Nuffield Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
HEALTH EDUCATION ENGLAND THAMES VALLEY–ACADEMIC CLINICAL FELLOWSHIP IN NEUROSURGERY (ST1)
Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) posts have been awarded by the NIHR to University/NHS Trust/LETB partnerships nationally through competition. These posts form part of the NIHR Integrated Training Pathway, further details of which can be found on the NIHR TCC website
The University of Oxford is one of the world's leading higher education institutions undertaking teaching and research across a very wide range of academic subjects, to the highest international standards.
Please note: for 2017, in addition to the academic interviews, candidates will be required to attend and pass a clinical interview for the specialty/level they are applying to for academic training, if appropriate. Offers made will therefore be conditional upon meeting the required standard in the clinical interview. Please check the FAQs ( Applicant NIHR ACF FAQs.pdf) on the HETV website for more information.
About Health Education Thames Valley
We are the Local Education and Training Board (LETB) for Thames Valley covering Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Our vision is to ensure the delivery of effective workforce planning and excellent education and training to develop a highly capable, flexible and motivated workforce that delivers improvements in health for the population of Thames Valley. Thames Valley LETB is responsible for the training of around 2000 Foundation and Specialty trainees.
Health Education Thames Valley is a relatively small organisation with a defined geographical area which serves as a single unit of application. In the majority of cases successful candidates will be asked to preference their choice of location for either one or two years. Some programmes will require successful candidates to indicate a location and specialty. Future placements will usually be based on individual training and educational needs. Please note that applications are to the Health Education Thames Valley as a whole. This may mean that you may be allocated to any geographic location within the deanery depending on training needs.
The Academic Clinical Fellow (ACF) in Neurosurgery.
The post holder will become part of the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences (NDS)and will be based in the department of Neurosurgery at the John Radcliffe Hospital. The position will be integrated into the Health Education Thames Valley Neurosurgery training programme. This training post will be for 3 years. At the end of the ACF, the successful applicant will return to Health Education Thames Valley’sNeurosurgery ST Clinical Training Programme retaining their NTN. They may be able to take out of programme research time to complete a further higher degree at Oxford or to continue on the clinical programme to acquire their clinical training and competences working towards obtaining a pass in the Neurosurgery Intercollegiate Examination and working towards a CCT.
Training Objectives
The main objectives of the programme will be to provide:
i)an entry point for doctors aspiring to an academic research based career in Neurosurgery;
ii)To work within a research department to develop a project and funding to progress to a full time research post after 3 years in order to undertake a DPhil at Oxford University
iii)Appropriate clinical surgical training and learning to enable progression from ST3 towards a CCT.
Clinical Training versus Academic Time
This is a 75% clinical post with a 25% academic component. This 25% of research time will be averaged out over the three years but will mainly take place in either a 6 or 9 month block of full time research. This research block will not be in the first year of the post. Candidates will be expected to have excellent core skills in Neurosurgery and to work as an integral part of a clinical team throughout the training period. Agreement has been provided by the Chair of the Specialty Training Committee and the Oxford Programme Director for Neurosurgery for one of the present NTNs available to be transformed into a NTN (A). The post holder will be based at the John Radcliffe Hospitalduring their clinical posts. The successful applicant will have training assessments as part of the Health Education Thames Valley’s NeurosurgeryARCP programme. In addition, academic assessment of progress will be conducted in line with Academy of Medical Sciences guidelines for the Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) for Speciality Registrars undertaking joint clinical and academic training programmes.
The ACF will have desk space for their research within the West Wing Level 6 in the department of functional neurosurgery. There is an established induction process for new researchers joining the department, coordinated by the NDS; this includes training in research methodology, statistics, clinical trials, and other methodologies specific to the research area of interest. The ACF will have access to both the monthlyNeurosurgical Training and the NDS training programmes.
Research Academic Supervisor:
Mr Sanjeeva Jeyaretna and Mr Alex Green are theResearch Supervisors for Neurosurgery ACF’s. Mr Jeyaretna is a neuro-oncology and skull base surgeon. His main academic focus is in the study of the basic biology of malignant brain tumours. He is currently developing primary cultures of gliomas from patient samples. The ACF would be directly responsible to their Research Academic Supervisor. The research programme for the ACF will be set out at the start of the post and agreed between the ACF and the Research Academic Supervisor.
Oxford NeurosurgeryHealth Education Thames Valley’s Programme Director:Mr Sanjeeva Jeyaretna
Teaching Opportunities
The ACF will be expected to contribute to the education of the Oxford University Medical School 5th year Neurology students. This involves regular seminar teaching of the groups of students who rotate through the course every 8 weeks. The teaching is shared between the established Clinical Lecturers and a number of Honorary Student Clinical Lecturers, with the ACF joining this team.
Selection Criteria
There are a number of nationally set selection criteria. Applicants must also be qualified for specialty training at ST1 level. Candidates with a higher degree may apply, but one of the national aims of this post is to acquire funding during the three year post to undertake a full time period of research in order to obtain a higher degree. They should also demonstrate ability in the research process and that they have outstanding potential for development as a clinical academic.
The Nuffield Department ofSurgical Sciences
The Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences is one of the few remaining academic surgical departments in the UK. The Department currently hosts academics from every surgical discipline who undertake both basic and translational research, reflecting our true multidisciplinary dimension and integrating surgical practice with cutting-edge science.The department has outstanding research programmes in oncology, transplantation, immunology and regenerative medicine, neuroscience, otolaryngology, and cardiothoracic and vascular surgery. In recent years the department has taken a new exciting direction to strengthen academic surgical oncology, as a key component of the CRUK Cancer Centre together with Medical and Clinical Oncology, and the new Cancer Centre structure of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust.
Teaching is also a major component in our activity, encompassing undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students in all surgical disciplines. The department also co-hosts Masters courses in Integrated Immunology and Surgical Sciences and Practice.
For more information please visit:
The Department of Neurosurgery
Initiated by Sir Hugh Cairns, the Oxford Regional Neurosurgery Unit has developed to offer a fully comprehensive service.
Modern theatres, NITU facilities and paediatric beds enable the department to look after both paediatric and adult patient with all types of neurosurgical problems.
In addition to intracranial, vascular and tumour surgery, there is expertise in the fields of skull base surgery, functional surgery, epilepsy, pituitary surgery and craniofacial surgery. There is a great interest in all types of spinal disorders, including those of rheumatoid disease of the neck, and spinal tumours.
7 October 2016