Clinical research career development

Ian Hall Chair, MRC Clinical Training Fellowship Panel

Three MRC Fellowship groups

Non Clinical , Clinical and some of Strategic Skill fellowships Senior Non-Clinical Career Development Award

Yrs Post PhD

-1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 CRTF Clinical Lectureship Clinician Scientist Senior Clinical Lectureship Senior Clinical Population Health Science Biomed informatics, Biostats, Economics of Health Methodology Development

MRC has a leading role and complementary clinical research training partnerships in

Integrated Academic Training Path (England Only) Specialist Training NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship (281) NIHR Clinical Lectureship (207) CCT Academic Position HEFCE CSLA (112) Following on from Academic Foundation Year Clinical Training 1 2 3 4 5 Further specialty/ sub-specialty training Research Training Fellowship (355) Clinician Scientist Fellowship * (142) Senior Clinical Fellowship / Chair (94) *

There are also 14 NIHR fellowships and 1 MRC bioinformatics training fellowship at the more junior initial post-doctoral level

Fellowships: More than just a grant!

Great opportunities

• • • • Resources Protected time Connections, networks Potential to establish competitive position • • • Route to independence Recognition Influence

Outstanding researchers

“My fellowship led directly to more opportunities and collaborations…” MRC Clinician Scientist Fellow

Example of partnership with the Academy of Medical Sciences 3 month Policy Internships £30k CL Starter Grants

Clinical Fellowships Clinical Scientist fellowship • • • • • Aim to develop outstanding clinically qualified professionals who have gained a PhD/DPhil to establish themselves as independent researchers.

Up to 4 years' support (or 5 years if 40% clinical work involved) Support: fellow’s salary + research expenses (including research support staff) + travel Average cost per award = approximately £1m.

www.mrc.ac.uk

Clinical Fellowships • • Senior Clinical fellowship • • Aimed at clinical researchers who are independent researchers Must have a PhD/MD + at least 3 years post-doctoral research experience, and they must not hold a tenured academic position. 5 years support…. Around £1.5-2.0m.

MRC Research Fellows Fellowships – The person – The project – The ‘place’ Grants – The project / programme – The people – The ‘place (s)’

Great opportunities Outstanding researchers

“ The thing I enjoy so much is that my work has direct application to people …” MRC/Academy of Medical Sciences Clinician Scientist

Working with industry : Potential benefits

• • •

Great opportunities

• • • Advancing shared interests Exchange of knowledge Access to technologies Access to quality-assured libraries, banks Route to translation Understanding of commercial needs & decision-making “Ultimately, if you want to have a positive impact on patients, then you need industry’s support.” MRC Senior Non-Clinical Fellow

Great outcomes for MRC clinician PhDs ( CRTFs ) training in 1991

GP 2% Industry 7%

57% FMedSci 8 FMedSci

Professor 34% NHS Consultant 38% Not active 10% Reader 7% Senior Lecturer 2%

Great outcomes for clinician PhDs:

Sample of 1993-2003 Clinical Research Training Fellows • 27% now hold a senior clinical position • 65% now hold a senior academic position • • • ~80% of ex-fellows in fully clinical posts are research active Most spend <25% of time on research Most contribute to research led by others • • • 88% of ex-fellows in academic posts are clinically active 65% spend >25% of time on clinical activities Most direct or lead research

In developing your career, choose carefully

• • • • • Early career researchers are not just ‘pairs of hands’ Choose inspirational supervisors / leaders Take responsibility for your project Don’t go any old ‘Bad Project…!’ http://www.youtube.co

m/watch?v=Fl4L4M8m4 d0

Understand how peer review works

3 per 3-yr Proposal By Committee subgroup External referees Reports & scores Shortlisting

National Institutes of Health (NIH) http://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=fBDxI6l4dOA

Committee scores & ranks Committee feedback March 2012

Learn from your mentors, peers & funders how peer review works

13

Writing fellowship & grant proposals

Excite & don’t annoy your reviewers 1. Don’t be boring (“So what?”) 2. Be ambitious, original and credible 3. Structure a clear, logical plan to achieve challenging objectives 4. Explain pilot data & others’ inputs 5. Risks are inevitable: Have a Plan B 6. Write clearly, for experts & non experts in your field. Make your proposal easy to read!

7. Invite tough criticism from peers, mentors & friends before you submit