Professor Colin Purdie
Honorary Professor of Breast Pathology, University of Dundee & Consultant Pathologist, NHS Tayside
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Biography
Colin Purdie studied Medicine at the University of Edinburgh between 1980 and 1986. He studied for an intercalated degree and graduated with first-class honours in Pharmacology (BSc) and a primary medical degree (MBChB). Following his re-registration posts in clinical medicine and surgery, he worked for 2 years in internal medicine before being awarded the prestigious Leckie-Mactier Fellowship by the University of Edinburgh. He embarked on a highly successful 3 year PhD which was awarded in 1994 and resulted in several publications including one in the journal Nature (Clarke, A.R et al. (1993) Nature 362: 849-851).
He went on to train in cellular pathology in Glasgow and Edinburgh between 1992 and 1997 including periods as a Clinical Lecturer in both the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. He obtained the MRCPath by examination and was appointed as a Consultant Histopathologist in NHS Tayside in 1997. He was also appointed as an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the University of Dundee in 1997, promoted to Honorary Reader in 2011 and to Honorary Professor of Breast Pathology in the Division of Cellular Medicine in 2018. Since 2000 he has been a full-time specialist breast pathologist and Lead Clinician for Breast Pathology in Tayside.
His research interests are the molecular genetics of breast cancer and the relationship between the pathological features in the breast seen at a cellular level and those derived from radiological imaging (ultrasound, shear wave elastography, X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging). He is involved in collaborative research with numerous national and international groups in these fields.
WORK FOR INTERNATIONAL BODIES
International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC)
Member of Breast Pathology Working Group, 2011 – Current.
International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organisation
Temporary Adviser, 2018 - Current.
European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)
Member of research project review group, 2016 - Current.
Breast Cancer Now Tissue Bank
Member of Tissue Access Committee, 2011 – 2015.
Egyptian Society of Pathology
Invited Lecturer, 2014.
Breast Cancer Research
Editorial Board member, 2015 - Current.
WORK FOR NATIONAL BODIES
UK Breast Screening Programme
Member of Pathology committee, 2017 - Current.
Scottish Breast Screening Programme
Chair of Pathology QA committee, 2017 - Current.
Member of Pathology QA committee, 2006 - 2017.
Royal College of Pathologists
Member of Specialty Advisory Committee on Histopathology, 2005 – 2009.
Association of Clinical Pathologists
Secretary & Treasurer Caledonian Branch, 1999 – 2004.
Member of Histopathology Committee, 2001 – 2005.
Chair of Histopathology Committee, 2005 – 2009.
Member of ACP National Council, 2005 – 2009.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
Consultant to NICE on proposed single technology proposal, 2010 – Current.
(Royal College of Pathologists, Breast Cancer Now)
National Cancer Research Institute
Member of NCRI Breast Clinical Studies Group, 2009 – Current.
(translational subgroup)
British Breast Group
Elected member, 2009 – Current.
Scottish Cancer Trials Breast Group
Invited member, 2009 – Current.
Peer reviewer for scientific journals
Histopathology, Cancer, The Breast, Journal of Pathology, Journal of Clinical Pathology, British Journal of Cancer, European Journal of Cancer, Oncogene, British Journal of Surgery, Breast Cancer Research & Treatment, Pathology - Research and Practice and Breast Cancer Research.
Peer reviewer for Grant Awarding Bodies
Breast Cancer Now, 2015 - Current.
NHS Breast Screening Programme
Member NHS BSP Education Committee, 2004 – Current.
Pathology Update Course (annual) – Invited lecturer, 2005 – 2019.
National Cancer Quality Steering Group
Member Breast Cancer QPI Development Group, 2010 - Current.
Breast Cancer Now Tissue Bank
Grant holder, 2009 – 2015.
Member of Operations Group, 2009 – 2011.
Member of Tissue Access Committee, 2011 – 2015.
OPTIMA clinical trial (National Institute for Health Research)
Member of Trial Steering Committee, 2012 – Current.
ROSCO clinical trial (National Cancer Research Network)
Member of Trial Steering Committee, 2014 - Current.
Research
Colin Purdie is a full-time consultant pathologist with NHS Tayside. All research is carried out in addition to his clinical commitments.
- In 2011 he was invited to join the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) as a member of Breast Pathology Working Group. This group is composed of the world’s top Breast Pathologists from Europe, North America and Australasia. Only 1 other Pathologist is from the UK.
The ICGC has carried out whole genome sequencing on a large number of breast cancers and the data analysis and publication is ongoing (his contributions are published in: Annals of Oncology https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdy404 (2018), Nature 543: 714-718 (2017), Nature Genetics 49 (3), 341-348 (2017), Nature Communications 7: 12910 (2016), Nature 534: 47-54 (2106), Genome Res 25: 814-824 (2015)). - His research career started in 1988 when he was awarded the Leckie-Mactier Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh.
- His PhD was entitled “The Role of p53 in colorectal carcinogenesis”.
- His supervisor was Prof Andrew H Wyllie, FRS.
- His examiners were Prof, Sir David Lane , FRS and Prof, Sir David Carter, FRSE.
- As part of his PhD he created a p53 gene knock-out mouse which provided the first demonstration of the link between p53 and apoptosis (programmed cell death). This seminal work was published and has been cited more than 2600 times in the world scientific literature (Nature 362: 849-52(1993)).
- His published scientific works have been cited more than 7,900 times with 3,500 of those in the last 5 years.
- He has been awarded grants totalling more than £9 million.
Teaching
International
He was invited to lecture to the Egyptian Society of Pathology in Cairo in 2014 on various subjects of breast cancer diagnostic pathology.
National
He is an invited lecturer on numerous national breast pathology training courses. These courses are for Consultant Pathologists improving their clinical diagnostic skills in breast pathology. They are taught by an invited group of the UK’s top Breast Pathologists.
- NHS Breast Screening Programme Pathology update course.
- Nottingham Breast Pathology Masterclass.
- British Division of the International Academy of Pathology (BDIAP) breast pathology symposium.
- Hammersmith Breast Pathology Course.
- Birmingham Breast Pathology Update Course.
Local
For the last 20 years he has taught the Pathology of Breast Disease to University of Dundee medical undergraduates as part of the Reproductive Medicine block in 3rd year
- This involves a seminar and 3 lectures.
- One of the lectures is a mock multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussion of patient management in breast disease. This brings together all aspects of the teaching block encouraging the students to integrate all of their learning in that block. This has been devised by him and is a very popular part of the course.
Every year he teaches on the Pathology Student Selected Component (SSC) in his specialist area of Breast Pathology.