Vicky Hellon (she/her) Community Manager
Turing-Roche Partnership, the Alan Turing Institute
Contact:
Email: vhellon@turing.ac.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vickyhellon
What does your job actually entail?
My day to day as a Community Manager can vary a lot (like most community managers!). I'm working on the Turing-Roche partnership which is a 5-year partnership between the two organisations aiming to generate foundational insights into patient and disease heterogeneity. I've been a part of the partnership pretty much since it started so a lot of my initial work was creating spaces (e.g Slack, monthly seminars, collaborative workshops) where researchers from both Turing, Roche and the wider scientific community could connect. More recently my role has been looking at how we can link up projects we've funded and developing an early career research ambassador scheme.
When not at work you can be found...
Either attempting to grow vegetables in my garden in Leytonstone (currently in a battle with some pesky foxes and squirrels!) or checking out some new restaurants as I'm a big foodie!
Why did you join the DSxHE community?
There are a lot of overlaps between the research the partnership is looking to pursue and what the DSxHE community are interested in. I've found the DSxHE Slack Workspace a really useful place to find relevant literature and resources.
What’s your interest in data science and/or health equity?
My background is biomedical but I hadn't really worked with data scientists till I came to the Turing- I find it fascinating the breadth and depth of the research that goes on here. In terms of health equity I'm really interested in how we engage under-represented groups in the healthcare system and perhaps how AI can facilitate this. I signed up to the Our Future Health Study recently and am interested to see if this can reach its diversity commitments.
What’s a recent article/book/video/blog/event you’ve come across on data science and/or health equity that you found interesting and why?
I recently came across this long read- which I found was a really good overview of the UK health data landscape and the challenges.
What is your favourite rainy day activity?
Making a big pot of homemade soup.
What non-existent job do you wish existed?
I'm very good at guessing songs from the intro and wish I could monetise it somehow!
What is your go to lazy dinner?
I've sent this chilli oil gnocchi recipe to so many people- it really is a 10 minute dinner.