Career stories

Explore interviews with clinical academics who share their career paths and experiences. These stories offer insight into academic life and support those considering or developing a clinical academic career.

Profession

Medicine
Dentistry
Pharmacy
Veterinary Medicine
Nursing, Midwifery & AHPs

Theme

Overcoming adversity
Women in academia
Diversity
Alternative routes
Navigating clinical workload
Day in the life
Balancing family commitments

Career stage

Independent Researcher/Senior Leadership
Undergraduate
Pre-doctoral
Doctoral
Early Post-Doctoral
Later Post-Doctoral

Filters

“One of the biggest misconceptions is that you either work in industry or academia. I’ve learned you can move between them if you understand the priorities and adapt.”

Professor Duncan Richards

Professor of Clinical Therapeutics at the University of Oxford, Director of the Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit and NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre’s Musculoskeletal Co-theme Lead.

“The joint clinical and academic route is an enormous advantage. The clinical work is structured, whereas research is free-floating, giving you something continuously moving forward.”

Professor Andrew Grace

Consultant Cardiologist at Royal Papworth Hospital and Honorary Professor of Experimental Cardiology at the University of Cambridge.

“Clinical academia can take longer to reach milestones. Be prepared, embrace it and it’s incredibly rewarding.”

Dr Natalie Blencowe

Consultant Upper GI Surgeon at the University Hospital Bristol, MRC Clinician Scientist and Senior Lecturer in Clinical Trials at the University of Bristol.

“When you’re doing something hard, it’s easier if you really love it. Passion carries you through the tough times in clinical academia.”

Dr Jane Freeman

Associate Professor in Clinical Microbiology at the University of Leeds and Honorary Clinical Scientist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals.

“Academic GP work lets me make a difference not just for individual patients, but on a bigger scale beyond my own consulting room.”

Dr Jess Watson

GP and NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer.

“You don’t have to follow one standard ladder into clinical academia, there are multiple routes and more flexibility than people often realise.”

Professor Debbie Sharp

Professor of Primary Health Care at the University of Bristol and Head of School of Clinical Academic Training at the Severn Deanery.

“Believe in yourself, persevere and you may surprise yourself with what you can achieve.”

Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald

Professor of Cancer Prevention at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Early Cancer Institute.

“Don’t overthink it. Maybe just try it, write the proposal, make the call and have that first conversation.”

Dr Saleyha Ahsan

Emergency medicine and humanitarian doctor.

“Sometimes a single conversation can be the start of expanding your horizons and reshaping your career.”

Dr Lola Solebo

Consultant in Paediatric Ophthalmology at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and Epidemiologist at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health.

“Clinical academics work extremely hard, often outside the public eye, but the ability to innovate and improve healthcare is a real privilege.”

Dr Petra Hanson

NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Diabetes and Endocrinology at Warwick Medical School.

Medicine
Video

“Even if you were not marked as academic at medical school you can still have a research career if you have the enthusiasm.”

Prof Richard McManus

Dean of Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

Dentistry
Video

“Doing my PhD was an incredible opportunity. It allowed me to step back from clinical training and really immerse myself in research. ”

Greig Taylor

Clinical Lecturer in Paediatric Dentistry and NIHR Doctoral Research Fellow at Newcastle University.

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