Dr Sharon Hanley

Biography

SHARON HANLEY is a cancer epidemiologist in the Department of Academic Primary Care in the Institute of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Aberdeen. She ia also a member of Aberdeen Centre for Women’s Health Research. She obtained her PhD in Public Health and Epidemiology from Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine in Sapporo, Japan. She also has an MA (Hons) in Modern Languages from the University of St Andrews.

Sharon has an outstanding record of public health leadership in both cervical cancer screening and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and is passionate about equity in public health outcomes. She sits on several national and international steering groups for cervical cancer control, including the Japan Cancer Society’s working group for HPV Self-sampling, the HPV Prevention and Control Board, the COVID-19 and Cancer Global Modelling Consortium and the World Health Organization reference group on Behavioural and Social Drivers (BeSD) of HPV vaccination.

Sharon strives to get as many girls as possible vaccinated against the HPV and has been invited to speak on the topic of HPV vaccine hesitancy at over 100 national and international meetings. She has also provided consultation on HPV vaccine safety to public health professionals in countries such as Ireland, Denmark and Columbia, who have faced issues similar to Japan regarding HPV vaccine hesitancy.

Her current research focuses on developing and validating a Japanese version of the BeSD tools (surveys, interview and implementation guides) and as well as how cervical screening can best meet the needs of disadvantaged groups who have poorer cervical cancer outcomes in Scotland. She is particularly interested in HPV self-sampling.,

In her free time, she volunteers for Sapporo English Medical Interpreters group, where she uses her native level proficiency in Japanese to help non-Japanese citizens access local cervical cancer screening and childhood immunization programmes.

External Memberships

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

2020- present       International Partnership for Resilience in Cancer Systems (I-PARCS)

2015- present       Board Member: International HPV Prevention and Control Board

2013- present       Executive Board Member: Cancer Support Hokkaido

2009- present       Executive Board Member: People’s Campaign Against Female Cancers (PCAF)

2009- present       Executive Board Member: Professional Women's Coalition for Sexuality and Health

2009- present       Advisor and volunteer interpreter and translator: Sapporo English Medical Interpreters (SEMI)

ACADEMIC AFFILIATIONS

2021-2022            Co-Chair Scientific Program Committee (Public Health), International Papillomavirus Society

2019- present       Scientific Programme Committee, European Research Organisation in Genital Infection and Neoplasia

2009-present        European Research Organisation in Genital Infection and Neoplasia

2009- present       International Papillomavirus Society

2009- present       Japan Epidemiological Association

2009- present       Japanese Society of Public Health

2009- present       Japan Society for Cancer Prevention

2009- present       Japan Cancer Society

2009- present       Japan Society of Adolescent Health

2009- present       Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

2009- present       Japan Society of Gynaecologic Cancer Screening

2009- present        International Epidemiological Association

2009- present        Asia-Oceania Research Organisation in Genital Infection and Neoplasia

Prizes and Awards

 2021: Excellent Original Paper Award

Impact of HPV vaccine hesitancy on cervical cancer in Japan: a modelling Study Lancet Public Health, 2020 Apr;5(4):e223-e234 Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine

2020: Excellent Teacher Award

Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine

2020: Daiwa Award (with the University of Hokkaido)

Japan UK collaboration using 21st century technology to improve access to and participation in cervical cancer screening programs, Anglo Japanese Daiwa Foundation, London, UK

2019: Butterfield Award (with the University of Edinburgh)

HPV based interventions for the prevention of cervical cancer, UK Sasakawa Foundation, London, UK

2016: Women in Global Science (WINGS) Award

Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

2015: International Travel Award (Excellent Oral Presentation)

The Japanese HPV Vaccine Tragedy, 41st Annual Meeting of the Korean Cancer Association with International Cancer Conference, Seoul, South Korea

2015: Good Poster Award

The role of HPV self-sampling to increase cervical screening uptake, 67th Annual Congress of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yokohama, Japan

2014: Best Oral Presentation,

Attitudes towards HPV Self-Sampling and Physician Led Cervical Screening in Japanese Women, AOGIN 2014, Peking, China

2012; Best Original Paper

Acceptance of and attitudes towards human papillomavirus vaccination in Japanese mothers of adolescent girls, Japanese Foundation for Sexual Health Medicine Tokyo, Japan

Funding and Grants

2020-2022 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Implementation and evaluation of a nurse-led cervical screening programme: Increasing screening coverage. Co-investigator, grant holder Professor Rika Kudo, Toyama Prefectural University of Nursing, 17,680,000 yen (Grant No:19H01390)

2019-2021 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Reviewing maternity care policies for achieving MDG5 in Asia: Focusing on de-medicalization and positive birth experience. Co-investigator, grant holder Professor Etsuko Matsuoka, Nara Women’s University, 15,600,000 yen (Grant No:20H04002)

2018-2020 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Development and validation of a training programme for Japanese midwives to perform cervical screening. Co-investigator, grant holder Professor Tokiko Oishi, Takasaki University of Health and Welfare, 4,420,000 yen (Grant No:18K10481)

2017-2019 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Increasing screening uptake: Training Japanese nurses to perform cervical screening. Co-investigator, grant holder Professor Rika Kudo, Toyama Prefectural University of Nursing, 6,240,000 yen (Grant No:17K19851)

2016-2018 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): A randomized-control trial assessing the impact of HPV self-sampling on cervical screening uptake rates in women 20- 29yrs: A comparative evaluation of two novel cervico-vaginal self-sampling devices. Grant holder and Principal Investigator, 16,380,000 yen (Grant No: 16H05253)

2016-2018 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Attitudes Towards and Acceptance of HPV Vaccine in Japanese Mothers of Adolescents living in the UK and Australia. Grant holder and Principal Investigator, 3,640,000 yen (Grant No:16K15367)

2015-2016 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): HPV self-sampling: A novel method to increase screening uptake. Co-investigator, grant holder Professor Noriaki Sakuragi, Hokkaido University, 2,900,000 yen (Grant No:15K15230)

2014-2016 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): HPV Self-sampling: An innovative system to investigate HPV vaccine efficacy and increase cervical screening in young women. Grant holder and Principal Investigator, 3,770,000 yen (Grant No:26670323)

2013-2015 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Development of educational materials for school children to promote awareness and correct understanding of cancer. Grant holder and Principal Investigator, 18,850,000 yen (Grant no:25282208)

2010-2012 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Attitudes towards and acceptance of HPV vaccine in mothers of adolescent daughters: Maximizing the impact of HPV vaccination in Japan. Grant holder and Principal Investigator, 4,550,000 yen (Grant no:22590600)

Non JSPS grants

2020-2022 Anglo Japanese Daiwa Foundation: Japan UK collaboration using 21st century technology to improve access to and participation in cervical cancer screening programs. Grant holder and Principal investigator with Professor Maggie Cruickshank, University of Aberdeen. £2,500

2019-2021 National Cancer Institute (Japan): Individually Tailored Strategies for the Prevention of Cervical and Lung Cancer Co-investigator, grant holder, Dr Etsuko Saito, National Cancer Institute, 10,000,000 yen (Grant No: PJ7L210005)

2019-2022 Sasakawa Foundation: HPV based interventions for the prevention of cervical cancer. Grant holder and Principal investigator with Dr Kate Cuschieri, University of Edinburgh. £10,800

2010 Ito Foundation Travel Grant, EUROGIN 2010, 300,000 yen