Since her undergraduate days studying medicine at the University of Sydney, Prof Emma Duncan has been fascinated by endocrinology in general and the skeleton specifically, which has led to adventures around the globe. A long stint in the UK encompassed a PhD in osteoporosis genetics and clinical training in endocrinology; and she returned to Australia in 2005. Since then, Prof Duncan has published multiple high-impact papers into the genetics of osteoporosis and skeletal dysplasias, in addition to publications in MODY [maturity-onset diabetes of the young], phaeochromocytomas and paragangliomas, thyroid cancer, and obstetric medicine. Prof Duncan’s practical experience in gene mapping includes genetic epidemiology, linkage, genome-wide association studies, and massively parallel sequencing (MPS) technologies; and she has played a pioneering role in the translation of genetic technologies into clinical practice.
Prof Duncan continues to practise medicine as a consultant physician and specialist in endocrinology. She contributes to leadership and governance nationally and internationally, serving as President of the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society and on Council for the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Prof Duncan recently moved (mid-pandemic) back to the UK, to take up her new appointment as Professor of Clinical Endocrinology, King’s College London.