Five Women in Science - Associate Professor Tu Nguyen-Dumont
/International Day of Women in Science
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International Day of Women in Science I
As part of International Day of Women in Science this year, we would like to highlight five women from five different states to share their experiences working in science.
Throughout the years, our team has worked with many remarkable Australian women in science, and this year we have interviewed five of them to find out what makes them tick. These women have been inspiring and motivating our team to push ourselves and strive for excellence in our own work. They have been role models for so many of us, and their stories are a testament to the power of perseverance and hard work. We are proud to feature their stories and celebrate their successes.
Meet the second featured Women in Science, Associate Professor Tu Nguyen-Dumont from Monash University.
Associate Professor, Tu Nguyen-Dumont from Monash University, VIC
Associate Professor
Tu Nguyen-Dumont
Academic Lead of Genomic Medicine and Bioinformatics, Head of the Clinical Genomics Laboratory, Monash University
Associate Professor Tu Nguyen-Dumont serves as the genomics and bioinformatics lead in several multidisciplinary teams dedicated to exploring and defining genomic variations associated with cancer risk, cancer development, recurrence, and response to treatment.
“My initial collaboration with AGRF goes back over 10 years now. Throughout the years, I have engaged with AGRF for a range of projects spanning germline and somatic sequencing, from Sanger sequencing to exome and genome sequencing. I’ve always been able to have good discussions with Glenn or Frankie and their help has been invaluable, both for technical and analytical aspects of my research.”
What made you choose a career in science? Did you have any specific role models?
I have always been interested in biology and genetics, ever since high school. I found fascinating how small changes in DNA could create so much biological diversity but also lead to medical conditions. After studying cellular and molecular biology as an undergrad, I decided to specialise in genetics and cancer.
During my Masters, PhD and as a junior postdoc, I have been very lucky to be mentored by world experts in cancer genetics and got to discover, then move into, the fields of epidemiology, public health, clinical genomics and translational bioinformatics.
What are you working on at the moment and how does AGRF support this work?
I am the genomics and bioinformatics lead in several multidisciplinary teams whose aim is to investigate and characterise genomic variations associated with cancer risk, cancer development and recurrence, and response to treatment.
I have worked with AGRF for many years to generate a combination of germline and somatic data in various tumour types and various biospecimen types, with a particular focus on breast and prostate cancer. We then use data analytics and bioinformatics to enhance our understanding of cancer predisposition and development, and provide the evidence base from which this knowledge can be translated into clinical practice.
What do you hope to accomplish in the next five years of your career?
Thinking about the next five years, I am really excited to see how genomics and translational bioinformatics can be leveraged to improve precision public health and personalised clinical management.
Prevention and early detection are now well recognised as critical components of cancer control (including by the WHO). We know that genomics technologies can accurately identify individuals at high risk of developing some inherited cancers (and other conditions). We know that public health interventions can have a substantial impact by targeting those at highest risk. Yet despite these interventions being available, some inherited cancer syndromes remain underdiagnosed and most high-risk individuals are unaware of their cancer susceptibility and never engage with the healthcare system to access prevention.
I am part of large multidisciplinary programs whose purpose is to tackle this issue by generating critical evidence to inform an approach called "population genomic screening", whereby genomic testing is offered to the general population, targeting in particular young adults at an age when access to proven, effective interventions can prevent cancer or lead to early detection.
Current access to genomic testing is based on inadequate criteria, which results in missed opportunities for precision prevention. Population genomic screening constitutes an alternative that would enable cancer prevention on an unprecedented scale.
Is there any scientific field, outside of your own, that you believe needs more attention?
I have been working in multidisciplinary teams ever since my undergraduate studies. This has given me a strong appreciation that everyone's, every field's contribution is key to build the evidence, create the knowledge and ensure our findings are translated into clinical practice and benefit patients, their families and every one of us.
In your opinion, what changes are needed to attract more girls and women into science?
I don't think the problem is about attracting more girls and women into science - I think the problem is more around retention, and it's a tough one. I remember my first lecture at Uni. There were about 300 of us sitting in a large lecture theatre. The lecturer told us only 1% of us will become successful academic researchers. This was really disheartening, and not only for the women in the audience! Mentorship, career coaching programs and networking are certainly key. Ensuring that young women feel safe and supported in the workplace is also crucial. Women, at all career stages, need to feel that they are actually supported by their male colleagues and their institution. A lot of workplaces have improved but it is still a work in progress unfortunately.
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AGRF has ISO15189 accreditation for medical testing. We offer Clinical Whole Genome Sequencing, Whole Exome Sequencing, Illumina Infinium arrays, as well as TSO500 and Expanded Carrier Screening.
