Dr Kate (Caitlin) Murnane

Kate is currently finishing her Graduate-entry medical studies, alongside her roles as Lecturer of Medicine (St Hugh's), Post-doctoral Researcher (GTC) and  Junior Dean at University College. In these roles Kate supports the academic growth welfare of a large and diverse student community. Prior to starting medicine, Kate completed her DPhil (PhD) at the University of Oxford in the Childhood Leukaemia Research group. 

Kate's current active post-doctoral research areas include:

- Clinical studies characterising Antithrombin / Protein C deficiency in pregnancy to refine management protocols in collaboration with the NPEU and UKOSS (funded by the Oxford Centre for Haematology and Biomedical Research Centre)

- Social care economics (funded by Care Dorset, The Care Initiative and Green Templeton College), 

- The use of Chest Wall resurfacing flaps for locally advanced breast cancer (clinical review and meta-analyses)

Previous research:

Prior to starting medicine, Kate completed her DPhil (PhD) at the University of Oxford (St Edmund Hall, 2018-2022), in the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine. Kate's doctoral research investigated the disruption of fetal B-cell-development and why this predisposes young children with Down syndrome to a higher risk of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). This work was published in Nature and was awarded the Higgs Haematology prize. Kate's research was funded by the Medical Research Council/ UKRI scholarship (4 years).

Non-academic positions:

Kate volunteers with the Oxford Refugee Health Initiative (ORHI) in triage clinics to support vulnerable, displaced people get the healthcare they deserve. Kate also volunteers with the Graduate-medicine access initiative which tackles barriers preventing underrepresented students accessing the Oxford GEM programme.

Kate is a passionate advocate for wom*n in STEM and for bringing about meaningful institutional improvements in equality and diversity. 

Other previous roles

- Junior Dean of Keble College (2022-23)

-  Board member: Medical Sciences Division Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group (2020-22).

- EDI consultant (Differential Attainment within medical research and healthcare) for the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO), in collaboration with partners including the Royal College of Physicians, General Medical Council, Wellcome Trust etc. (2020)

- VP and welfare officer for The Oxford Feminist Society (2020-2021)

- St Edmund Hall MCR Welfare Officer (2019-2020). 

- Freelance writer for the women-led sustainability and lifestyle magazine Imprint (2019)

Full publications list can be found on Research Gate

Pregnancy Outcomes in Patients with Antithrombin and Protein C Deficiencies, 64^th BSH Annual Meeting (April 2024). 

Chest wall perforator flaps for chest wall resurfacing following mastectomy for locally advanced or recurrent breast cancer: a systematic review of the literature and our experience CRD42024525290. (March 2024, Protocol). 

Blood and immune development in human fetal bone marrow and Down syndrome. Nature 598, 327–331 (2021).

Unravelling impaired fetal B-lymphopoiesis in Down syndrome. Doug Higgs prize winner (best poster). OCH Annual Meeting (2021)

Intrinsic and extrinsic regulation of human fetal bone marrow haematopoiesis and perturbations in Down syndrome. BioRxiv (2021)