Meet the Team

Clinical Team | Co-ordination Team | Laboratory Team

Clinical Team

Rollover images to see each biography.

Dr IS Farooqi
Professor of Metabolism and Medicine

I qualified with Honours and the Queen’s Scholarship in Medicine from the University of Birmingham. After hospital posts in Birmingham and Oxford, I moved to Cambridge to undertake a PhD with Professor Stephen O’Rahilly. During this time, we identified the first genes to cause obesity and established the GOOS cohort, with the help of many colleagues worldwide. We have received a number of awards in recognition of our work which has been published in high impact journals. As a Wellcome Trust Senior Clinical Fellow, I co-ordinate a multi-disciplinary team of people working on a programme of research in obesity.
I am also an Honorary Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge.
Dr IS Farooqi

Professor of Metabolism
and Medicine

Julia Keogh
Senior Clinical Research Manager

After my BSc, I worked as a Research Technician for the MRC before training as a Paediatric Nurse. In 1998, I was given a 1 year secondment from the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital to join a group developing research interests in childhood obesity. During this time, I established and developed my role as Co-ordinator of GOOS and was involved in the first clinical trial of leptin therapy. I have since been involved in many clinical studies and have responsibility for linking our co-ordination work, with the lab and clinical teams. I have established systems for collating our clinical research findings so that we can use the information to learn new things about genetic forms of obesity. I plan to follow-up our patients over time, so important for future research, and will work closely with them to communicate our research findings and provide support, the first step being the development of this website! Outside of work, I support Portsmouth FC, but my greatest pleasure is playing with my grandchildren.
Julia Keogh

Senior Clinical Research Manager

Elana Henning
Senior Research Nurse

I have worked at Addenbrooke’s Hospital as a Registered General Nurse since 1999 after completing my nursing training in South Africa. Before joining the team in 2005, I worked in Renal Medicine and Endocrinology. My current role involves co-ordination of our clinical studies with patients and families. I am involved in performing many of the tests we do, work closely with colleagues in other departments to apply new techniques to our research and also look after and co-ordinate the treatment of patients with leptin deficiency from around the world. In addition, I co-ordinate the recruitment of volunteers for a range of clinical studies in both children and adults who are both normal weight and overweight.
Elana Henning

Senior Research Nurse

Dr Isabel Huang-Doran
Wellcome Clinical Research Career Development Fellow

I completed by medical and research training at the University of Cambridge, graduating from the MB/PhD programme in 2013. After foundation jobs in London, I returned to Cambridge as an Academic Clinical Fellow. I joined the Farooqi team in 2018, subsequently securing an NIHR Clinical Lecturer position in Endocrinology. My research interests lie at the interface of metabolism and reproduction, and my current work aims to understand the association between obesity and endometrial cancer. I am a Specialist Registrar in Endocrinology, Diabetes and General Internal Medicine at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, and a fellow of Christ’s College, University of Cambridge.
Dr Isabel Huang-Doran

Wellcome Clinical Research Career Development Fellow

Dr Agatha van der Klaauw
University Lecturer in Metabolic Medicine

I undertook my clinical and research training in neuroendocrinology at the Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands. I joined the team as a clinical research fellow in 2007 for a year and, after returning to clinical training, rejoined the team in 2011 working with Professors Fletcher and Farooqi. Currently, I focus on a number of studies relating to the neuroendocrine consequences of obesity linking genetic findings to physiology.
Dr Agatha
van der Klaauw

University Lecturer in Metabolic Medicine

Dr Tessa Cacciottolo
NIHR Clinical Lecturer

I joined the team in January 2016 as a Clinical Research Fellow. I completed my medical training in Malta, and moved to Cambridge shortly after to further my training in internal medicine, gastroenterology and hepatology. I am interested in the link between liver and metabolic diseases, and for this reason chose to undertake my PhD in Professor Farooqi's lab. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, getting outdoors and travelling.
Dr Tessa Cacciottolo

NIHR Clinical Lecturer

Dr Jacopo Scotucci
Research Associate and Honorary Endocrinology & Diabetes Consultant

Originally from Italy I trained in diabetes and endocrinology in the East of England. I joined the GOOS team in 2021 as I'm interested in gaining experience in clinical trials and research. I also continue to work clinically as an Endocrinologist. In my free time I am kept entertained by my 2 young children and I enjoy playing music.
Dr Jacopo Scotucci

Research Associate and Honorary Endocrinology & Diabetes Consultant

Co-ordination Team

Rebecca Bounds
Senior Co-ordinator

I joined the team in 2011 following several years in biomedical related research initially as an undergraduate at the University of Leeds, followed by a PhD and postdoctoral position at the University of Dundee. My main role is to co-ordinate our drive to contact all GOOS patients for new DNA samples and permission for new genetic tests including whole exome sequencing. I also work on a number of our databases where we collate information from various studies. Outside of work I like to travel and bake.
Rebecca Bounds

Senior Co-ordinator

Angela Reynolds
Data Manager

I left teaching to become a data manager, initially within the Vasculitis and IBD departments before joining the GOOS team in May 2018. My role is to provide data management and support the team. I am responsible for the development and maintenance of the systems used in the studies. Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family and run a Guide unit.
Angela Reynolds

