HEALTH EDUCATION THAMES VALLEY:

Academic Clinical Fellow in Clinical Oncology (ST3)

Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) posts are awarded by the NIHR to University/NHS Trust/LETB partnerships nationally through a formula mechanism and by competition. These posts form part of the NIHR Integrated Training Pathway, further details of which can be found on the NIHR TCC website http://www.nihrtcc.nhs.uk 3 years fixed. The post will attract an NTN-A

ACFs who do not secure funding for a research training fellowship by the end of their ACF will return to clinical training in accordance with the NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships: Entry, Eligibility and Exit points for Appointments made in 2015.

Please note: for 2016, in addition to the academic interviews, candidates will be required to attend and pass a clinical interview for the specialty 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 (http://www.oxforddeanery.nhs.uk/pdf/2015 Applicant NIHR ACF FAQs.pdf) on the HETV website for more information

Programme Directors Dr Geoff Higgins (academic)

Dr Rebecca Muirhead

Base Hospital: Oxford University Hospitals

Duration Of Post 3 Years (see exit points)

Work Pattern

On-call 1:14 (non-resident, specialist cross cover with Medical Oncology).

The oncology department are required to provide registrar level hospital at night cover for a small number of weeks throughout the year. We aim to cover the majority of these with locums however on occasion you may be asked to cover no more than 2 weeks in a year for the first 2 years of training.

Core Hours 40

Out Of Hours Banding Band 1C

Annual and Study Leave Arrangements

Duties include cover for colleagues, absence on annual or study leave. Leave must be planned 6 weeks in advance and must be agreed with your supervising consultant. Annual leave entitlement will be 5 or 6 weeks dependent on point of salary.

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 some 1500 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.

During the 3 year ACF programme, the successful candidate will be largely based in Oxford but may be partly allocated to other geographical locations depending upon training requirements.

TRAINEE CENTRED CLINICAL TRAINING PROGRAMME

The Clinical Oncology academic training programme is a 3 year programme, starting at ST3. During this time, the trainee's work will be monitored for satisfactory progress and subject to annual reviews in the form of ARCPs. Progression on the programme will be dependent upon these reviews.

The posts on this rotation have been approved for Specialist Training by the Royal College of Radiologists. The posts attract National Training Numbers and provide training towards a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT).

The Postgraduate Dean has confirmed that this post has the necessary educational and staffing approvals.

Rotation Information

Rotations may at times change in response to clinical need from the Trusts. Expected rotation arrangements for this programme are:

The three year training scheme is divided into 5 clinical, and 2 research attachments, see appendix 1.

The timetable of attachments will be drawn up by the Training Programme Director, on behalf of the Educational and Training Committee, and only implemented following approval by the Clinical Director of each Cancer Centre.

TRAINEE CENTRED RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAMME

The Cancer Research UK and Medical Research Council Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology at the Department of Oncology is the world’s leading centre of excellence for radiation oncology and biology research and will provide the ACF with an ideal environment to begin their academic career. The ACF programme has been designed to support the ACFs clinical requirement to pass FRCR examinations, whilst allowing them sufficient flexibility to develop their own academic interests.

The ACF will undertake a total of nine months of research. The first three-month block of research will be undertaken at the start of the rotation and will allow the successful candidate to rotate through several different research groups within the Institute. This will allow them to identify their own areas of interest, develop relevant laboratory skills, and select which research group they would like to work with for the second research block. The research undertaken at the Institute covers all aspects of Radiation Oncology research, from in vitro and in vivo laboratory based research, through to physics, functional imaging and technical radiotherapy research. A summary of the main research groups can be found at http://www.radiationoncology.ox.ac.uk.

Having selected which research group they wish to work with, and identified the project they wish to work on, the ACF will undertake the second (six month) block of research towards the end of the second year. The ACF will do a focused project, much like a BSc student, during which time they will acquire a broad range of research skills. A secondary aim is for the ACF to become involved in projects that lead to publication. This research interval will be directed towards developing a research proposal that will form the basis of a subsequent DPhil project and enable them to write a competitive Clinical Training Fellowship application. The supervisor and ACF will be aware of the timelines for applications. Key preparatory work for a Fellowship application includes writing Ethics applications and animal licences, and developing collaborative links with clinicians and scientists (e.g. to ensure access to samples, techniques and reagents). Department administrative staff will provide costings and support for these applications.

If the ACF already holds a PhD then support for appropriate post-doctoral research and funding applications will be given.

The ACF will be required to promptly pass the FRCR examinations. Institute for Radiation Oncology researchers will provide the ACF with additional exam support by supplementing the FRCR teaching with tutorials, and encouraging attendance at relevant lectures from our Radiobiology MSc course. During the first 12 months, the ACF will be exposed to activities of the host groups by a) attendance at weekly Department meetings where groups present aspects of their work, b) discussions with their academic mentor who will arrange meetings with potential supervisors, c) attendance at laboratory meetings of individual supervisors and d) meetings with research group members especially other Clinical Training Fellows. We expect the choice of research group will also be informed by the clinical interest developed by the ACF in the first 6-12 months of clinical training.

Dr Geoff Higgins will act as Academic Programme Lead and provide clinical and academic advice to the ACFs. He will act to support the ACFs and swiftly resolve any unexpected difficulties that the trainee may experience. There is a strong desire both within the Institute for Radiation Oncology, and from the Training Programme Director for the ACF programme to be successful, and to provide future leaders in academic clinical oncology.

Good library facilities are available at the John Radcliffe Hospital and at other libraries in the Central Oxford Hospitals. The Churchill Hospital Library is based in the Old Road Campus Research Building.

