{"id":1103,"date":"2024-10-12T17:49:40","date_gmt":"2024-10-12T16:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/?p=1103"},"modified":"2024-10-12T18:22:58","modified_gmt":"2024-10-12T17:22:58","slug":"bullying-and-cancer-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/?p=1103","title":{"rendered":"Bullying and Cancer Research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Compared to some other areas of science, cancer research is well-funded. Institutes are supported by large grants of public money, derived from charities such as Cancer Research UK or the Wellcome Trust, or from government bodies such as the Medical Research Council. A successful researcher can control many big grants and support large labs of research assistants and graduate students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps not coincidentally, cancer research is also an area particularly susceptible to bullying. For example, cancer researcher Prof Nazneen Rahman CBE FMedSci<\/a> resigned from the Institute of Cancer Research<\/a> in 2018 after allegations of \u201cserious recurrent bullying and harassment<\/em>\u201d and \u201ccreating an intimidating and humiliating working environment<\/em>\u201d. She was the PI of multi-million pound grants and ran large teams of biomedical investigators working under her direction. The complaints came from 44 of her current and former staff and students. As reported in The Guardian here<\/a>, the Wellcome Trust terminated or transferred her grants after significant concerns were raised as to her behaviour. This is remarkable as very few bullies are ever held to account in academia in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 21 Group has become aware of a number of ongoing incidents of grave bullying, harassment and mistreatment of junior staff at multiple institutes in the UK engaged in cancer research. Victims of bullying are often junior academics, women in male-dominated fields and members of under-represented and minoritized groups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have decided to present the testimony of one victim here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have spent more than 20 years in academic research, devoting myself to the pursuit of scientific knowledge and the mentorship of students. My work has centered around advancing our understanding of cancer, a cause I\u2019ve passionately championed, contributing to studies that have helped push the field forward. Over these years, I\u2019ve published high-quality research, mentored countless students, and made it my mission to foster an environment where good science could thrive. But despite my dedication, the past few years have completely unraveled my sense of purpose and belonging in this field.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ordeal began when I was falsely accused of breaching protocol in a clinical study. I was not the real target, my senior Professor was. I was collateral damage in a wider war. This accusation, if proven, could have led to a serious disciplinary process, threatening not just my reputation but also my entire career. From the beginning, I felt blindsided and misrepresented. The situation was handled poorly, and my work was discussed and judged in ways that were not only deeply unfair but also hurtful. What made this even worse was the fact that I wasn\u2019t given a fair opportunity to defend myself or present my side of the story. The verdict had already been decided behind closed doors, with little regard for due process or the truth.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The university, which I had spent decades being proud to be a part of, failed to protect me or offer any meaningful support. Despite the obvious harm this ordeal has caused me, they insisted that the actions of those involved were not done with malicious intent. According to them, the behaviour didn\u2019t amount to intimidation, harassment, or bullying. But from my perspective, it\u2019s hard to see malicious and false accusations any other way. I\u2019ve felt targeted, isolated, and stripped of my dignity throughout this entire process. The lack of accountability and empathy from those in power has been devastating.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This situation has had a profound impact on my mental health. Years of stress, anxiety, and the feeling of being constantly under attack have taken a toll. My passion for science, which once burned so brightly, has been all but extinguished. The joy and fulfillment I once found in my work have been replaced by dread and exhaustion. Each day has become a battle to keep going, to find the strength to continue, but my love for academia has withered under the weight of this experience.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I reflect on these last couple of years, it\u2019s difficult for me to envision a future in academia. Regardless of the final outcome of this situation, I no longer see a place for myself here. This ordeal has forced me to confront the reality that the system I once believed in has failed me, and the institution I was proud to call my alma mater has become unrecognizable. After more than two decades of service to the academic community, I am left feeling betrayed, disillusioned, and heartbroken.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 21 Group thanks the anonymous researcher for describing her experience. We are always interested in presenting accounts of bullying from the victim’s standpoint, please email us at contact@21percent.org<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Compared to some other areas of science, cancer research is well-funded. Institutes are supported by large grants of public money, derived from charities such as Cancer Research UK or the Wellcome Trust, or from government bodies such as the Medical Research Council. A successful researcher can control many big grants […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1103"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1115,"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1103\/revisions\/1115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}