National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Academic Clinical Fellowships in General Practice and Primary Care 2009

General Information

The NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships Programme is a national initiative offering entry-level specialist training to those who have Foundation competences in medicine and can demonstrate that they have outstanding potential for development as a clinical academic. Currently there are 14 national NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships in General Practice and Primary Care to be offered in 2009 so the awards are highly competitive.

The Fellowships provide 4 years training, of which about 75% is clinical and 25% academic. At the completion of training the trainee will be eligible for accreditation as a general practitioner. They will also be in a position to apply for admission to a higher level academic training programme leading to the award of a higher degree.

NIHR Fellowships in General Practice and Primary Care will be offered in seven Deaneries in 2009 in association with the Universities of Birmingham (West Midlands), Bristol (Severn), Cambridge (East of England), Keele (West Midlands), Manchester (North-Western), Oxford (Oxford), and Peninsula (South-West Peninsula). The academic programmes offered in each Deanery are described briefly below, with links to more detail on the websites of the individual schemes.

The person specification for entry is common to all Deaneries. All applications must be made via the National Recruitment Office for General Practice Training website by completing both the standard GP training application and the additional academic training form. Those making an unsuccessful application for academic training will still be considered for a standard GP specialty training programme and a number of Deaneries also offer options other than the NIHR Fellowships for academic development.

Selection process and Interview dates

The first round of academic interviews for NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships in General Practice and Primary Care will take place during the week commencing March 16th 2009. You will be notified by e-mail whether you have been short-listed for an academic interview.

If shortlisted for an academic interview, candidates are advised to speak with the named contact for the scheme for which they will be interviewed. After the academic interview, a provisional offer of a Fellowship to successful candidates will be made, subject to passing the remaining stages of the clinical selection process. Candidates who do not receive a provisional offer of a Fellowship as a result of their interview may be invited to a "clearing" interview for a Fellowship in another Deanery.

The academic interview will also assess suitability for clinical training, and clinical training posts will be provisionally reserved for applicants recommended for a Fellowship. However all applicants interviewed for academic posts (whether recommended for fellowships or not) will also be asked to subsequently attend a Selection Centre for clinical placement at their allocated Deanery. This will allow:

Even if you have been offered an academic place it is conditional upon your being assessed as fit for clinical training.

See Calendar for key dates relating to recruitment for August 2009.

Available NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships in General Practice and Primary Care 2009

East of England Deanery - Cambridge (2 posts)
The East of England Deanery, in collaboration with the General Practice & Primary Care Research Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, will jointly offer two NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow posts to start in August 2009. Training is fully integrated into the highly regarded Cambridge VTS programme, and an academic strand will be maintained across the whole four-year period tailored to the post-holder's needs. Training will be based in the associated primary and secondary care trusts, with learning opportunities across the East of England Region R&D infrastructure.

Academic Clinical Fellows will be on one of the two rotations on the Cambridge VTS for the first 18 months or two years. During this time they will spend 6 months in general practice and 12 - 18 months in hospital posts. They will then spend 50% of their time in the academic environment, and the remainder in general practice, possibly with some community posts.

Strong candidates with an interest in primary care research or medical education are encouraged. Successful applicants will receive individual, flexible, needs-based and tailored academic training to develop knowledge, understanding and skills in research methods and medical education. The academic attachment will include experiential learning about primary care research and medical education leading to journal publication. Clinical training will focus on the generalist clinical knowledge base and special skills in the area of research interest.

Further information http://www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/gppcru/AcademicGP

Specific enquiries about the Cambridge scheme can be addressed to:
Dr Fiona Walter: [email protected]

Oxford Deanery – Oxford (2 posts)
The Oxford Deanery, in collaboration with the Oxford University Department of Primary Health Care, offers two NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships in 2009.

Academic Clinical Fellows will undertake the standard clinical training in common with other GP vocational trainees during the first 2 years. In years 3 and 4, trainees are attached to a University-linked general practice for clinical training and spend 40% of their time in year 3 and 60% in year 4 undertaking teaching and research training at the University.

During the last two years you will be expected to take part in a research project leading to journal publication in an area in which the University Department has expertise and can provide supervision. There may be opportunities for trainees to spend short periods of time overseas.

We are keen to admit strong applicants with an interest in research but will consider candidates with a primary interest in medical education. On completion of your 4 year training you will have the option of returning to a clinical career track but most previous trainees have applied successfully for higher academic training awards (to complete D Phil or MD degrees) or junior Lecturer posts.

Further details about the University Department can be found at http://www.primarycare.ox.ac.uk.

Enquiries should be addressed to [email protected]

North-West Deanery - Manchester (2 posts)
The North Western Deanery in conjunction with the Manchester Medical School have been awarded 2 NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships in General Practice for 2009.

We will appoint one Fellow in Medical Education and one in Research. There will be strong links to the National Primary Care Centre for Research and Development for the research post and to the Department of the Professor of Community Based Medical Education for the education post.

The successful applicants will be supported and encouraged to undertake a Masters Degree in either Medical Education or Research and supported to develop the necessary skills to embark on a higher (PhD) Degree in the future.

The training will be based in the Manchester PCT and the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust and will be linked throughout the 4 years to experienced training practices with academic links in education and research respectively. There will be 1 year of hospital based training, 1 year of innovative split training (40% in hospital 40% in the training practice and 20% in the Academic Unit). The final 2 years will be as a GP Registrar with 50% attachment to the Academic Unit to complete the Masters Degree.

