Megan Crichton

Working in the School of Dentistry Public Health Team, Megan is a registered Clinical Research Practitioner with extensive research experience. She has an interest in rare diseases, and focuses her work on patient-driven research, identifying ways to improve patient and public quality of life.

Prior to this, Megan completed a BSc (Hons) Human Biology at the University of Dundee with an honours project titled “In search of a molecular link between DF508 and inflammation in cystic fibrosis”.

In 2010 she moved from NHS clinical pathology to the Centre of Forensic & Legal Medicine within the University of Dundee as a mortuary and toxicology laboratory technician. During this time, she completed an MFM in Forensic Medicine which led on to her first publication and an interest to pursue a career in research.

In 2013, Megan moved to the Tayside Clinical Research Centre to continue her interest in respiratory medicine. Starting as a clinical research assistant she later moved into project coordination and managed a large portfolio of studies including EMBARC, a pan-European research register collecting data on 20,000 patients with bronchiectasis, a neglected chronic respiratory disease. Simultaneously, she studied for a PhD which she successfully completed in 2021, identifying new clinically relevant and meaningful trial endpoints for bronchiectasis. Many clinical trials fail, not because of ineffective drugs, but because trials are poorly designed or are measuring the wrong endpoints. Megan is interested in making clinical trials more efficient and more effective which is ultimately good for both patients and the research community.

As a member of the European Respiratory Society Methodology Network, she has been involved in writing multiple clinical management guidelines including the living guidelines for the Management of hospitalised patients with COVID-19.