Dr Sharon Hanley

Biography

I am a Cancer Epidemiologist and Public Health Researcher in the Academic Primary Care Research Group at the University of Aberdeen. I am also a Visiting Professor at Hokkaido University, Japan, where I completed my PhD in Public Health and Epidemiology and spent much of my professional career. I hold an MA (Hons) in Modern Languages from the University of St Andrews.

My research focuses on understanding and improving cervical cancer prevention strategies. I am particularly interested in improving equity in access, delivery, and outcomes in support of the WHO’s goal to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem. I am Chief Investigator (CI) on a £1.3 million Cancer Research UK grant (AYEScreen), which examines whether offering HPV self-sampling to under-screened women in the most disadvantaged and rural or remote populations in Scotland can improve accessibility, equity, and participation in the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme.

I am CI on a Royal Society of Edinburgh Grant to develop and validate a Japanese version of the WHO Behavioural and Social Drivers (BeSD) of HPV Vaccination framework. During my time in Japan, I held more than ten grants funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

I serve on multiple national and international expert and steering groups related to cervical cancer control. These include the International HPV Prevention and Control Board; the WHO Reference Group on the BeSD of HPV Vaccination; the Scottish Government’s Cervical Cancer Elimination Expert Group and the Scottish HPV Self-Sampling Implementation Group

I have over 20 years’ experience teaching in higher education and am currently Programme Lead for the on-campus Master of Public Health (January intake).

I am fluent in German and Japanese, and in my spare time I volunteer with the Sapporo English Medical Interpreters Group, translating materials to support non-Japanese residents' access to cervical screening and childhood immunisation programmes.

Prizes and Awards

2025: Scottish Thistle Award for the 36th International Papillomavirus Conference

2021: Excellent Original Paper Award

Impact of HPV vaccine hesitancy on cervical cancer in Japan: a modelling Study Lancet Public Health, 2020 Apr;5(4):e223-e234 Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine

2020: Excellent Teacher Award

Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine

2020: Daiwa Award (with the University of Hokkaido)

Japan UK collaboration using 21st century technology to improve access to and participation in cervical cancer screening programs, Anglo Japanese Daiwa Foundation, London, UK

2019: Butterfield Award (with the University of Edinburgh)

HPV based interventions for the prevention of cervical cancer, UK Sasakawa Foundation, London, UK

2016: Women in Global Science (WINGS) Award

Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

2015: International Travel Award (Excellent Oral Presentation)

The Japanese HPV Vaccine Tragedy, 41st Annual Meeting of the Korean Cancer Association with International Cancer Conference, Seoul, South Korea

2015: Good Poster Award

The role of HPV self-sampling to increase cervical screening uptake, 67th Annual Congress of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yokohama, Japan

2014: Best Oral Presentation,

Attitudes towards HPV Self-Sampling and Physician Led Cervical Screening in Japanese Women, AOGIN 2014, Peking, China

2012; Best Original Paper

Acceptance of and attitudes towards human papillomavirus vaccination in Japanese mothers of adolescent girls, Japanese Foundation for Sexual Health Medicine Tokyo, Japan

Funding and Grants

2020-2022 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Implementation and evaluation of a nurse-led cervical screening programme: Increasing screening coverage. Co-investigator, grant holder Professor Rika Kudo, Toyama Prefectural University of Nursing, 17,680,000 yen (Grant No:19H01390)

2019-2021 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Reviewing maternity care policies for achieving MDG5 in Asia: Focusing on de-medicalization and positive birth experience. Co-investigator, grant holder Professor Etsuko Matsuoka, Nara Women’s University, 15,600,000 yen (Grant No:20H04002)

2018-2020 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Development and validation of a training programme for Japanese midwives to perform cervical screening. Co-investigator, grant holder Professor Tokiko Oishi, Takasaki University of Health and Welfare, 4,420,000 yen (Grant No:18K10481)

2017-2019 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Increasing screening uptake: Training Japanese nurses to perform cervical screening. Co-investigator, grant holder Professor Rika Kudo, Toyama Prefectural University of Nursing, 6,240,000 yen (Grant No:17K19851)

2016-2018 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): A randomized-control trial assessing the impact of HPV self-sampling on cervical screening uptake rates in women 20- 29yrs: A comparative evaluation of two novel cervico-vaginal self-sampling devices. Grant holder and Principal Investigator, 16,380,000 yen (Grant No: 16H05253)

2016-2018 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Attitudes Towards and Acceptance of HPV Vaccine in Japanese Mothers of Adolescents living in the UK and Australia. Grant holder and Principal Investigator, 3,640,000 yen (Grant No:16K15367)

2015-2016 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): HPV self-sampling: A novel method to increase screening uptake. Co-investigator, grant holder Professor Noriaki Sakuragi, Hokkaido University, 2,900,000 yen (Grant No:15K15230)

2014-2016 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): HPV Self-sampling: An innovative system to investigate HPV vaccine efficacy and increase cervical screening in young women. Grant holder and Principal Investigator, 3,770,000 yen (Grant No:26670323)

2013-2015 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Development of educational materials for school children to promote awareness and correct understanding of cancer. Grant holder and Principal Investigator, 18,850,000 yen (Grant no:25282208)

2010-2012 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Attitudes towards and acceptance of HPV vaccine in mothers of adolescent daughters: Maximizing the impact of HPV vaccination in Japan. Grant holder and Principal Investigator, 4,550,000 yen (Grant no:22590600)

Non JSPS grants

2020-2022 Anglo Japanese Daiwa Foundation: Japan UK collaboration using 21st century technology to improve access to and participation in cervical cancer screening programs. Grant holder and Principal investigator with Professor Maggie Cruickshank, University of Aberdeen. £2,500

2019-2021 National Cancer Institute (Japan): Individually Tailored Strategies for the Prevention of Cervical and Lung Cancer Co-investigator, grant holder, Dr Etsuko Saito, National Cancer Institute, 10,000,000 yen (Grant No: PJ7L210005)

2019-2022 Sasakawa Foundation: HPV based interventions for the prevention of cervical cancer. Grant holder and Principal investigator with Dr Kate Cuschieri, University of Edinburgh. £10,800

2010 Ito Foundation Travel Grant, EUROGIN 2010, 300,000 yen