Dr Jane Freeman

Profile

I am an Associate Professor in Clinical Microbiology at the University of Leeds and Clinical Scientist in Microbiology at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust (honorary). I was the National Clinical Lead for AMR Diagnostics at the Office of the Chief Scientific Officer, NHS ENgland from 2022-24. 

I did my undergraduate degree in Medical Microbiology at the University of Leeds, and after a year working at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, returned to undertake a PhD “Antibiotics and Clostridium difficile” supervised by Prof Mark Wilcox. During this time and my subsequent post-doctoral work, I established in vitro gut models of C. difficile infection as highly effective means of investing the effects of antibiotics on C. difficile and the gut microbiota.

After moving to Leeds Teaching Hospitals, I became an HCPC-registered Clinical Scientist in Microbiology in 2013, while maintaining my research profile with gut model and wide ranging antimicrobial susceptibility studies in C. difficile. I was awarded an NIHR/HEE ICA Clinical Lectureship in 2019 and returned to the University of Leeds as a clinical academic healthcare scientist with a University Academic Fellowship in 2020. I became an Associated Professor in Clinical Microbiology in 2022. During the COVID-19 pandemic I led a multi-centre COVID research study, and was part of the national diagnostic reponse to COVID-19.  From 2022-2024, I was seconded to the Office of the Chief Scientific Officer at NHS England as National Clinical Lead for AMR Diagnostics. I have played a leading role in bringing the patient voice in C. difficile research and contintue to advocate and speak about the importance of patient and public involvment in laboratoyr and translational research, service development and policy making.

I am a founding member of the successful multi-organisation Healthcare Associated Infections Research Group, headed by Prof Mark Wilcox and part of its Senior Team. I am an Emerging Lead for the AMR and Infection theme of the Leeds NIHR BRC and a member of the NIHR Surgical HealthTech Centre. I am a strong advocate of clinical academic careers for all healthcare professionals, and particularly Healthcare Scientists and am a member of the FMH Clinical Academic Capacity Development and Training Committee.  As the Co-Chair of Empower Leeds Women, I also work to support women to develop and build clinical academic careers and navigate barriers, as well as celebrating success! 

Responsibilities

• Emerging Lead, AMR and Infection Theme, Leeds NIHR BRC

Research interests

My research career has taken me from pure scientific research through to more applied health research projects and I have >20 years experience in C. difficile research, with >50 publications in field. My main research interests are:

Antimicrobial resistance in C. difficile

Epidemiological surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (The Closer Study: A 5 year Pan-European programme of surveillanceto monitor antibiotic Resistance and Prevalent Clostridium difficile ribotypes)

Susceptibility testing of novel antimicrobials against C. difficile

Multidrug resistance in C. difficile

Resistance mechanisms and fitness

C. difficile infection - in vitro gut models

Established the in vitro gut models of C. difficile infection (CDI) that have formed a major part of the research programme of Prof Wilcox' group.

Evaluation of novel antimicrobial compounds

Development of  antimicrobial resistance

Population dynamics and fitness

Microbiome and C. difficile

Antimicrobials and dysbiosis

markers of dysbiosis

C. difficile infection in paediatrics

C. difficile treatments:

Lead on laboratory testing for clinical trials involving novel C. difficile treatments

Qualifications

• Ph.D Antibiotics and Clostridium difficile
• B.Sc (Hons) Medical Microbiology (1st Class)
• Registered Clinical Scientist
• FRCPath

Professional memberships

• Healthcare Professions Council
• British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
• European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
• Society for Anaerobic Microbiology
• Royal College of Pathologists

Student education

I supervise PhD and Masters level students and am involved in teaching undergraduate B.Sc and Medical students.

I am interested in widening participation and access to careers in Medicine and Health.

Research groups and institutes

• Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's
• Infection and antimicrobial resistance
• Healthcare Associated Infection Research Group