Karin Hellner

Dr. Karin Hellner is an Associate Professor in Women's Health at the University of Oxford's Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health. She serves as Lead of the Oxford HPV Research Group, Principal Investigator, Lead of the Departmental Cancer Theme, and Honorary Consultant Gynaecologist at Oxford University Hospitals. As Clinical Lead for Colposcopy, she oversees Oxford's Colposcopy Service and serves as Chief-Investigator for multiple national and international clinical trials.

Dr. Hellner received her medical degree from the Humboldt-University of Berlin in 2003 and completed specialist training in Obstetrics & Gynaecology between the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Oxford. She spent four years as a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School/Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, focusing on HPV-associated carcinogenesis and cervical cancer drug discovery.

Her research focuses on high-risk HPV and strategies to eradicate HPV-associated (pre-)cancers. As leader of Oxford's HPV Research Group, she aims to better understand immune responses involved in persistent HPV infections and translate this knowledge into innovative therapeutics. Her work encompasses HPV immunology, therapeutic vaccines, and early cancer detection through the OxCODE consortium. Recent publications demonstrate her leadership in cervical pathology, endometrial biology, and women's cancer research.

Dr. Hellner serves as an executive board member of the British Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (BSCCP), representing the South-East of England, and is a BSCCP-accredited colposcopy trainer. She facilitates and examines on the national colposcopy accreditation course.

She contributes to scientific discourse as a member of the editorial boards for Scientific Reports (Nature Journal) and Therapeutic Advances in Vaccines and Immunotherapy (Sage), and as guest editor for Vaccines (Nature Partner Journals). She also reviews for Lancet Regional Health, BMJ Case Reports, Clinical Case Reports and Therapeutic Advances in Vaccines and Immunotherapy.

Dr. Hellner volunteers as an expert reviewer for Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust charity and The Eve Appeal, demonstrating her commitment to public health education and advocacy in cervical cancer prevention. Her research group includes Dr. Gemma Hancock (Senior Postdoctoral Researcher), Dr. Arianna De Chiara (Postdoctoral Researcher), Lisa Buck (Research Midwife), Dr. Maria Isabella Sereni (Sub-Investigator), Kelly Barrett (Research Nurse), Sarah Hutchinson (Research Technician), and Mr. Hooman Soleymani majd (Consultant Gynae-Oncologist).