• Ageing, Cancer, and Disparities Research Unit – ACADI

Welcome back to the ACADI newsletter. This month, in addition to our updates, we will be starting a small subsection that will allow you to get to know our team in more detail so that you know both who we are what we do!

REDICO Advisory Board

The advisory board for ACADI’s main project, REDICO, convened for its annual meeting on February 15th. The board agreed that the project is on track, is meeting expectations and making good progress!

Grant News

Unfortunately, the more grants you apply for, the more likely you will hear bad news. Sadly, another of the several grants we applied for was rejected. We have learned from this process what our strengths and weaknesses are for the next time.

Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)

As we develop the next phases of our research, we are very committed to ensuring that it reflects voice of older adults in Luxembourg. ACADI is playing a very active role in the development and use of Public and Patient involvement in our research, ensuring that members of the public and patient communities will have their say in how we develop our research and how we showcase our findings.

New Team Member

We have also welcomed a new Team Member! This month we welcomed Fei Liu, who will be undertaking a 6-month Master’s internship with us.

“My name is Fei Liu, and I am from China. Currently, I am pursuing a master’s degree in psychology: evaluation and assessment at University of Luxembourg. I am thrilled to start a six-month internship journey within the ACADI unit. Under the supervision of Dr. India Pinker and Dr. Sophie Pilleron, I am working on a scoping review of online social support among older adults with cancer. Looking forward to contributing to our team’s research endeavours and learning from this valuable experience.”

Ms. Fei Liu

Meet the Team

Now it is time for you to get to know us a little better. Over the next few months, we will do short features of each team member so that you can read about our journey and what we are up to. Up first, we have our group leader Dr Sophie Pilleron!

“I am an epidemiologist specialising in ageing and cancer. Since January 2023, I have led the Ageing, Cancer, and Disparities Research Unit, within the Department of Precision Health at the Luxembourg Institute of Health thanks to a 5-year FNR ATTRACT fellowship.

My career path as an epidemiologist has been anything but traditional, marked by a non-linear trajectory. In each step of my career as epidemiologist, a common thread has been my interest in “vulnerable” people. The fact that I am now applying that interest to cancer seems fated. The catalyst for this was a personal experience; my father succumbed to lung cancer when I was just 17 years old.

When I started my work in the cancer field, I have been surprised by how older adults have been relatively neglected in research. Tomorrow, many of us will become old and may face the daunting reality of dealing with cancer. We all deserve the best possible management of this disease, which can only be achieved through comprehensive research covering every aspect of the cancer journey.

During my time as a postdoctoral fellow at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), I have found this to be my research niche. Improving the scientific knowledge on cancer in older people is what motivates me. My dedication lies in enhancing cancer outcomes for the older population, and I am now leading a research team to concentrate on this long-term objective”

Dr Sophie Pilleron

Until next time, keep well!

The ACADI Team