Dr Chantal Babb de Villiers

Chantal is a Senior Policy Analyst contributing to many of PHG foundations projects including B-CAST, polygenic scores and Innovative Science. As a senior analyst she supports the science team in identifying and developing projects, including in the area of polygenic scores and cancer.

Chantal has a diverse background including genetics, healthcare, cancer, and epidemiology with a specific interest in the challenges involved in translating genomic research into health care. Her interests encompass genomics, cancer, early detection, prevention, clinical data utilisation, and public health. Her previous work experience ranges across diagnostics, cancer registries and breast cancer risk stratification. 

She has a PhD from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa where she looked at host genetic factors for susceptibility to tuberculosis, and a MSc in Medical Genetics from the University of Glasgow. After working at a Somatic Cell Genetics diagnostic department as a R&D scientist developing new molecular tests for implementation, Chantal moved to the South African National Cancer Registry as the lead scientist on the Johannesburg Cancer Study - at the time the largest study of its kind. She has also worked on breast cancer risk stratification as a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge.