At KMMS, we are establishing a Clinical Academic Training Office (CATO), to support our clinical academic trainees in line with our vision to become a regional hub for high-quality research and knowledge exchange. Our vision is to form a bridge between the communities across our region, service providers within the local NHS Trusts and social care, and the academics and researchers at our partner Universities. This will build on our commitment to high-quality clinical teaching and research, as well as strong ongoing collaborative partnerships with all NHS Trusts across Kent and Medway.
CATO will signpost to training and development opportunities as well as providing information on best practice and information on navigating a clinical academic career.
• For future doctors, the office will provide administrative support and advice on internships and intercalated degrees
• For Academic Clinical Fellows and Lecturers, the office will provide a dedicated support, monitoring, and reporting structure for the Integrated Academic Training (IAT) Programme
• For established Clinical Academics, the office will signpost funding, link with Kent wide NHS Trusts, social care organisations, supporting organisations such as the Kent Surrey Sussex ARC, AHSN, CRN and local industry and commercial partners; as well as provide advice and resource around mentoring, supervising and research leadership
• For developing the clinical academic culture, the office will proactively seek to scope, engage, and source opportunities for clinicians to get involved in academic projects.
• The office will be the critical hub in the evolution of a pipeline of successful academic clinicians as the medical school develops the doctors of the future. Initiating KMMS students’ interest in research through novel and innovative internship opportunities, followed by developing expertise and publications funded through their intercalated MSc will ensure a competitive application to the local research training posts as a junior doctor.
Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) NIHR IAT Competition Success
The setup of CATO has been made possible by KMMS’ recent success in the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Integrated Academic Training (IAT) Competition 2024/5.This was the KMMS’s first application for this peer-reviewed competition, as these fellowships are only available to research-active medical schools.
KMMS is delighted to have had success in attaining funds to support 7 Academic Clinical Fellows, who will gain research experience as part of their higher specialist clinical training; 21 fully funded intercalated degrees for our current undergraduate medical students (five in the first year), and 28 research internships (8 in the first year) for current KMMS students.
To contact the CATO office, please email IATadmin@kmms.ac.uk