Sam is a final year PhD student studying in the Department of Biochemistry, supervised by Professor Laura Machesky and Professor Bill Broadhurst.
During a clinical placement in the first year of the Cambridge Cancer Centre’s MRes + PhD programe, Sam saw how important it is for children with cancer to be well informed about what they’ll be going through during the course of their treatment. The uncertainty following a cancer diagnosis is overwhelming for any individual; however, this time is particularly confusing for children. Explaining cancer to a child is incredibly challenging. It is an intricate disease with complex biology/treatment regimes. This uncertainty fuels anxiety, and as a result most children are incredibly overwhelmed and uncooperative during their treatment courses.
This experience led Sam to begin the development of Chum, an adaptive platform that uses stories and games to educate children (2 – 12 yrs) about their specific cancer’s biology and the treatments they are receiving. After writing up her PhD, Sam hopes to accelerate Chum’s development during some time off, so if anyone would like to also get involved please do get in touch (slh204@cam.ac.uk).