Data Manager

Miriam Smith
Research Co-ordinator

I joined the team in March 2018 as a Research Co-ordinator and my duties include monitoring the GOOS database and checking DNA sequencing results. Prior to this I was a laboratory based scientist for 10 years, including working on DNA sequencing at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. As an undergraduate I studied Biomedicine at the University of East Anglia and also obtained a PhD. in Oncology from the University of Cambridge. Away from the office I like to spend time with my children, swim and go walking.
Miriam Smith

Research Co-ordinator

Jacqui Brocker
Study Administrator

I joined the team in September 2015 as an Administrative Assistant before changing roles and have been Study Administrator since June 2018. Before then I'd worked in university administration at the University of Sydney in Australia (my alma mater and where I'm from originally) and at the University of Cambridge. I am also an English language teacher, and currently have private students in the afternoons. In my spare time I write, read, and teach/do Scottish Country Dancing.
Jacqui Brocker

Study Administrator

Lynne Stanley
Project Co-ordinator

I joined the team as Project Co-ordinator in July 2018, supporting the team with regulatory documentation preparation and oversight, grant applications and financial management, covering both academic and commercial clinical research. The role involves liaison with internal (university and hospital) support teams and external funders. Previously I worked for the NIHR Clinical Research Network supporting commercial clinical studies throughout the Eastern region across a wide range of specialities in both adult and children. Prior to the development of the CRN I was the Project Manager for a local Site Management organisation, again primarily supporting local investigators and industry partners. My original introduction to clinical research was when I joined a major pharmaceutical company at their Belgian subsidiary for a number of years, before relocating back to the UK to join their training and QC department. In my spare time I enjoy free expressive dance, walking and listening to audiobooks and radio comedies.
Lynne Stanley

Project Co-ordinator

Laboratory Team

Katherine Lawler
Postdoctoral Research Associate

I joined the team in Oct 2016 as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Computational Genomics. After a Mathematics degree and Masters, I completed my PhD in the Functional Genomics group at EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute. I took a postdoctoral position in cancer research at King's College London with a particular interest in disease progression. As a GOOS team member, I work on the genomics of obesity/thinness and rare diseases. An over-arching aim of this work is to uncover new hypotheses which can be followed up and characterized by the GOOS lab team. Outside of work I enjoy playing the piano or taking a walk.
Katherine Lawler

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Dinesh Shah
Postdoctoral Research Associate

I joined the lab team in September 2023 after a postdoctoral research position at the University of Dundee. My undergraduate degree in medical physiology and master’s degree in cancer cell and molecular biology were undertaken at the University of Leicester and a PhD at the University of Dundee. My PhD focused on a, classically, plasma membrane located protein, Caveolin-3, and the multifaced cellular mechanisms by which a mutation in this protein result in the development of a rare muscular wastage disease (LGMD-1C). My primary interest is nutrient metabolism and the molecular mechanisms of insulin sensitivity regulation, which were the focal points for my previous postdoctoral research position where I investigated the contribution of an immunologic peptide in the development of insulin resistance. My work in Cambridge will revolve around variations in genes involved in the regulation of thermogenesis, lipolysis and appetite and how these variants may contribute to leanness or obesity. Outside of the lab I like to play squash and football and I also quite enjoy cooking Indian, Chinese and Italian food.
Dinesh Shah

Postdoctoral
Research Associate

Kevin Manuel Mendez Acevedo
Postdoctoral Research Associate

I joined the team in May 2023 as a Postdoctoral Associate Researcher. I studied Biochemistry and Molecular Biology as an undergraduate, followed by a Master’s degree in Biochemistry in Mexico. I identified a novel family of proteins involved in cellular cholesterol transport. Then, I did my PhD at the Max Delbrück Centre in Berlin, studying the Mechano-Molecular control of heart formation. As a GOOS team member, my research involves establishing how variants in genes identified in a cohort of people who are thin and healthy affect molecular and cellular mechanisms such as thermogenesis, lipolysis, and the neural regulation of appetite. This research has strong translational potential and will support the identification and validation of new drug targets for the treatment of people with obesity. When I am not in the lab, I like to spend my time doing sports, reading, cooking or visiting new places.
Kevin Manuel Mendez Acevedo

Postdoctoral
Research Associate

Dr Robert Legg
Clinical Fellow in Genetics

I completed my medical training at the University of Cambridge. I then undertook an Academic Foundation Post in Oxford (working on population genetics in Diabetes risk), and further clinical training in North Queensland, before joining the GOOS team in 2018 during my MPhil in Genomic Medicine. I completed further training in paediatrics and research at the Institute of Child Health, and have returned to Cambridge and the GOOS team in 2023. I am currently undertaking specialty training in Clinical Genetics. I am working on the mechanisms that underpin genetic disorders with both intellectual disability and obesity, with a focus on discovering novel genes. In my free time I enjoy playing sport, particularly tennis and cricket.
Dr Robert Legg

Clinical Fellow in Genetics

The Society for Endocrinology have awarded Ming Lin, who will be a visiting student with the Farooqi group for 2024, with the Society for Endocrinology Teaching Grant.

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