Doctors
As a doctor, you can pursue a career that combines patient care with research, either as a clinical academic or through one of our other opportunities.
Clinical academic career
Southampton Clinical Academic Training Scheme (SoCATS) provides a career structure that aims to integrate clinical and academic training.
The clinical academic career path has five stages:
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Medical school
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Academic foundation programme
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Academic clinical fellow
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Clinical lecturer
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Senior academic
While intended to begin at medical school and lead to a senior academic post, there are several points at which trainees can enter and exit academic training and this hop-on, hop-off system provides considerable flexibility.
Applications for doctoral or post-doctoral research training fellowships can be made to the NIHR, research councils or charities. Academic clinical fellowships and clinical lectureships are made available through the NIHR Integrated Academic Training (IAT) Programme.
Prof Elaine Dennison: training lead for medical clinical academics
Other opportunities
Clinical research fellowship
These fellowships, run by NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) Wessex, can be incorporated into your current training scheme, enabling you to contribute to research delivery and build an evidence-based clinical career. For more information, contact Dr Kristin Veighey at SOAR@uhs.nhs.uk
Local fellowship opportunities at UHS
If you are a trainee doctor or a clinical fellow interested in opportunities for research fellowships at UHS, or an NHS consultant interested in having a fellow to support your research, please contact our training lead for medical clinical research fellows (see below).
Leading specific studies as a Principal Investigator (PI)
You don't have to be an academic to get involved in clinical research - many of our very successful investigators have no formal research background. If you are an NHS consultant, you can combine clinical work with research, by acting as principal investigator (PI) for studies in your area of expertise.
For more information on how to get started and the support that we can provide, please contact our training lead for medical clinical research fellows or email the Research & Development (R&D) department at researchmanagement@uhs.nhs.uk.
Dr Kristin Veighey: training lead for medical clinical research fellows and clinical research physician.