Julia Fox Rushby - a Panel Judge's insights

APPLYING FOR NIHR CLINICAL DOCTORAL AWARDS: A 360º VIEW

Insights from an NIHR panel member

Professor Julia Fox-RushbyDirector, Health Economics Research Group

25th MARCH: 3.00 p.m.

Brunel University London

Today

• NIHR panel I sit on

• Panel membership

• Selection process

• Shortlisting applications

• Interviews

……….. and implications for preparing applications

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NIHR Career Fellowships Panel 2015 (career development, training & senior fellows)

• 33 members

• Chair & deputy-chair

• Membership

• 26 Profs, 4 Readers/SLs, 3 patient/public reps

• 6 London/South, 14 Mid-lands, 10 North (& 3 reps)

• Disciplines

• Medical specialties: diabetes, haematology, psychiatry, critical care, surgery, respiratory, CVD, infectious disease, mental health

• 6 HSR, 4 statistics, 3 public health, 2 nursing, 2 economists, 1 psychometric epidemiology, 1 Trust, 1 pharmacology

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A brief research history

• Professor of Health Economics (since 2004) & Director HERG (since 2011)

• Research focus

• Cost-effectiveness analysis (public health interventions & surgery)

• Applications: physical activity, CVD, malaria, ante/post natal care

• Methodological research: measuring and valuing quality of life, challenges translating research methods & results across countries

• Countries: England, Kenya, India, Argentina, Cuba, Indonesia …….

• Main research funders: NIHR, Research councils, NICE, WHO


My committee membership for research funding organisations

• NIHR Career Fellowships Panel (career development, training and senior fellowships) (2014 – date)

• NIHR Career Fellowships Panel (post-doctoral fellowships) (2010 – 2013)

• NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme, Clinical Trials Board (2006 – 2010)

• International Clinical Epidemiology Network INCLEN, Programme Board (1997 - 2000)

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Implications for preparing successful applications

Know your reviewers and select appropriate peer reviewers:

• senior staff with excellent research histories

• those who have sat on similar funding committees

• quantitative and qualitative researchers

• subject specialists and researchers who do not know your area

• someone who can critically appraise its 5 year benefit to NHS

• patient /public representatives

• proposed supervisors and mentors

• research costing / finance expert

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Selection process

1. NIHR review of whether application is within brief

2. Shortlisting

3. Subject expert reviewing

4. Interview

5. NIHR review of finances

6. Potential research-specific follow-up (rare)

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Short listing process

• I review 10-20 proposals (85 pages each) within 2-3 weeks

• Each application reviewed online

• Applicant (8 questions, grading & written response)

• Proposed research (8 questions, grading & written response)

• Site and career development (3 questions, grading & written response)

• Is it value for money? (written response)

• Issues for clarification at interview

• Overall grade

• Each application independently reviewed by 3 academics and 1 patient rep

• Independent reviews reviewed by chair/deputy chair

• One day meeting of whole committee to review/discuss grades

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How do I review?

• Lay summary followed by academic summary first

• Candidate history: trajectory, career outputs

• Research: clarity, quality, likely impact in NHS, scale / scope

• Location: REF rating, track record in research, time & commitment

• Training plans.

• Does it meet needs of candidate and project? (subject specific and career development). Reflecting growing independence/leadership?

• How will the candidate develop new knowledge (surrounding teams / networking?)

• More senior applications; how will they develop others inside the institution and in wider field?

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Implications for successful applications

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Brunel University London 11


Interview (1)

• 25 mins total

• 5 mins presentation

• 2 interviewers; research, training

• Questions open to panel

• Your question

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Interview (2)

Practice

• Mock interviews are usually the worst

Presentation

• Not too many slides and don’t overfill slides

• Don’t go over time

Behaviour

• It is OK to be nervous

• Confident but not over confident

• Don’t get defensive

• Admit what you don’t know and be happy to take advice

• Relax and be yourself

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Interview (3)

The project

•Know it inside and out

•Has anything altered since submission?

•Know the methods and identify the expertise

•Think through alternatives

Training and Development

•Identify your training needs

•How will the training support your project and future career intentions

The future you

•Be clear where you want to be

•What is does this fellowship mean to your career

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Good luck

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NIHR Remit

• People and patient based applied health research

• Research capacity to improve health/healthcare

• Patients, samples or data from patients, people who are not patients, populations, health technology assessment and health services research

• Clearly demonstrate the potential to have an impact on the needs of patients and the public within 5 years of its completion

• No basic research or work involving animals and/or animal tissue

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NIHRTCC Research Career PathwaysNon Medical/Dental

Health Professionals HEE/NIHR Integrated

Clinical Academic Programme

HEE/NIHR Masters in

Clinical Research

HEE/NIHR Clinical Doctoral

Research Fellowship

HEE/NIHR Senior Clinical Lecturership

HEE/NIHR Clinical

Lectureship

MethodologistsResearch Methods

Programme

NIHR Research Methods

Fellowship and Internship

NIHR Masters Studentship in

Health Economics or Medical Statistics

Level of Award

Undergraduate

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Doctors and DentistsNIHR Integrated

Academic TrainingProgramme

NIHR Clinician Scientist

Award

NIHR In-Practice Fellowship

NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship

NIHR Doctoral Research

Fellowship

NIHR Post-

Doctoral Fellowship

NIHR Career Development

Fellowship

NIHR Senior Research Fellowship

NIHR Research Professorship

NIH

R T

ransitional R

esearch F

ellowship

NIH

R C

linical Trials F

ellowship

NIH

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ellowship

All ProfessionsNIHR Fellowships,

Professorships, Other Awards

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NIHR Clinical

Lectureship

Julia Fox Rushby - a Panel Judge's insights

Health & Medicine

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