Biomedical & health careers

• Academic leadership workshop: As part of the wider project on 'Enhancing the NHS-academia Interface', the Academy is holding  a workshop to convene key stakeholders from across industry, academia and the NHS to explore the current and future requirements for clinical academia leadership. The meeting will reflect on how to develop leaders and innovators that are equipped with the necessary skills to meet emerging healthcare challenges, and to embrace advances in novel practises and technology.
• Team Science: In March 2016, the Academy of Medical Sciences published a working group report on ‘Improving recognition of team science contributions in biomedical research careers’. Two years on, we brought together key stakeholders in a workshop to take stock of the progress and identify the existing challenges and opportunities surrounding team science, in addition to providing a platform to identify opportunities to best support team science for the future.

• Consultation on draft standards for medical education and training: We submitted a joint response with the Wellcome Trust to this 2015 consultation by the General Medical Council.  

• Shape of Training: We provided input to the 2013 review, which looked at potential reforms to the structure of postgraduate medical education and training. Having issued an initial response to the report upon its publication, we are now monitoring the development and implementation of the report's recommendations. The Academy wants to see reforms embed research awareness across the medical workforce and nurture future research leaders.

• Redressing the balance: the status and valuation of teaching in academic careers. In June 2014, the Academy published the summary of a joint project following up the implementation of our 2010 report's recommendations. This work was done in conjunction with the Physiological Society, Society of Biology and Heads of University Biosciences (HUBS) (a special interest group of the Society of Biology).

• NHS workforce reforms: the management of education and training was re-organised as part of the 2012 health reforms in England. We fed into the proposals as they progressed and responded to the development of the Bill.

The Academic Careers Committee identifies and works to address key policy issues across clinical and basic biomedical careers. Chaired by Professor Chris Pugh FMedSci and Professor Margaret Frame FMedSci, it incorporates the expertise of Academy Fellows, alongside that of individuals from a range of career stages.

Committee membership:

Professor Margaret Frame FMedSci (co-chair), Professor of Cancer Biology and Director of Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, University of Edinburgh

Professor Chris Pugh FMedSci (co-chair), Professor of Renal Medicine, University of Oxford

Dr Amy Foulkes, Academic Clinical Lecturer in Dermatology, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Daniel Horton, Lecturer (Veterinary Virology), University of Surrey

Professor John E Ladbury, Dean of the Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds

Professor Paul Martin FMedSci, Professor of Cell Biology, University of Bristol

Professor Sharon Peacock CBE FMedSci, Professor of Clinical Microbiology, University of Cambridge

Professor Andrew Pickles FMedSci, Professor of Biostatistics and Psychological Methods, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London

Professor Philip Quirke FMedSci, Head of Pathology and Tumour Biology and Sub-Dean for Postgraduate Academic Training, University of Leeds

Dr Katherine Sleeman, NIHR Clinician Scientist in Palliative Medicine, King’s College London

Dr Giselle Wiggin, Principal Scientist, Heptares Therapeutics

Professor Julie Williams CBE FMedSci FLSW, Professor of Neuropsychological Genetics and Head of Neurodegeneration Research, Cardiff University