Integrated Academic Training

NIHR

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Integrated Academic Training (IAT) Programme in England was launched in 2005/06. The programme supports the training of doctors and dentists in England to develop their clinical academic careers and is delivered through a number of schemes that rely on close partnership between the NIHR, Health Education England (HEE), medical schools and NHS organisations.

NIHR allocates Academic Clinical Fellowships (ACFs) and Clinical Lectureships (CLs) to partnerships of organisations comprising medical schools/dental schools (and their partner universities), HEE local offices and partner Trusts. These posts fit within the specialty training period and allow trainees to combine clinical and academic training.

Further information on the NIHR can be found on their website: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/explore-nihr/academy-programmes/integrated-academic-training.htm

Integrated Academic Training Partnerships

Medical Schools/Higher Education Institutions- There are 8 of these for London and KSS listed below

• Imperial College - to https://www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/study/clinical-academic-training-off...

• Kings College London (KCL) - http://www.kcl.ac.uk/

• Queen Mary (QMUL) - http://www.qmul.ac.uk

• University College London (UCL) - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/

• St George’s University London (SGUL) - http://www.sgul.ac.uk

• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) - http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/

• The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) - http://www.icr.ac.uk/

• Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) - https://www.bsms.ac.uk/index.aspx

Other academic institutions

There are a number of other academic institutions that we work in partnership with:

• Barts and the London / Kings / Eastman Dental Schools. (via the relevant Medical School)

• Public Health England (awards sit within Medical Schools listed above)

Partnership leads

• Imperial College: Professor Jeremy Levy – j.levy@imperial.ac.uk

• Kings College London :Professor Frances Williams - frances.williams@kcl.ac.uk and Dr Rina Dutta - rina.dutta@kcl.ac.uk

• Queen Mary (University of London): Dr William Alazawi and Professor Marta Korbonits – w.alazawi@qmul.ac.uk , m.korbonits@qmul.ac.uk

• University College London - Professor Robert Howrard, robert.howard@ucl.ac.uk

• St George’s (University of London): Dr Nidhi Sofat- nsofat@sgul.ac.uk

• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine: Shunmay Yeung Shunmay.Yeung@lshtm.ac.uk and Michael Marks: Michael.Marks@lshtm.ac.uk

• The Institute of Cancer Research (Royal Marsden): Prof Nick Turner- nick.turner@icr.ac.uk

• Brighton and Sussex Medical School: Professor Gordon Ferns - G.Ferns@bsms.ac.uk , Dr Jessica Eccles - J.Eccles@bsms.ac.uk, and Dr Khalid Ali - khalid.ali10@nhs.net

Principles and Obligations- Letter to the Deans and Heads of UK Medical and Health Schools/Faculties: https://london.hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/ri_letter_to_heis_march_2023_final.pdf 

We advise and ensure that NIHR’s policy is being applied in HEE London and KSS. The IAT team are also the escalation point for academic posts, from recruitment to post management. We offer support for individual academic trainees and proposed academic training pathways. For example: advising on IDT process for ACFs/CLs, Post CCT applications, accessing academic research time, etc.

The Academic Team supports the Associate Academic Dean and works with the academic TPDs to establish priorities for the management of academic posts.

General queries regarding academic posts should first and foremost be directed to the specialty team via our PGMDE Support Portal:

https://lasepgmdesupport.hee.nhs.uk/support/home

Meet the Team: 

 Our email- academictraining.lase@hee.nhs.uk

Professor Geeta Menon-  Postgraduate Dean and Lead for Academic Training

Dr Vivienne Curtis-  Associate Academic Dean

Marc Terry- Senior Business Education Manager

Mark Bellaera- Service Delivery Manager

Adepero Akinlade -Operations Manager

Nina Otim-  IAT Administrator

The Gold Guide identifies three key elements which will support trainees through the new postgraduate medical training structure: appraisal, assessment and annual planning.

These three individual but integrated components form the basis of the Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP).

Academic trainees must undergo an ARCP which reviews both clinical and academic progression; any outcome given at the ARCP will reflect both components.

To aid trainees, supervisors and assessors in reviewing academic training and progress, The Academy of Medical Sciences has worked with the Postgraduate Deans, Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) and the National Institute of Health Research to formulate supplementary guidelines.

These guidelines set out a simple, flexible framework for monitoring academic training and progress. Although the guidelines were initially developed for Academic Clinical Fellows (ACFs) and Clinical Lecturers (CLs) they are applicable to all clinical academics in training. In addition, we recommend that this approach be adopted by trainees who are ‘Out of Programme’ in research or working for a higher degree.

The ARCP Academic Progress Report Form

The IAT Team, in conjunction with London’s academic partners has issued a revised version of the academic progress form to allow for increased interaction between the review panel and the academic supervisor.

The front side of the form is to be completed by the academic trainee in consultation with their academic supervisor (and if applicable, other academics who have been involved with the trainee during the period being reviewed).

Where applicable, additional information should be attached to the form.

Once completed, form should be submitted along with other documents to the review panel. (If all documentation is presented via e-portfolio, then form should be scanned and uploaded).

Rear of the form allows the ARCP panel to feed back to the trainee and academic supervisor.

It is NOT a separate outcome for the academic component of the training.

Please click here to access the Academic Progress Report Form.