Selection of ACFs

Candidate selection is vital. The Training Panel will ensure potential ACFs have requisite clinical skills and a strong academic record (usually one of the following: 1st Class Honours Degree, publication record and academic prizes) and a clear desire to embark on a dual academic/clinical career.

Supervision and Mentorship

The ACF will have a separate clinical and academic mentor. The ACF will formally meet both mentors every six months to review progress. Moreover, the group head of the host laboratory will supervise the research project and help the ACF write the Clinical Training Fellowship application. Where the supervisor is a non-clinical scientist, a clinician scientist will be a second supervisor. Conversely, if the proposed supervisor is primarily a clinician, a clinical academic will be a second supervisor. Most group heads have supervised clinical trainees previously.

Milestones

Obligatory milestones are a) The ACF must choose a host group by the end of year 1 in order that the relevant group head can ensure space is available to host the ACF, b) A Clinical Training Fellowship application will be submitted by November 2018, c) The FRCR part 1 will be completed no later than the second available sitting (and preferably at the first available sitting) and d) Clinical performance will be monitored and subject to annual reviews in the form of ARCPs.

Exit from the Programme

a) Successful application for a Clinical Training Fellowship.

b) Transfer to clinical training should core academic/clinical milestones not be met or if the candidate is unsuccessful in obtaining a Clinical Training Fellowship.

The Department of Oncology

The Department of Oncology within the Medical Sciences Division was created in October 2010, under the headship of Professor Gillies McKenna. The aims of the Department include the development of truly multidisciplinary and collaborative oncology research in Oxford. Working closely with colleagues in the new state-of-the-art NHS Oxford Cancer Centre, research can be rapidly and efficiently translated into cutting-edge clinical treatment for cancer patients. The Department incorporates the Cancer Research UK and Medical Research Council Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, as well as a number of internationally recognised research groups working in oncology and related fields.

Currently the Department has activities on four sites in Oxford these are the Old Road Campus Research Building, the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, the Radiobiology Research Institute, and in the Oxford Cancer Hospital.

The University of Oxford’s Department of Oncology has over 400 staff and more than 120 graduate students, and is one of the largest departments in the Medical Sciences Division. The Department of Oncology also hosts the CR-UK Cancer Research Centre and the EPSRC/CR-UK-funded Oxford Cancer Imaging Centre.

For more information please visit: http://www.oncology.ox.ac.uk

The Oxford Cancer Research Centre

In 2010, the Cancer Research-UK Oxford Cancer Research Centre was established. This collaboration between the University and Oxford University NHS Trust encompasses all those involved in cancer research across both organisations and includes over 160 Principal Investigators. The Oxford Cancer Research Centre supports the activities through prestigious Research training fellowships, a development fund and core infrastructure support. In our future plans, this will become the main funder for the translational pipeline in Oxford including the support of staff involved in the design and development of the early phase trials portfolio.

The CRUK/MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology

The Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology was established in 2008 with the purpose of creating a centre of excellence for radiation research in the UK. The Institute, under the Directorship of Professor Gillies McKenna, includes 17 research groups with more than 200 staff and students, of whom the majority are scientists, clinicians and technologists. The research facilities of the Institute are on the Old Road Campus, adjacent to the Oxford University Hospitals Trust main Cancer Hospital. Co-located on the Campus are the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, the Ludwig Institute, the Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research, the Institute for Biomedical Engineering and the Richard Doll Building for Epidemiology and Biostatistics. The Nuffield Department of Medicine has developed a Target Discovery Institute on this site and the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology has just opened a new building.

The CRUK/MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology is the leading centre for the identification and development of new approaches to the biological and physical targeting of radiation to improve the cure and control of cancer. Our priority areas for application of radiotherapy are lung cancer, gastrointestinal tract notably pancreas and rectal cancer and urology.

For more information please visit: http://www.radiationoncology.ox.ac.uk

TRUST INFORMATION

The Department of Clinical Oncology in Oxford

The Department, based on the Churchill campus of the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, is the largest of the 3 Radiotherapy Departments of the former Oxford Region.

The Oxford University Hospitals Trust is a major Teaching Centre, linking with Oxford University Clinical School and Oxford Brookes University’s School of Health Care Studies. The Hospital is based on three main sites: The John Radcliffe, the Churchill in Headington, and the Horton in Banbury.

The Department in Oxford, serves a population of approximately 1.4 million, which includes Oxford, Banbury, Aylesbury, South Bucks (High Wycombe and Amersham), Milton Keynes and Swindon. Peripheral clinics are held regularly in the District Hospitals and are staffed principally by the Consultant responsible for that clinic and Specialist Trainees, details in appendix 2.

The new Oxford Cancer Centre opened in 2009, with brand new facilities for patients in the region, including two oncology wards, outpatient facilities, a newly built radiotherapy area as well as surgical wards and an on-site ITU. There is also a small private wing attached to the Centre.

Within the Oxford Department, general and site specialist clinics are conducted by all the Consultants. Oxford has developed site-specialist working in line with the Calman-Hine recommendations. The combined clinics cover the following site specialist areas:-

· Breast

· Head and Neck

· Lung

· Dermatology

· Gastro-intestinal tract

· Brain/CNS

· Urology

· Musculo-skeletal

· Gynaecology

· Endocrine

· Haematology

· Paediatrics

The Department receives over 3,400 new referrals each year and provides patients with comprehensive care, to include full assessment and treatment by both irradiation and /or chemotherapy, as appropriate.