For further details:
for research contact [email protected]
and for education contact [email protected]
websites www.npcrdc.ac.uk and www.nspcr.ac.uk

Severn Deanery - Bristol (2 posts)
The Academic Unit of Primary Health Care in the University of Bristol, in association with the Severn Institute GP training scheme, has been awarded two NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) programmes in general practice commencing August 2009. Applicants wishing to pursue an academic career focussing on either research or education attached to a very successful academic department are invited to apply.

This programme will provide a two phase, four year training programme. The first phase (two years) offers one 6 month post in general practice and three 6 month hospital posts in appropriate specialties. Phase 2 provides two years of integrated academic general practice, with time divided equally between the Academic Unit of Primary Health Care, University of Bristol, and training as a GP registrar in a local practice recognised for undergraduate teaching, accredited for vocational training and highly research-active. The academic programme incorporates generic research methods training and completion of a specific project under the supervision of a senior GP academic. You will be encouraged to develop your research interests in line with those of the department (for more information see www.bris.ac.uk/primaryhealthcare) and to develop an application for an externally funded PhD award. There is also the possibility of undertaking a distance learning Masters through the NIHR School for Primary Care Research.

You will have an academic GP mentor whom you will meet regularly during the two year hospital phase and who will oversee your academic progress throughout the four year programme.

For more information please look at our website or contact Professor Debbie Sharp : [email protected]

South West Peninsula Deanery - Peninsula (3 posts)
The South West Peninsula Deanery and Peninsula Medical School offer three NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships for GPs in 2009, commencing in August 2009.

This fully integrated clinical and research training programme will provide important opportunities for Academic Clinical Fellows to benefit from high quality clinical training and innovative research training. Opportunities will also be available for suitable candidates to pursue training in clinical education relevant to general practice/primary care settings.

Fellowships will be tailored to successful appointees’ academic aspirations and previous experience. Mentorship will be provided by named academics and clinical GP specialists. A stepped approach to academic training will be provided – again this being tailored to the successful appointee. The goal of the post is to enable Fellows to undertake basic research training, possibly including a Masters level qualification, and thus being in a strong position to apply for externally funded higher degree (MD/PhD) training opportunities (whilst still retaining clinical practice) at the end of the Fellowship.

We are seeking applications from academically able and interested individuals at the outset of their general practice training. Local opportunities exist for attachment to experts with a range of methodological expertise encompassing basic and behavioural sciences and a full range of research methodologies from evidence synthesis to qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

Peninsula Medical School is an ambitious, innovative, and recently established institution providing an unparalleled geographical and academic setting for the training of tomorrow’s GPs/primary care academics.

More details can be found at http://www.pms.ac.uk/pms/research/primary_care.php

Specific enquiries: Professor John L Campbell, Professor of General Practice and Primary Care, [email protected]

West Midland Deanery - Birmingham (1 post)
The West Midland Deanery and the Department of Primary Care Clinical Sciences at the University of Birmingham offer one NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship in General Practice in 2009.

During the first 2 years, Academic Clinical Fellows (ACF) will undertake the standard clinical training in common with other GP vocational trainees on the highly regarded West Midland VTS Programme. In years 3 and 4, academic registrars are attached to a University-linked general practice for clinical training and spend 40% of their time in year 3 and 60% in year 4 undertaking teaching and research training at the University.

During the two academic/service years the ACF will be supported to register for a MSc in Primary Care on our well established modular 2 year programme, take part in a research project leading to journal publication in one of our areas of research expertise (cardiovascular, cancer, chronic disease, medical decision making) or methodological strengths (epidemiology, trials, eScience, behavioural change), and be encouraged to register for a PhD before the end of the attachment. There may be opportunities for trainees to spend short periods of time at other institutions in the UK or overseas.

We are keen to support strong applicants with an interest in research to apply for higher academic training awards (and complete PhD or MD degrees) at the end of the scheme and limited funding may be available to help bridge such candidates for a limited period at the end of the 4 year Fellowship.

Further details about the University Department can be found at http://www.pcpoh.bham.ac.uk/primarycare/

Enquiries should be addressed to [email protected]

West Midland Deanery - Keele (2 posts)
The West Midland Deanery and Keele University offer two NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships in 2009.

The Keele programme provides an integrated clinical and academic training configured to support participation in our modular Master’s programme. The Vocational Training Scheme (VTS) at Keele is now delivered entirely through the Masters in Medical Science, where negotiated study leave secures protected time for participants to undertake structured academic training and a supervised project for publication. Mentorship is provided by academics at the Arthritis Research Campaign’s National Primary Care Centre at Keele.

The first two years of the training programme involve standard hospital-based training. In years 3 and 4, trainees are attached to a University-linked general practice for clinical training and spend 40% of their time in year 1 and 60% in year 2 undertaking research training at the University. In addition to completing their supervised project for publication, trainees will be supported to develop an application for a PhD Fellowship for submission to an external funder as the next step in their career progression.

One of the two Fellowships in 2009 is linked directly to Keele’s new NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship training programme in clinical epidemiology, and we can also offer a strong grounding and supervision in trials and qualitative research. We also anticipate admitting candidates whose primary interest is in medical education.

More details about the University Research Centre can be found at www.keele.ac.uk/research/pchs

Specific enquiries about the Keele scheme can be addressed to [email protected]