Cancer Research UK has announced that universities across Scotland and England are set to receive a multimillion-pound cash injection to train more doctors as clinician scientists, so they can pursue cancer research.
Clinician scientists play an essential role in translating cancer research, helping to bridge the gap between scientific research carried out in laboratories and clinical research involving patients. Working across both research settings, their contributions to new knowledge and its translation to clinical practice are critical for cancer research.
Transforming clinical academic training
Cancer Research UK’s Clinical Academic Training Programme Award will continue to transform clinical academic training at 9 of its research centres over the next 5 years.
In total, Cancer Research UK, who fund around 50% of all publicly funded research in the UK, will have invested more than £109 million in this programme over 10 years.
“Clinician scientists have a very important role to play by bringing their knowledge and experience of treating people with cancer to scientific research,” said Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK’s Chief Executive.
“We need all our doctors and scientists to be able to reach their full potential, no matter their background. That’s why we are continuing to provide flexible training options for early-career clinician scientists. After the success of the first five years of this programme, we want to encourage even more clinicians to get involved in cancer research to help us get closer to a world where everybody lives longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer.”
The road to becoming a clinician scientist
Becoming a clinician scientist is a long process. It usually involves doctors taking time out of their medical training to undertake a PhD, before returning to train in their chosen specialisation.
However, many clinicians don’t return to research after qualifying as consultants. This could be due to a variety of factors, including lack of funding and pressures on the healthcare system. In fact, nearly three quarters of clinical research staff surveyed by Cancer Research UK said that it has become harder to deliver research in a timely manner in the last 18-months, with many citing wider pressures on the health service as a substantial barrier.
To address this problem, Cancer Research UK awards funding to provide flexible training options alongside mentorship and networking opportunities to better support clinicians wanting to pursue research.
In particular, the funding allows universities to offer combined Bachelor of Medicine-Doctor of Philosophy (MB-PhD) qualifications to early career clinicians – which allows medical students to complete a PhD earlier in their medical training.
Clinician scientists of the future
Medical student, Dr Nadin Hawwash transferred to a CRUK-funded MB-PhD course at The University of Manchester in 2020. Under the supervision of Professor Andrew Renehan, her PhD focussed on using a new way of measuring obesity-related factors in individuals, called “overweight years”, similar to how “pack-years” is used to measure an individual smoker’s tobacco use.
She completed her PhD studies in 2023 and should complete her medical degree next year, with the research experience she has gained informing her studies and medical practice.
“The MB-PhD pathway to become a clinical scientist stood out for me, because it helps medical graduates to stay in research following undergraduate training,” said Hawwash
“The course allowed me to undertake data science-focused cancer research, create international collaborations, assemble and analyse a consortium with over 1.4 million individuals from 10 countries and present my research globally.
“I am thrilled that more aspiring researchers will be able to train as clinician scientists in Manchester and elsewhere, to contribute to cutting-edge cancer research projects that will ultimately benefit patients.”
