Cait Thornton

Grad Entry Medic '22-'26 @UoBMbChB

PhD @IMSR_UoB

Postdoc BWH @HarvardMed

she/her

Brummie 🇬🇧

🦀

[Cait Thornton @caitthornton]

I am so pleased to have been selected as a Fellow of the Foulkes Foundation, it's a great start to my final year at @UoBMBChB 🎉

[The Foulkes Foundation @FoulkesFdn]

Delighted to announce that our 2025 Fellows have been appointed!

Congratulations to Caitlin Ashcroft, @CoozeB , @maria_eriksson_, Wang Pok Lo and Caitlin Thornton.

Interested in applying for the 2026 intake? Have a look at: https://t.co/sPKtxNbNEP

[Roger Federer @rogerfederer]

Vamos, @RafaelNadal!

As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional.

Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me—a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could. On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game—even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.

I’m not a very superstitious person, but you took it to the next level. Your whole process. All those rituals. Assembling your water bottles like toy soldiers in formation, fixing your hair, adjusting your underwear... All of it with the highest intensity. Secretly, I kind of loved the whole thing. Because it was so unique—it was so you.

And you know what, Rafa, you made me enjoy the game even more. 

OK, maybe not at first. After the 2004 Australian Open, I achieved the #1 ranking for the first time. I thought I was on top of the world. And I was—until two months later, when you walked on the court in Miami in your red sleeveless shirt, showing off those biceps, and you beat me convincingly. All that buzz I’d been hearing about you—about this amazing young player from Mallorca, a generational talent, probably going to win a major someday—it wasn’t just hype.

We were both at the start of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking together. Twenty years later, Rafa, I have to say: What an incredible run you’ve had. Including 14 French Opens—historic! You made Spain proud... you made the whole tennis world proud.

I keep thinking about the memories we’ve shared. Promoting the sport together. Playing that match on half-grass, half-clay. Breaking the all-time attendance record by playing in front of more than 50,000 fans in Cape Town, South Africa. Always cracking each other up. Wearing each other out on the court and then, sometimes, almost literally having to hold each other up during trophy ceremonies.

I’m still grateful you invited me to Mallorca to help launch the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2016. Actually, I kind of invited myself. I knew you were too polite to insist on me being there, but I didn’t want to miss it. You have always been a role model for kids around the world, and Mirka and I are so glad that our children have all trained at your academies. They had a blast and learned so much—like thousands of other young players. Although I always worried my kids would come home playing tennis as lefties.

And then there was London—the Laver Cup in 2022. My final match. It meant everything to me that you were there by my side—not as my rival but as my doubles partner. Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career.

Rafa, I know you’re focused on the last stretch of your epic career. We will talk when it’s done. For now, I just want to congratulate your family and team, who all played a massive role in your success. And I want you to know that your old friend is always cheering for you, and will be cheering just as loud for everything you do next.

Rafa that!

Best always, your fan, 

Roger

[Cait Thornton @caitthornton]

@RimaDSmith Amazing! Congratulations and good luck 👏🏻

[Drug Monkey @drugmonkeyblog]

“Also the first author” 👀

[The Nobel Prize @NobelPrize]

BREAKING NEWS
The 2024 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.

[Cait Thornton @caitthornton]

After this, I'll be collecting data on optimising free caffeine intake at large cardiology conferences like everybody else! #ESC2024 #ESCCongress

[Cait Thornton @caitthornton]

This morning I'm presenting on outcomes for cardiac amyloidosis patients after heart transplantation at #ESC2024 Research Station 7 11am!

[Steven Swinford @Steven_Swinford]

EXCLUSIVE

* Junior doctors have struck an improved pay deal with ministers in a breakthrough that could see their earnings increase by 20 per cent over two years

* BMA's junior doctors committee has recommended an offer which would see a backdated pay rise of 4.05% for 2023-24, on top of an existing increase of between 8.8 per cent and 10.3%

* They will be given a further pay rise of 6 per cent for 2024-25, which will be topped up by an extra £1,000. This is equivalent to a pay rise of between 7% and 9%

* The overall package represents a pay rise of around 20%, with the lowest-paid junior doctors getting the biggest rise in their earnings

* BMA's committee has agreed to put the offer to its members, and if accepted it would spell an end to industrial action. But there is no guarantee they will accept it

https://t.co/PfmVUInJkz

[Cait Thornton @caitthornton]

@kathrynbarry_ @UoBMBChB @unibirmingham Congratulations Kathryn!! I learned so much from you this year you're an absolute star ✨

[Nature Reviews Drug Discovery @NatRevDrugDisc]

The FDA has approved the first telomerase inhibitor, imetelstat, to treat myelodysplastic syndromes following an epic journey for the drug, which has been tested in more than 20 trials over the past 20 years in various cancers. Find out more here https://t.co/w6a7pocLKX

[Anaesthetists United @AnaesUnited]

We are commencing a legal case against the @gmcuk over their regulation of Physician Associates.

We need your help to fund it.

Writing letters didn't work. Time for action.

https://t.co/5iDTCiEfXN

#telltheGMC

[Cait Thornton @caitthornton]

‘Drexit’ looms as we fail our junior doctors https://t.co/yoXV5qCarR via @ft

[Cait Thornton @caitthornton]

@isabelgfoster @UniofOxford @Alice_J_Norton @emiliasantonio @louise_sigfrid @GloPID_R This is fantastic!

[Iñigo Landa @inigo_landa]

Join us for the 2nd ETA-ATA Trainee Joint Online Meeting

🗓️Tuesday, May 21st
8am PT🏄‍♀️
11am EST🦃
5pm CET🇪🇺

Connect with your peers in thyroidology!

@F_ThurstonDrake @AmThyroidAssn @ETA_Thyroid @LATS_Society @britishthyroid

Free event, register here: https://t.co/zv5YCd9Xcm

[Cait Thornton @caitthornton]

Really proud to present this study I did with @hannahvgiles on cardiac transplantation in AL amyloidosis patients at #BSH2024 a personal one for me! @uhbtrust @UoBMBChB

[Denis Wirtz @deniswirtz]

We updated our database of POSTDOC fellowships. We identified 316 different fellowships.

For each entry, we provide a link to the funder, amount, deadline, and eligibility criteria.

Download this free database here: https://t.co/AhCXXsv9kg

[Cait Thornton @caitthornton]

@inthelabwithme Amazing Himani!! So excited to see where this takes you and backing you all the way ✨

[Cait Thornton @caitthornton]

@ilempMD @harvardmed Congratulations! Hope your postdoc goes well and it's not too cold over there!

[Cait Thornton @caitthornton]

@O_Grech @BrainLabBhamUk @daniel_j_fulton @IMSR_UoB @unibirm_MDS Amazing Olivia!! Congratulations 🍾