Dr Emma Yhnell – born to be a researcher
Listen to Emma chat with other inspiring researchers on our Where would we be without research? podcast soon wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe now.
31-year-old Dr Emma Yhnell, who lives in Cardiff, was taking part in research before she could walk. She has gone on to pioneer her own studies into diseases of the brain and to inspire the Welsh public to learn more about research using her bubble machine and cuddly brain cell.
Emma’s next adventure takes place online as the host of our Where Would We Be Without Research? podcast.
Born into research
“My parents couldn’t conceive naturally, so they turned to IVF. After many failed attempts, my parents had triplets (me and my sisters) almost 10 years later.
“My sisters and I were born really early, and my parents were warned we might not all make it. Research came to the rescue again when my dad was asked if he would consider enrolling his triplets into a study looking at a drug which helped develop the lungs of premature babies. All three of us took part and grew up nice and healthy, we were really lucky.
“I have no doubts at all, the reason I was born and the reason I’m alive now is down to research.”
Inspired by family
“When I was a kid, I would regularly make the trip from Gloucester to Newport to visit my grandparents. My Nana would always welcome me with a warm hug and would say ‘oh Emma, haven’t you grown?’.
“She’d ask me the same question again two hours later, at first I thought this was funny, but when it turned into ‘sorry, who are you?’ I started to worry. That’s when my mum told me my Nana’s brain was broken. I now know that meant she was living with Alzheimer’s.
“I remember, as a young child this really scared me, and I didn’t understand why we couldn’t simply fix her brain. This is where my want to learn more about diseases of brain came from. My Nana is my inspiration.”
Finding her niche
“For over a decade now, my passion has been research into Huntington’s disease, a rare brain disorder which causes the breakdown of cells in the brain.
“What really interests me is how we treat brain disorders differently to any other disease, and how much of an impact they have not only on the person with the illness, but their family as well.
“During my Health and Care Research Wales Fellowship, I worked in the Huntington’s disease patient clinic. I realised that often the information available to people wasn’t written in ways which people could easily understand and this spurred me on to do more work spreading the word about research.”
“Ever since then I’ve been going into schools and to festivals, to talk about the brain and science. For me it’s really important we don’t leave research in the lab, the most exciting work I do is changing the minds of people who don’t think research is relevant to them.
“I certainly wouldn’t be here without research; I don’t think any of us would or at least not for very long. Research applies to all of our lives in so many different ways.”
Hear from Dot Davies, the host of our Ble fydden ni heb ymchwil? podcast on our blog page.