Guy Watson

In 2023 I served for 2 ½ years on the GPW sounding board within which I served as rep on Governance and Programme boards. I am now a GPW ambassador. In January 2026 I represented the Huntington’s Disease Association, as a 10 year plus member of it’s ‘Voice’ group, at the Festival of Genomics in London. I joined BioBank for Cancer in the summer of 2025 mainly for my connections to genomics as well as being carer for my wife through two bouts of cancer. In the last 17 years I have and do serve on various bodies from HD, mental health to AI, research support and participantance.

Simon Turner

I am a retired project manager who during the course of my career worked on a number of prominent local projects including the waterfront park in Cardiff Bay and the millennium stadium. I have personal reasons for wanting to help improve cancer research my wife died of breast cancer in 2000 and I have twice been diagnosed with cancer and successfully treated for it. I enjoy travelling as much as possible and have recently been to Kenya and am going to Nova Scotia in July.

Dot Williams

I was a social worker for many years and also taught social work with the Open University.  I now work part-time for Butterfly Conservation on a special project to save Wales’s rarest butterfly, the High Brown Fritillary (y Fritheg Frown).  My late husband was diagnosed with cancer in April 2014 and sadly died in August 2015, I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in October 2024 and underwent a right-sided mastectomy, am doing okay now.

I do loads of volunteering with different organisations and have a keen interest in nature.  I’ve been involved with SAIL since 2011 and sit on its Information Governance Review Panel, I think I can bring personal experiences along with some academic rigour to the WCB, personal experiences can contribute so much.  I have a particular interest in how social care and health services can work effectively together to ensure the patient and their carer can have as good an experience as possible.

Sienna-Mae Yates

I’m a public contributor with lived experience of cancer and health research, with a particular interest in colorectal cancer shaped by a close family member’s diagnosis. I work with researchers and advisory groups to help ensure studies are relevant, inclusive and grounded in real-world experience. As part of Wales Cancer Biobank, I’m keen to support ethical, high-quality research and help ensure public voices are central to how cancer research is designed and delivered.

Mark Worwood (PhD, FRCPath, FMedSci​)

I am an Emeritus Professor at Cardiff University having  retired from the Haematology Department in 2008. I was an honorary Clinical Scientist in the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust.  My research interests were in iron deficiency and overload, particularly the development of the serum ferritin assay and genetics of haemochromatosis.  I was, for 5 years, editor of the British Journal of Haematology. I served on the WHO Technical Consultation on the Assay of Iron Status at Population Level (2004).

After retirement he worked for three years as Lead Biochemist for Bowel Cancer Screening, Wales being a member of the team that successfully introduced screening throughout Wales for all residents from 60 – 74 years. I have lived in Cardiff with my wife Angela since 1968.  Having been diagnosed with bowel cancer and metastatic liver cancer in 2024 I have now experienced bowel cancer as a patient. I hope that my experience as a researcher and patient will enable me to contribute as a lay representative perhaps on committees dealing with research developments and providing clear information for patients.

Obinna Odoh

I am a dedicated Biomedical Scientist with extensive multidisciplinary experience in diagnostic haematology, clinical chemistry, quality assurance, and HIV laboratory services. Holding an MSc in Biomedical Science from Swansea University, I currently serve on the Wales Cancer Biobank’s Lay Liaison & Ethics Group, where I assist with ethics documentation, informed consent, risk assessments, and patient involvement initiatives. Passionate about ethical research and evidence-based practice, I am enthusiastic about collaborating with researchers and patients to support transparent, compliant biobanking that advances cancer science for the benefit of all.

I am eager to leverage my clinical and governance background to support innovative, ethically robust biobanking that drives progress in cancer diagnostics and therapies.

Marie-Clare Hunter

It is a real privilege to serve as a lay member of the Wales Cancer Biobank. I am proud to support an initiative that acts as a bridge between patients in Wales and the global research community, ensuring that samples and data are shared ethically, responsibly, and to the highest standards. At a time when our ageing population means more of us are likely to face cancer in our lifetimes, the Biobank’s role in advancing research feels more important than ever.

I am particularly excited about the growing potential of biobanking to enable truly ground-breaking research. By providing high-quality and more representative datasets, the Biobank helps to develop AI and machine learning, supports deeper understanding of tumour subtypes and drug responses, and advances work to address inequities in cancer outcomes. I hope that this will contribute to more personalised treatments, tailored to a person’s genetics, lifestyle, and environment, which will reduce the side effects experienced by patients and improve their long-term wellbeing through developments such as pharmacogenomics.

I am also passionate about prevention and representation, understanding why similar lifestyles can produce different cancer risks, and helping to close data gaps for under-served communities. Finally, I would love to champion educational opportunities linked to the Biobank, widening access to careers in this field for people of all backgrounds, including those without a traditional scientific pathway.