About Us

Dr Alison Stewart - Principal Associate

Alison Stewart has been with us for over ten years, working as a scientist, knowledge manager and writer. She became freelance in 2007 and now works for the Foundation on selected projects as a consultant. She was involved in the Foundation’s recent review of Tay Sachs Disease carrier screening in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, and is currently working on our review of services for cardiovascular genetics in the UK. She continues to write briefings, news articles and reports on a wide range of topics covering scientific and policy aspects of public health genomics.

Alison obtained her BSc from the University of Sydney and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Cambridge. After time in research as a postdoc and lecturer in Cambridge’s Department of Biochemistry, she became Commissioning Editor of the journal Trends in Genetics. Later as a freelance science writer and editor she worked for The Wellcome Trust, the Human Genome Organisation, Elsevier Trends Journals, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. In 1998 Alison joined the Public Health Genetics Unit where, as Chief Knowledge Officer, she was responsible for knowledge management strategy. Her achievements in this role included the establishment of our highly regarded website and news service; the development of our popular Genetics and Health Policy course; and publication as lead author of our textbook Genetics, Health Care and Public Policy.

Selected publications

• Burton H, Levene S, Alberg C and Stewart A Tay Sachs Disease carrier screening in the Ashkenazi Jewish population: Needs assessment and review of current services (2008)
• Stewart A, Burke W, Khoury MJ and Zimmern R Genomics and public health. Chapter 1.6, Oxford Textbook of Public Health. OUP (in press 2009)
• Stewart A and Zimmern R What is public health genomics? In Handbook of Genomic Medicine. Elsevier Academic Press (2008)
• Stewart A, Brice P, Burton H, Pharoah P, Sanderson S and Zimmern R Genetics, Health Care and Public Policy Cambridge University Press (2007)
• Burke W, Khoury M, Stewart A and Zimmern, R The path from genome-based research to population health: development of an international collaborative public health genetics initiative Genet Med (2006) 8:451-458

Please visit PHG Foundation’s resources page for a list of our publications and other work by members of our staff.