Professor Mike Dixon received his BSc (Hons) in Pathology in 1975 followed by an MB ChB in 1978, and an MD in 1986 from Edinburgh University. Professor Dixon is a fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and England and an honorary fellow of The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. He was appointed as Consultant Surgeon/Senior Lecturer in Surgery in October 1994 and has been leader of the research performed in the Edinburgh Breast Unit since that date.

Professor Dixon is a member of the British Breast Group, the Scottish Cancer Trials Breast Group, the South East of Scotland Cancer Area Network Breast Cancer Group and the European Association for Cancer Research. He is a panel member of the UK National Breast Cancer Coalition, and a representative on the Central European Cooperative Oncology Group. He is a member of the organising committee of the Nottingham International Breast Cancer Conference, the SIGN Guidelines committee and a medical advisor to Breast Cancer Care and CancerBACUP. Professor Dixon has published over 250 papers, contributed 76 book chapters, and written or edited 27 books. He was the inaugural managing editor of The Breast and a former member of the editorial board of the British Medical Journal. He is a reviewer for 30 cancer-related journals.

Professor Dixon has given over 200 invited lectures all around the world and has been an invited speaker at all the major international breast cancer meetings including the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, ASCO, Miami Breast Cancer Conference, the American Society of Breast Diseases, the American Society of Breast Surgeons, the American Society of Surgical Oncology and the Australasian Society of Breast Disease. Professor Dixon has been co-chair of the Miami Breast Cancer Conference from 2008 .

Professor Dixon’s research work focuses exclusively on breast disease and principally on the hormonal treatment of breast cancer. Professor Dixon was involved in the introduction of many of the newer agents now used in the treatment of breast cancer.

Recent Achievements

• Charitable Trust, Research Fellowship: £119k December 2008 for 2 years.
• Breakthrough Breast Cancer Intramural Project Grant. £192k 2008 for 3 years.
• £4.6 million grant from Breakthrough Breast Cancer to set up a new Breakthrough Research Unit in Edinburgh, 5 years from October 2007.
• Programme Grant – Experimental Cancer Medicine: Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre. Endocrine studies. £184k April 2007 for 5 years.
• SUPREMO £2.12 Million.
• TELEMAM Trial £221k.
• HTA Grant: Surveillance mammography after treatment for primary breast cancer £281k
• Co Applicant: Dept of Defence, US Army Grants and National Cancer Institute, USA, totalling £420k March 2005 to end of 2010
• An exploratory study to evaluate the biological activity of R1507 in women with operable breast cancer, Roche Pharmaceuticals, £546,575 January 2009 for 12 months
• Effects of SNDX-275 on expression of biomarkers in breast cancer, Syndax Pharmaceuticals, £45,500 July 2010 for 12 months
• Molecular Profiling in Early Breast Cancer, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals £270,000 for 24 months from 2010