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The Lewis Spitz Surgeon Scientist PhD programme - projects portfolio

UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health - UCL

20 October 2023 by Valerie Karaluka PhD

We are pleased to announce Round two of the Lewis Spitz Surgeon Scientist PhD Programme, supported by the NIHR GOSH Biomedical Research Centre and GOSH Charity. 

 

This call invites exceptional surgical trainees (ST2/3-ST8) to carry out a 3-year doctoral fellowship in translational biomedical research at UCL GOS Institute of Child Health.

 

The PhD Fellowship will provide full salary support (full time research; ST2-ST8, excluding consultant level), allowing fellows protected time to concentrate on their research, training, and development; PhD fees (please note, this funding can only support home fees), and direct project costs (up to £10,000 per year; funder T&Cs apply) for a period of 3 years. Projects for a PhD have been assembled and can be viewed on the The Lewis Spitz Surgeon Scientist PhD programme - projects portfolio | UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health - UCL – University College London.

 

Candidates will register for a 3-year UCL PhD and will apply for an honorary contract at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust. Candidates will be jointly supervised by a senior member of academic staff at GOS-ICH, and a consultant surgeon at GOSH. Some projects may have additional co-supervisors from the GOSH BRC’s Paediatric Excellence Initiative partners.

 

Key dates:

  • Application deadline: 26th November 2023, 23:59
  • Shortlisting meeting w/c 11th December 2023
  • Interviews for shortlisted candidates w/c 15th January 2023

 

How to apply:

Applications should be submitted via Jobs@UCL webpage: Job details: Lewis Spitz Surgeon Scientist PhD Fellow (ucl.ac.uk) following steps outlined

  1. Download and read the guidance (download from opportunity page) and job description and person specification (download from job posting)
  1. Select up to two projects from The Lewis Spitz Surgeon Scientist PhD programme - projects portfolio | UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health - UCL – University College London
  1. Complete the application form and convert to PDF file titled “[Your name] – Lewis Spitz application”.
  1. Prepare your CV according to guidance
  1. Complete the required information in the online jobs portal
  1. Upload your CV in the “upload CV” section.
  1. Upload the completed application form in the “Attachments – Other attachment” section.
  1. You may also upload qualification certificates and professional membership, but please do not include research papers (these should be listed in the application form).
  1. Check your application and submit by the deadline.

 

Please email Dr Valerie Karaluka (BRC@gosh.nhs.uk) if you have any questions or experience any issues with the application.

 

Further call information:

Background

The Lewis Spitz Surgeon Scientist PhD programme is driven by the need to increase capacity through training in the scientific basis of paediatric surgery, with a focus on treating children who suffer from congenital malformations, cancers and other conditions requiring surgery. The key aim of the scheme is to develop future surgeon scientist leaders with excellence in translational research.

 

GOSH Charity is UK's largest dedicated charitable funder of child health research, and is committed to supporting world-class paediatric health research. Its five-year research strategy puts children and the adults they will become at the centre by focusing on delivering personalised medicine for children with rare and complex conditions. Working closely with GOSH and UCL GOS-ICH, GOSH Charity has the ambition to help unlock breakthroughs in child medicine by supporting researchers’ investigations into the causes of rare diseases in children and conditions that start in childhood.

 

The NIHR GOSH BRC funds early translational research focused on paediatric rare or complex diseases, which aims to translate discoveries from basic/discovery science into clinical research and through to patient and economic benefit. GOSH and the UCL GOS ICH were first awarded BRC status by the NIHR in 2007. In 2022, the GOSH BRC secured £35 million to take it into its fourth term, running from December 2022 to November 2027. In this fourth term, as part of a wider national collaboration, a BRC National Paediatric Excellence Initiative has been set up between GOSH BRC and children’s hospitals in Birmingham, Sheffield and Liverpool.

 

Scheme aims and financial support

The scheme will fund up to four surgeon scientists to pursue a doctoral research degree based at the UCL GOS ICH, over the next five years. The intention is to fund two candidates each year, with start dates in October 2023 and October 2024. The PhD Fellowship will provide full salary support (full time research; ST2-ST8, excluding consultant level), allowing fellows protected time to concentrate on their research, training, and development; PhD fees (please note, this funding can only support home fees), and direct project costs (up to £10,000 per year; funder T&Cs apply) for a period of 3 years.

 

Eligibility

We are looking for exceptional and motivated surgical trainees passionate about research for the benefit of patients. Candidates will be expected to:

  • Hold a registered primary qualification in Medicine (MB BS or equivalent), have a full GMC registration and entry on the appropriate GMC Specialist Register.
  • Have completed medical training at least to ST2/ST3 level and, ideally, the exam for Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS).
  • Have clear plans for completion of specialty training. Applicants should consult their deanery about undertaking a PhD and their plans to complete specialty training within the appropriate timelines. This round, start date is expected to be by 2nd October 2024 and no later than 1st December 2024.
  • Demonstrate an ambition to pursue a clinical academic career path and be able to provide evidence of previous research experience and/or aptitude to undertake a research-intensive PhD. Candidates do not need to have held a previous position with formal research time (e.g. an academic foundation or academic clinical fellowship (ACF) post).

These are full time research positions with strictly limited opportunity to participate in clinical activities. Where the clinical work relates specifically to recruitment of participants to a clinical study that forms part of the work of the fellowship, this activity will be funded through the fellowship.  Where the clinical activity does not directly form part of the PhD research activity (e.g. where it is standard clinical duties), this will need to be funded through alternative non-research funding routes as the scheme is intended to provide protected time for research activities only. In exceptional circumstances, additional (overtime) duties may be permitted but must be agreed with the supervisory team to ensure that the PhD can be completed within 3 years.

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