Rate My Professor Karoline Freeman

Dr Karoline Freeman is an Associate Professor in quantitative analysis of breast cancer screening within the Division of Health Sciences at Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick. Her academic background includes a BSc Honours in Biological Sciences and an MSc in Evidence Based Health Care and Health Technology Assessment from the University of Birmingham. She completed her PhD in Health Sciences at Warwick Medical School in 2020, funded by a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Doctoral Research Fellowship, with a thesis titled 'The role of faecal calprotectin testing in primary care', supervised by Aileen Clarke, Sian Taylor-Phillips, and Brian Willis. In 2022, Freeman undertook an NIHR Development and Skills Enhancement Fellowship in Health Data Science, focusing on causal inference methods for observational data analysis.

Freeman's career progression at the University of Warwick includes positions as Research Fellow, Senior Research Fellow in Screening and Test Evaluation, and her current role as Associate Professor. Her research specializations encompass methods for test evaluation, evidence synthesis for policy using systematic reviews and routine data, health technology assessment, and health data science, with a focus on breast cancer screening and diagnostic test accuracy. As a member of the Warwick Screening team, she led the analysis of the English Sloane atypia cohort, informing recommendations for managing screen-detected atypia. She serves on the NHS Breast Screening Programme Research, Innovation and Development Advisory Committee. Key publications include 'Challenges in evaluating whole genome sequencing for newborn screening: series of systematic reviews and roadmap for evidence generation for policy advisers' (2025), 'Evidence-informed recommendations on managing breast screening atypia: perspectives of an expert panel' (2024), 'Artificial intelligence to complement rather than replace radiologists in breast screening: systematic review' (2022), 'Test accuracy of faecal calprotectin for inflammatory bowel disease in UK primary care: retrospective cohort study' (2021), 'Faecal calprotectin to detect inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and exploratory meta-analysis of test accuracy' (2019), 'Patient safety in ambulance services: a scoping review' (2015), and 'Non-invasive fetal RHD genotyping tests: a systematic review and economic evaluation' (2009). Her contributions have impacted health policy and clinical guidelines in screening programs.