The Paul Corris International Clinical Research Training Scholarship at Newcastle University

The Paul Corris International Clinical Research Training Scholarship seeks outstanding candidates from across the world and aims to provide the foundation on which to build a successful career as a future leader in clinical and academic respiratory medicine. 

It provides up to 3 years of a competitive salary plus generous research consumables, with a view to completing a research degree such as a PhD. Travel and accommodation will be met by the successful candidate or may be met by the host institution where possible.

The current competition is dedicated to pulmonary hypertension research. The Scholarship is open to doctors at registrar level or equivalent with a special interest in respiratory medicine, from across the world. Applicants who have already reached the level of consultant or equivalent will only be considered under exceptional circumstances.

• Carry out an original research project related to a scientific or clinical aspect of pulmonary hypertension, with a view to achieving a research degree.
• Carry out any specific clinical duties that complement/facilitate the delivery of the research project.
• Assist a named supervisor(s) in ensuring that all regulatory requirements and research governance for the project are in place.
• Attend and contribute to laboratory group/research meetings.
• Prepare research work for publication and for presentation at scientific meetings.
• Contribute to the wider research and clinical activity in the Newcastle Respiratory Medicine community.

We are seeking an outstanding respiratory clinician to take up the second Paul Corris International Clinical Research Training Scholarship.  This Scholarship aims to provide the foundation on which to build a successful career as a future leader in academic and clinical respiratory medicine.  It provides 3 years in full time employment with an honorary clinical contract at the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts and a competitive salary plus generous research consumables. A feature of this scholarship is that additional funds can be provided in support of the successful candidate’s personal expenses - including travel and accommodation if necessary - by the individual's host institution. 

The Scholarship is open to doctors from across the world who are engaging in specialist training in respiratory medicine, thoracic medicine or pulmonology without yet having reached consultant level, a faculty appointment or equivalent.  Candidates should also be able to demonstrate a clear intention to pursue a career in respiratory medicine and have the potential and motivation to become future leaders.

The successful candidate will be expected to spend around 3 years in employment at Newcastle University, with an honorary clinical contract at the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Applications are welcome from less-than-full-time applicants. The post will primarily focus on clinical research, but there will be an associated clinical role in the same field as the research. For this, the second Scholarship, the research and the associated clinical role must be relevant to pulmonary hypertension.  Clinical work will be carried out at the Freeman Hospital, and research at the Newcastle University Medical School. The Freeman and Medical School are approximately 2 miles from each other, and a free “hopper” bus connects the two every 20 minutes during the working day. The exact nature of the research project need not be worked up ahead of an application and can be developed with potential supervisors ahead of a potential start date.

The successful candidate will be contracted to work approximately 40 hours per week. Time will principally be spent carrying out research, but the successful candidate will take part in clinical work that directly contributes to or complements the research project. It is expected that the clinical work will align with the research, but not impinge on research time – candidates studying for a PhD will not spend >20% of their time on clinical activity. Clinical work may, for example, involve working in pulmonary hypertension clinics or on the ward, as directed by the supervisors and/or the Clinical Lead for the Respiratory Medicine Unit at Freeman Hospital, Dr Sophie West. Similarly, the successful candidate may be able to accrue experience in right heart catheterisation. There is no associated clinical on-call commitment, but if there are vacancies in the registrar/middle grade rota in pulmonary hypertension and general respiratory medicine at Freeman Hospital, the successful candidate may volunteer to fill these, subject to agreement with the Clinical Lead. While the successful candidate will have no formal teaching commitments, they will be expected to support and mentor junior doctors in the Unit, and opportunities to teach undergraduate and postgraduate students on the ward are likely to arise periodically.

The start date for the scholarship is approximately 1^st September 2023

Informal enquiries can be addressed to:

Professor John Simpson
Email: j.simpson@ncl.ac.uk

For further information on the knowledge, skills and qualifications required please click below.