Clinical academic careersClinical academic careers

Galenicals, 20th March 2011

Peter Mathieson, Professor of Medicine &Dean, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry

Clinical academic careersClinical academic careers

WHAT?WHAT?

HOW?HOW?

WHY?WHY?

Clinical academic careersClinical academic careers

Career path in medicine (including surgery) involving training and experience in teaching and/or research, leading to a senior level position in a university

WHAT?WHAT?

Clinical academic careersClinical academic careers

Personal: stimulating environments, opportunity to contribute to training of future generations, highs and lows of research. National: shortage subject!

WHY?WHY?

Clinical academic careersClinical academic careers

Defined career paths now exist, career structure easier to envisage than previously (but not necessarily easier to attain!).Competitive, demanding. Aim is to have true flexibility.

HOW?HOW?

Clinical academic careersClinical academic careers“I did it my way….”1970-77: grammar school in Cornwall1978-83: MB BS (Hons) London Hospital (didn’t do an intercalated BSc)

1983-4: “house jobs”, London Hospital1985-7: SHO, “golden mile”, London1987-8: Registrar, Hammersmith Hospitalincurably hooked on nephrology by this stage;encouraged to do research mainly for reasons ofcv enhancement in a competitive specialty

Clinical academic careersClinical academic careers“I did it my way….”1988: Medical Research Council training fellowship, Cambridge (3 yrs). PhD 1991

1995: new Chair of Renal Medicine, Bristol

1991: Medical Research Council clinician- scientist fellowship, Cambridge (4 years).

2007: elected President of Renal Association

2008: Dean, Faculty of Medicine & DentistryUniversity of Bristol

Clinical academic careersClinical academic careers“I did it my way….”Research:

In Bristol, focus on proteinuria (causes, consequences, treatments)

PhD & post-doctoral work on autoimmune renal disease, cytokine genetics

Research group now 18 people, mixture of clinical & non-clinical backgrounds from UK, India, Libya etc, collaborations with Sweden, USA, Canada; Funding from MRC, Wellcome

180 litres/day of water & small molecules

Almost no protein

Clinical academic careersClinical academic careers“I did it my way….”Teaching:

Undergraduates & postgraduates in general medicine & nephrology; nurses and PAMs, PhD/MD students, undergraduate projects for intercalating medics/other sciences

Rewarding & stimulating, opportunity to “give back”, encourage others etc. UK & Uganda…

Clinical academic careersClinical academic careers“I did it my way….”

Would I do it again?

Definitely! Definitely! Especially now with efforts to construct pathways for clinical academic careers in UK, availability of mentorship schemes, shortage of applicants for senior clinical academic posts etc…

Academic foundation programme

Academic Clinical Fellowship

Higher Academic Degree ( MD/PhD)

Academic Clinical Lectureship

Completion of Clinical Training (CCT).

3 years

3 years

4 years

2 years

2011: the integrated academic training pathway

Pathways to a career in academic medicine (& surgery etc!)

• Some health professionals know that they want to pursue an academic career while still a student

• Opportunities usually exist to learn about research methods during the undergraduate course

• Some will enter medicine already with a degree in another subject (graduate entrants)

• For a few there are opportunities to combine getting a medical degree with a PhD (MB/PhD courses)

• Intercalated BSc (!) & other academic credentials

Academic F2 programme

University of Bristol in association with the Severn Deanery

Supported by Foundation Programme Directors

The national scene• Programmes in all school/deanery partnerships

– Varying numbers of posts– Different rotations– Most focus on research

• a few teaching • a very few leadership and management

• Information on UKFPO website

• Moving to a national application process before standard FP opens

• Separate application form

• Interview

The Bristol programme

• An academic F2 year

• 12 posts– 1 x 4 month academic post based at UoB

• Each with a day a week in service

– 2 x 4 month service posts at UHBristol/NBT

• Each with a day release for academic work

• Currently research orientated

• Education posts to follow

• Lead onto Academic Clinical Fellowship posts

The academic posts*

• Surgery

• Endocrinology-adult

• General practice

• Clinical epidemiology/public health

* may be subject to change!

• Psychiatry

• Medical physiology

• Paediatrics & ID/microbiology

• Paediatrics –

renal/endocrine

The curriculum

• Complete F2 competencies in 2 service blocks– Day release in service blocks for academic work– Day release back into service in academic block

• Generic research methods course– 1/2 day/week in block 1

• Complete a piece of academic work – 4months– Literature Review– Practical project in lab– Data collection – survey, interviews etc– Write a paper– Presentation at academic meeting

• Prepare an ACF application

Generic research methods course

• A selection of the following will be available– European Computer Driving License

– An Introduction to Epidemiology, Health Services Research and Basic Statistics

– Critical Appraisal

– Good Practice in Clinical Research

– Good Practice in Laboratory Research

– Database management

– Writing a research proposal

– Careers in Academic Medicine

Supervision/mentorship• Clinical supervisor - each attachment

• Educational supervisor - for the year

• Academic supervisor

• Member of group of 12 F2 trainees

Desirable Qualities

• No failure in MB BCh

• Additional qualifications eg BA, BSc MSc etc

• Intercalated degree

• Distinctions in MB BCh

• Publication(s)

• Prizes in medical school

• Presentation of work at a national or international meeting

• Demonstration of personal reasons for applying for this AF2

Further informationFurther information

www.clinicalacademicjobs.org/medical

www.acmedsci.ac.uk/p25.html

www.academicmedicine.ac.uk

www.nccrcd.nhs.uk/intetacatrain