Leonie Wheeldon

About Leonie Wheeldon

Missing from the diagnostic toolbox? It’s not missing as such, but cytology service toolboxes – Rapid On-Site Evaluation (ROSE) – should be available across the board. ROSE is a real time morphological assessment of cytology samples, performed by a pathologist or biomedical scientist. It ensures sufficient diagnostic material is collected and appropriately managed to avoid the need for repeat or more invasive procedures.

Medical advances have resulted in smaller needles to minimize risk of complications to patients. However, these smaller samples require more extensive tumor profiling and molecular testing due to the rise of personalized therapies. This puts diagnostic cytology ROSE services in a crucial position for modern healthcare, especially for cancer, to ensure patients receive the highest quality of care.

Controversial opinion? Biomedical scientists in reporting roles.

I was asked to speak at the European Cytology Congress in Budapest last year – The title I was given was “Biomedical scientists can report diagnostic cytopathology” – deliberately controversial as globally this concept isn’t widely accepted. In the UK we are fortunate to have robust training, accreditation, and qualification frameworks in place due to collaboration with the Royal College of Pathologists, Health Care Professions Council, and the Institute of Biomedical Science. Even though these exams are incredibly challenging, I’m very grateful that we have the opportunity to demonstrate the complementary roles biomedical scientists can provide to enhance existing services.

Professional ambitions? To continue to raise the profile of cytopathology and demonstrate how integral cytology is for best patient care models. I hope to continue working collaboratively with colleagues from all disciplines, locally, nationally, and internationally to develop and innovate cytology services. As well as continuing to learn from my extensive and diverse colleagues, I hope to help push cytology personnel to their full potential and further grow their passions for the profession.