Simon Herrington

Simon Herrington graduated in biochemistry from the University of Cambridge in 1982 and medicine from the University of London in 1985. He trained in Internal Medicine at the Hammersmith Hospital, the Brompton Hospital, the National Hospitals for Nervous Diseases and the Royal Marsden Hospital in London (MRCP 1988). In 1988 he became a CRC clinical research fellow in Jim McGee's lab in the Nuffield Department of Pathology, University of Oxford, and received his DPhil in 1991. He was then appointed clinical lecturer in pathology in Oxford where he completed his training in clinical cellular pathology, gaining the MRCPath in 1994. He was appointed clinical senior lecturer and consultant in pathology at the University of Liverpool in 1995 and was promoted to a personal chair in 1999. In 2003, he was appointed to the chair of Pathology at the University of St Andrews, moving to the Chair of Cancer Pathology at the University of Dundee in 2010. He has held an honorary consultant contract with NHS Tayside, specialising in gynaecological pathology, since 2003. He is General Secretary of the Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland and President of the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists.

The main research focus is the pathogenesis of anogenital epithelial neoplasia and how improved understanding of the mechanisms involved can be used to improve disease diagnosis. In addition to investigating the role of human papillomavirus infection in epithelial neoplasia, particularly of the female genital tract, the non-HPV-dependent pathway by which vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) can develop is also of interest. This involves the investigation of ‘differentiated type’ VIN, which is the precursor of keratinising squamous cell carcinomas and occurs particularly in patients with lichen sclerosus. This entity provides the opportunity to investigate the development of invasive carcinoma in the context of retained epithelial differentiation.

In addition, a CRUK/EPSRC/MRC-funded collaborative programme with the school of physics and astronomy in St Andrews is developing spectroscopic approaches for the early detection of epithelial neoplasia utilizing cross disciplinary experimental and theoretical techniques. This work aims to develop technology that can discriminate between normal and neoplastic cells and tissues with the aim of applying these novel methods to clinical samples.

Other activities include being clinical lead of the Tayside Tissue Bank, co-Head of the Division of Cancer Research and lead for the Dundee Cancer Centre.

Contribution to pathology teaching to undergraduate medical students.
Supervision of postgraduate trainees in pathology.
Monitoring of PhD students.