrison H, Rossi S, Griffin SJ, Stewart GD. (2020) Attitudes towards stratified screening in a UK population. Health Expectations. Dec 2. doi: 10.1111/hex.13175
• Harvey-Kelly L, Mills K, Harrison H, Rossi S, Griffin SJ, Stewart GD, Usher-Smith JA. Kidney cancer screening: public attitudes and intentions. (2020) BMC Urology Oct 28;20(1):170. doi: 10.1186/s12894-020-00724-0
• Harrison H, Thompson RE, Lin Z, Rossi S, Stewart GD, Griffin SJ, Usher-Smith JA. (2020) Risk prediction models for kidney cancer: a systematic review. European Urology Focus. Jul 14:S2405-4569(20)30190-5. doi: 10.1016/j.euf.2020.06.024.
• Usher-Smith JA, Simmons R, Rossi S, Stewart GD. (2020) Current evidence on screening for renal cancer. Nature Reviews Urology. Nov;17(11):637-642. doi: 10.1038/s41585-020-0363-3.
• Masson G, Mills KM, Sharp SJ, Sutton S, Klein WM, Griffin SJ, Usher-Smith JA. (2020) Effect of providing online risk information and lifestyle advice for the most common preventable cancers: a randomised controlled trial. Preventive Medicine. May 28:106154. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106154.
• Saunders CL, Kilian B, Thompson D, Griffin SJ, Antoniou CA, Emery J, Walter FM, Usher-Smith JA. (2020) External validation of risk prediction models incorporating common genetic variants for incident colorectal cancer using UK Biobank. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. 13(6):509-520. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-19-0521
• Bayne M, Fairey M, Silarova B, Griffin SJ, Sharp SJ, Klein WMP, Sutton S, Usher-Smith JA. (2019) Effect of interventions including provision of personalised cancer risk information on accuracy of risk perception and psychological responses: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Patient Education and Counselling Jan;103(1):83-95. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2019.08.010
• McGeoch L, Saunders CL, Griffin SJ, Emery J, Walter FM, Thompson D, Antoniou AC, Usher-Smith JA. (2019) Risk prediction models for colorectal cancer incorporating common genetic variants: a systematic review. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention. pii: cebp.0059.2019. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-19-0059
• Silarova B, Sharp SJ, Usher-Smith JA, Lucas J, Payne R, Shefer G, Moore C, Girling C, Lawrence K, Tolkien Z, Walker M, Butterworth A, Di Angelantonio E, Danesh J, Griffin SJ. (2019) Effect of communicating phenotypic and genetic risk of coronary heart disease alongside web-based lifestyle advice. Heart. pii: heartjnl-2018-314211. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2018-314211
• Usher-Smith JA, Harshfield A, Saunders CL, Sharp SJ, Emery J, Walter FM, Muir K, Griffin SJ. (2018) External validation of risk prediction models for incident colorectal cancer using UK Biobank. British Journal of Cancer doi: 10.1038/bjc.2017.463
• Usher-Smith JA, Silarova B, Sharp SJ, Mills KM, Griffin SJ. (2017) Effect of interventions incorporating personalised cancer risk information on intentions and behaviour: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ Open 8(1):e017717. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017717
• Usher-Smith J, Martin A, Harte E, MacLure C, Meads C, Saunders C, Griffin S, Walter F, Lawrence K, Robertson C, Mant J. (2017) NHS Health Check programme rapid evidence synthesis. https://www.healthcheck.nhs.uk/seecmsfile/?id=306
• Usher-Smith JA, Sharp SJ, Griffin SJ (2016). The spectrum effect in risk prediction, screening, and diagnostic tests. BMJ. 22;353:i3139. doi: 10.1136/bmj.i3139
• Usher-Smith JA, Emery J, Win AK, Walter FM, Griffin SJ. (2016) Risk prediction models for colorectal cancer: a systematic review. Cancer Prevention Research. 9(1):13-26. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-15-0274