Emma Williams becomes first nurse in CRUK Women of Influence programme

9 December 2025

Emma Williams, Senior Research Nurse Manager at the Velindre Cancer Service, has become the first nurse to be accepted onto the Cancer Research UK Women of Influence programme.

This prestigious programme pairs exceptional scientists with leading businesswomen to provide early career researchers with support from outside of academia at a critical time in their development.

Emma has spent her whole nursing career within the field of cancer and made the move from being an oncology/haematology nurse into research in 2009, when the first haematology research post was developed in Gwent. On leaving her role in Aneurin Bevan Health Board, haematology was one of the most recognised research specialities within the health board.

In 2015, Emma came to Cardiff to pursue a management role and, after developing the unit and implementing processes that improved the overall trials portfolio, she began to develop a nurse-led portfolio of studies to maximise recruitment opportunities. During this time, Emma was also instrumental in securing external funding from sources such as Cure Leukaemia and also contributed to her site's TAP and IMPACT accreditations.

Emma’s experience and leadership led to her taking on the role of nurse Principal Investigator on a number of observational, translational, epidemiology studies and post authorisation studies. This enabled nurses to be recognised nationally and internationally for their work. This work was highly commended within the 2022 bid by Cardiff ECMC network with the panel noting that nursing research was of high quality.

On receipt of her acceptance to the programme, Emma Williams said:

"I am thrilled that CRUK has accepted me onto this prestigious course and recognised my research contributions as a nurse. It really does highlight the important contribution that nurses can bring to research and how we can be a patients advocate within this space. I am really looking forward to meeting my mentor and leveraging any opportunities that will continue to support and benefit the patients within Wales."

Within Emma's nomination, Professor Alex Tonks, Head of Haematology/Cardiff University, said:

"Over the past two years, I have had the privilege of working alongside a nurse whose leadership in haematological malignancy research is nothing short of inspiring. Their unwavering commitment to nurse-led research, consistent publication record, and ability to mentor and motivate others have created a ripple effect of excellence. As both a mentor and a passionate advocate for patients, they exemplify the highest standards of nursing leadership and innovation."

We're incredibly proud of Emma for this achievement and look forward to seeing the impact she makes through this scheme.

Nicola Williams, Executive Director of Nursing, AHP & Health Science said:

I am so proud of Emma for being the first nurse to achieve a place on the CRUK Women of Influence programme. I am confident that Emma will undoubtably grasp this opportunity to not only help her grow in her leadership journey, but to support others on theirs and to positively impact on patient care delivery. My message to everyone regardless of role and gender is to step out of your comfort zone, put yourself forward, believe in yourself, be brave and be the first.''