Meet Dr Michelel Ceci, she is a Resident Specialist, working full time at the Histopathology Department at Mater Dei Hospital, a visiting lecturer at the University teaching Pathology, and in 2019 she enrolled for a Masters in Pathology, doing all this whilst also being a mother of a one year old!

Dr Ceci completed her Pathologists specialisation at the Royal College in 2018, and obtained a Diploma in Certificate of Higher Cervical Cytology Training a year later. Nowadays, part of her job is to examine the macroscopic specimens that arrive during an on-call day, and then report all those specimens to provide information to the caring clinicians on the patient’s diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. 

Q: How did you get involved in Medicine?

A: I always loved Medicine. When I was little, I used to steal my mother's beauty products and try out experiments to discover ‘cures’. My Barbies were also victims of unprecedented surgeries. When I passed my A-levels, I knew where I wanted to enrol, and during the first two years of my course, I immediately knew that I wanted to continue my career in Histopathology and research. 

Q: Who inspires you from the Medical industry? 

A: There have been many people throughout my career who have instilled in me the passion to learn and investigate. I was taught not to be satisfied with a simple answer but to dig deep into the reason behind the answer and to find other alternative options. Some of my educational supervisors like Dr Ian Said Huntingford and Prof Godfrey Grech throughout my training, mentors and fellow colleagues have been an inspiration to dive into the world of research.

Q: Do you have a favourite TV show related to doctors like Grey’s Anatomy?

A: Not really, most of them do not reflect at all the reality of medical practice. Also most of them do not really include pathologists (except for autopsies!).

Q: Do you think there are more males than females in the medical industry? If yes, How does it feel being one of the few females in the team ?

A: I used to think that medicine was a man-driven profession, however, through teaching medical students

I have realised that more women are actually enrolling in medicine.

Q: What interests you the most, what is the fun part, the most satisfactory part of studying and researching about cellular changes associated with breast tumour spread?

A: A malignant tumour is a parasite, as it grows in one’s body it will change and adapt in order to survive and spread. It is amazing to discover how a tumour can adapt to escape elimination by our body or by treatment. Studying the way it does this, in order to find a way to stop it is the most challenging and satisfying part. 

Q: What would you say to a young student thinking about starting a medical career?

A: I would tell them to go for it! It is hard work, but it pays off! Making a difference in a patient’s life is one of the most amazing and satisfying feelings that they would feel.

Q: How do you think Cancer research has evolved, are we getting close to finding the best cure, what are the main challenges in breast cancer research?

A: I feel that the more we know about the cellular, biological and molecular mechanisms of tumour growth and spread – the less we actually know! When a new molecule or mechanism is discovered, this leads to so many questions that need further research to be answered! You discover something but you realise soon enough that there is something further to explore. 

The main challenges in breast cancer research is finding man-power to create teams of specialists and scientists to conduct the research, sponsorship and funding, and ironically the research itself. 

Q: What projects have you worked on so far?

A: I am currently working on my own Masters degree, where I am investigating the association between a marker called fibronectin, and metastatic potential in two particular types of breast carcinomata. I have also been involved in research done by some of my colleagues with the importance of other markers in relation to breast cancer, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) which is a precursor lesion for cervical cancer, and gestational trophoblastic disease (molar pregnancies).

Q: If you were still starting off your career what would you have done differently?

A: I think I would have done a few years training abroad in specialised centres which target certain types of malignancies. Training in Malta has its advantages and disadvantages; one advantage is that in one year you are likely to see a wide variety of pathologies. The main disadvantage is that we are in reality a small island and the incidence of certain rarer pathologies is often overall low, preventing sub-specialisation. 

Q: What are your goals in the near future?

A: Graduating from my Masters degree is a goal that I am certainly looking forward to! I would also love to get involved in more research projects, especially from the histopathological point of view.