Dr Simon Vincent

Who Dr Simon Vincent is

Dr Simon Vincent is Chief Scientific Officer at Breast Cancer Now, the UK's largest breast cancer charity, a role he has held since 2025. He is responsible for the charity's research portfolio and public health work. He holds a PhD in genetics from the University of Nottingham and has worked with major UK medical charities for over 25 years, including Cancer Research Campaign (later Cancer Research UK) from 2000 and a secondment at the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2013. He joined Breast Cancer Now in 2014, originally leading the research team, becoming Director of Research, Support and Influencing in 2020 before his appointment as Chief Scientific Officer. He is publicly known for commenting on breast cancer risk detection, limitations of NICE referral criteria, and funding for research into aggressive subtypes such as triple negative breast cancer.

References for this biography

1. 1.Simon Vincent | Breast Cancer Now (staff profile) — Confirms role as Chief Scientific Officer since 2025, PhD in genetics from University of Nottingham, career history including Cancer Research Campaign and Academy of Medical Sciences secondment
2. 2.Dr Simon Vincent – UKIBCS 2026 speaker profile — Confirms background as post-doc at Imperial Cancer Research Fund, joining Cancer Research Campaign in 2000, joining Breast Cancer Now in 2014, and leading the research team through the 2019 merger with Breast Cancer Care
3. 3.NICE referral criteria miss up to 95% of women under 50 – ICR news — Evidences Vincent's public commentary on cancer risk detection policy and NICE Family History guidelines, in his role as Chief Scientific Officer
4. 4.About our research | Breast Cancer Now — Confirms title of Chief Scientific Officer and that the charity funds over 90 research projects worth almost £30 million
5. 5.Breast Cancer Now – Companies House filing — Confirms registered office address: 6th Floor, The White Chapel Building, 10 Whitechapel High Street, London, E1 8QS
6. 6.Breast Cancer Now press release – bone metastasis research — Confirms organisational press office email (press@breastcancernow.org) as the correct media contact point

Notable achievements

• Led Breast Cancer Now's research team through its 2019 merger with Breast Cancer Care, expanding the charity's combined research and support remit Source ↗
• Appointed Chief Scientific Officer at Breast Cancer Now in 2025, overseeing a research portfolio of over 90 projects worth almost £30 million Source ↗
• Publicly called for NICE Family History guidelines to be updated following research showing current referral criteria miss up to 95% of women under 50 who go on to develop breast cancer within 10 years Source ↗

What Dr Simon Vincent has said

• “Finding new ways to identify women at increased risk could help to prevent some breast cancers or detect them earlier, when treatment is more likely to be successful.”

  Chief scientific officer at Breast Cancer Now · Cancer · 30 Sept 2026 · Women under 50 at risk of breast cancer are not being referred - study ↗

• “For the 8,000 women diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer each year, the need for better ways to predict recurrence is particularly urgent. Triple negative breast cancer can be a more aggressive form of the disease and is more likely to return and spread in the first few years after diagnosis.”

  Chief Scientific Officer at Breast Cancer Now · Cancer · 30 Sept 2026 · New, cheaper blood test could help detect breast cancer recurrence earlier ↗

• “Thanks to data from multiple studies, including the Breast Cancer Now Generations Study, researchers have found that measuring prolactin levels may help us determine a women's risk of breast cancer.”

  Director of Research, Support and Influencing at Breast Cancer Now · Women's health & gynaecology · 29 Sept 2026 · New study confirms hormone’s role in post-menopausal breast cancer risk ↗

• “More risk-reducing treatment options for women with a high risk of developing breast cancer, that also protects their quality of life, are desperately needed. And we need to explore all avenues, including existing drugs, to achieve this.”

  chief scientific officer at Breast Cancer Now · Women's health & gynaecology · 29 Sept 2026 · Abortion drug could help reduce risk of breast cancer, group of medics says ↗

• “This first trial underlines the huge potential of AI to support radiologists in breast cancer screening. Screening is a vital tool for early detection, and the sooner the disease is found, the better chance of successful treatment.”

  Chief scientific officer at Breast Cancer Now · Cancer · 27 Aug 2026 · AI use in breast cancer screening cuts rate of later diagnosis by 12%, study finds ↗

• “These findings highlight the limitations of Nice's current referral criteria, and so this research must now be carefully considered as part of the current review of its family history guidelines.”

  Chief scientific officer at Breast Cancer Now · Cancer · 12 Aug 2026 · GPs’ breast cancer guidelines ‘miss’ 95% of young women who will develop disease ↗

Where Dr Simon Vincent has been quoted

1. How lymph node changes could indicate breast cancer risknews.sky.com · 4 Oct 2026
2. Women under 50 at risk of breast cancer are not being referred - studynews.sky.com · 30 Sept 2026
3. New, cheaper blood test could help detect breast cancer recurrence earliericr.ac.uk · 30 Sept 2026
4. New study confirms hormone’s role in post-menopausal breast cancer riskicr.ac.uk · 29 Sept 2026
5. Abortion drug could help reduce risk of breast cancer, group of medics saystheguardian.com · 29 Sept 2026
6. AI use in breast cancer screening cuts rate of later diagnosis by 12%, study findstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
7. GPs’ breast cancer guidelines ‘miss’ 95% of young women who will develop diseasetheguardian.com · 12 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

• Cervical Cancer Screening: Analyzing Recent Guideline Changes Against Current Trends of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Risk FactorsCureus
• Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: biotech firm eyes cervical cancer test breakthroughSouth China Morning Post
• Emma Willis, 50, builds upper-body muscle with these 4 go-to exercises – ‘I do want to be strong’Women's Health

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://breastcancernow.org/about-us/our-people/simon-vincent
• Press office emailpress@breastcancernow.orgpublished here ↗
• LinkedInhttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/simon-vincent-26b7aaa

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.