Dr Victoria McKay
Consultant in Cardiovascular Clinical Genetics
Responsibilities at LHCH
- Consultant in Cardiovascular Clinical Genetics and part of the Inherited Cardiovascular Conditions team.
Special Clinical Interests
- Diagnosis and counselling for patients and families with and at-risk of all types of Inherited Cardiovascular Conditions, including:
- Cardiomyopathies
- Channelopathies
- Familial thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections
- Congenital heart disease in adults and children
- Sudden cardiac death in the young
- Heart conditions as part of wider genetic conditions
- Diagnostic genetic and genomic testing in all types of Inherited Cardiovascular Conditions
- Conditions associated with thoracic aortic aneurysms, dissections and aortopathies, including Marfan and Loeys-Dietz
Research Interests
- Genetics and genomics of rare diseases
- Aortopathies and familial thoracic aneurysms and dissections
- Genetic and genomic basis of cardiovascular conditions
Regional and National Responsibilities
- Training Programme Director for Clinical Genetics, Health Education England North West
- External Advisor for Clinical Genetics training in Northern Ireland
- UK Clinical Genetics Specialist Advisory Committee member, Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board
- Cardiovascular Genetics Lead, Cheshire and Merseyside
Membership of Professional Bodies
- Association for Inherited Cardiac Conditions
- British Cardiac Society
- British Society for Genetic Medicine
- UK Clinical Genetics Society
- Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Publications
- I have more than 20 publications in peer-reviewed journals, mainly in the field of rare genetic disorders. These can be accessed via PubMed.
- I have also authored 4 textbook chapters, including 2 related to cardiovascular genetic disorders, and more than 10 abstracts.
- In 2020 I collaborated with colleagues and patients to publish a report from a Delphi exercise to inform research and screening in thoracic aortic disease (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32678053/).
Background
- I graduated with Honours from the University of Manchester in 2007, having spent some time in Toronto, Canada during my undergraduate training.
- I completed Foundation Training in the North West and then higher training in Paediatrics in Mersey, gaining Membership of the Royal College of Paediatrics.
- I then completed Higher Specialist Training in Clinical Genetics from 2012-2016 at the Liverpool Centre for Genomic Medicine and at the Murdoch Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
- During this time I developed my specialist interest in Cardiovascular Genetics and led the integration of clinical genetics into the Inherited Cardiac Conditions service at LHCH.
- I was appointed to my Consultant post in Cardiovascular and General Clinical Genetics in 2016 and have been the clinical lead for Cardiovascular Genetics in Cheshire and Merseyside, delivering specialist Cardiovascular Genetics clinics at LHCH ever since.
Why Choose LHCH
- LHCH provides high-quality, integrated care for patients and families with all types of inherited heart and blood vessel disorders, provided by a compassionate and knowledgeable clinical team.
Personal Profile
- Most of my time outside work is spent with my husband and young family, but I also enjoy yoga, running and adding to my already quite extensive shoe collection!