Marie Fallon

Marie Fallon is the St Columba’s Hospice Chair of Palliative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and an Honorary Consultant in Palliative Care at the Western General Hospital. She leads a large portfolio of multicenter clinical trials in Palliative Care, including CRUK-funded studies. Her research focuses on improving care for patients with life-limiting illnesses, particularly in cancer-related pain management, cachexia, and symptom control.

Education: MBChB (1984, University of Glasgow), MD (1999, University of Glasgow), FRCP (2000). She has held editorial roles for major textbooks including the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine and ABC of Pain. She is a Co-Director of the European Palliative Care Research Centre and collaborates internationally with institutions like the European Society for Medical Oncology.

Research interests include cancer-induced bone pain, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), and the development of tools like the Edinburgh Pain Assessment and management Tool (EPAT), which improves pain management outcomes. She has embedded clinical biomarkers to identify optimal treatments for individual patients.

Key collaborations include partnerships with Dr. Barry Laird, Prof. Stein Kaasa (EPCRC), and Prof. Irene Tracey (University of Oxford). Her work spans translational research, clinical trials, and international guidelines.

Grants and Projects: Active roles in projects like the MENTHOL Trial (CIPN management), My Path (patient-centered care pathways), and initiatives to reduce health-related suffering disparities. She has led recruitment of over 3,000 patients into RCTs and chairs the Cancer Pain Sub Group of the NCRI Palliative Care Clinical Studies Group.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Edinburgh Palliative and Supportive Care group (EpaS), a multidisciplinary team studying pain, cachexia, and symptom control. The group includes researchers like Prof. Barry Laird and Dr. Joanna Bowden.