Training Fellowships and other academic training opportunities: Medical Research Council

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Training Fellowships and other academic training
opportunities Medical Research Council

• Charles Swanton
• MRC Senior Clinical Research Fellow
• Translational Cancer Therapeutics Laboratory
• CR-UK London Research Institute

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Career path
Medical School 1991 MB PhD Programme
UCL 1995 PhD Imperial Cancer Research
Fund 1998 MBBS 1999 MRCP 200
2 NTN Medical Oncology 2003 CR-UK
Clinician Scientist 2004 MRC Senior Clinical
Research Fellow 2008-present Consultant
Oncologist Royal Marsden 2008-present
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Career path
Medical School 1991 MB PhD Programme
UCL 1995 PhD Imperial Cancer Research
Fund 1998 MBBS 1999 MRCP 200
2 NTN Medical Oncology 2003 CR-UK
Clinician Scientist 2004 MRC Senior Clinical
Research Fellow 2008-present Consultant
Oncologist Royal Marsden 2008-present
PhD/MD
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The MRC clinical research training fellowship

• SpR grade or below
• 3 years support
• Dual clinical-research training career path (up
  to 20 per cent of time on NHS sessions)
• Fellows register for a research degree, normally
  a PhD, based on research undertaken during the
  fellowship.

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MRC Clinician Scientist Fellowships

• 4-5 years funding post PhD
• MRC Clinician Scientist Fellowship
• MRC Patient oriented Clinician Scientist
  Fellowship
• MRC and the Academy of Medical Sciences
  Tenure-Track Clinician Scientist Fellowship
• MRC/MND Association Lady Edith Wolfson
  Fellowships
• Should have clear idea of plans to complete
  training
• Research support 1 technician
• First step managing staff towards independence
• Allows continuation of clinical and scientific
  interests at registrar or consultant level

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Why would you want to apply for Academic
Fellowships?

• Science
• Medicine
• Autonomy
• Address questions relevant to patient outcome
• Opportunity to work in a basic science
  environment to use tools to inform clinical
  problems
• Independence
• Design your own working week to address questions
  compelling from PhD research period

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Why would you not want to apply?

• Pace of failed experiments
• Uncertainty of science direction
• Differences between science and medicine
• Science frustrations
• Funding renewal
• Judged on publication output only
• Uncertain career pathway
• Lack of tenure/stable NHS position
• Need passion to cloud judgement Do you look
  forward to Mondays?

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Application Process post PhD

• Post MD or PhD
• Clinician scientist application
• CR-UK 4 years 4 years
• MRC CSF 4 years
• MRC Patient-oriented scheme 5 years (40 of time
  doing clinical work)
• MRC/Academy of Medical Sciences 5 years
• Academy of Medical Sciences Health Foundation 5
  years
• Subject Heavily weighted towards cancer CR-UK
• How long to apply?

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Tips for all Fellowship Applications

• Supervisor choice
• Scientific interest coincide with yours?
• Institution
• Facilities and infrastructure
• Expertise within the working environment
• Will you get on with him/her?
• Talk to people in the institution/ talk to lab
  members
• Interview is bi-directional
• Will they give you independence?
• Will they give you space for a scientific officer
  or support staff?
• Will they tolerate / support your flexible
  working week
• Unexpected clinical problems clinic
  cover/leave/on-calls
• Changes to training/exams etc
• Project
• Relevance to clinical medicine Weatherall Test
• Time to prepare set out a year in advance at
  least
• For some, first experience of grant writing
• Seek advice/ pre-peer review/ scientific
  colleagues listen to advice and modify
• Costings

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Clinician Scientist Fellowship Generous
Support (approx 600-700k over 5 years)

• personal salary costs,
• research support staff
• research consumables expenses,
• travel costs
• capital equipment appropriate for the research
  project under full economic costs.

Senior Clinical Research Fellow (approx 2
million over 5 years)
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Peer Review and Interview (CSF/SCRF)

• 4-5 external referees
• Approx 3-4 months
• Feedback and grading (MRC)
• Interview panel 6-12 experts in the field
• Do not underestimate
• This will be challenging (MRCP comparison)
• The interview Prepare!
• Chalk talk/white board/flip chart 10 minutes
• Overview of project/interests/career plans
• 30-45 minutes of questions

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20 Candidates Succeed (CSF)

• Poor track record. Applicants need to have at
  least one first author paper in a good journal
  from their PhD studies / any post-doc work, and
  preferably more.
• Normally fellows who are funded have between 2-4
  papers
• Poor research proposal.
• Lack of preliminary / pilot data,
• No clear hypothesis
• Too ambitious a project to complete in four
  years. If doing a screening project then no clear
  rationale for following and prioritising hits.
• For projects involving patients poor statistical
  calculations that are not powered adequately.
• Lack of awareness of the research area, other
  work going on or how the research could develop
  in 5 years.
• Poor interview Arrange mock interview and know
  research field well
• Anticipated success rate for renewals 50

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Choosing Support Staff

• Seek advice
• Ask for supervisors help in short-list process
  and interview
• Difficult/luck

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Thank you