Job Description for NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship in

Old Age Psychiatry (Dementia Theme) – ST1-ST4

1. Job Title. Academic Clinical Fellow in Psychiatry – Dementia Theme (ST1-ST4 Entry)

2. Duration of post. 3 Year fixed-term

3. Research institutions in which training will take place.

Research training will be at the UCL Division of Psychiatry (DoP) and ST1-ST4 clinical training will be in the
North Central London training scheme, where the main partner is Camden and Islington Foundation NHS
Trust (C&I) and where the first clinical placement will be located. The post is recognised for training in
psychiatry and time spent as an ACF will be accredited.

The post is open to high caliber psychiatric trainees who wish to establish an academic career. This post is
under the Dementia Theme and we and we welcome applications from trainees with interests across the
spectrum of academic psychiatry, including biological, cognitive neuroscience, health services, social and
population sciences.

The trainee will work with an academic supervisor who will support the trainee in exploring the breath of
research within the DoP and UCL and form research collaborations. With this support, the trainee will then
design and carry out their specific research project, leading to publication and application for externally
funded doctoral fellowships to complete a higher degree following completion of their ACF post.

4. Timetabling of clinical and research time

The protected academic time is 25% FTE over the 3 years of the post, or 9 months in total. The research
component of the ACF will normally be organised as a 9-month block release, although other arrangements
such as a shorter block release plus weekly research days is also possible. A typical timetable would be for
candidates to be in clinical training during the first 1 or 2 years, while establishing research links with
potential supervisors at UCL and starting preparatory work. They will be allocated an academic supervisor
at this time who will not necessarily be the supervisor for future research. This will be followed by a block
release in the second half of their post of 6-9 months at UCL, working closely with their chosen research
supervisor, when they will conduct the bulk of the research. Arrangements are flexible and will be organised
according to the needs of the individual trainee, in in conjunction with the clinical training leads.

5. Description of research component of programme

The present ACF post is part of the UCL Dementia Theme. The candidate would be expected to develop, in
combination with their research mentor, a research project in dementia, broadly considered to include its
neurobiology, epidemiology, psychological and interventional research for new pharmacological and non-
pharmacological interventions relevant to dementia. As a non-exhaustive guide, current active projects in
dementia in the Mental Health of Older People Department at UCL Division of psychiatry include: research
in dementia epidemiology; the neurobiology of Alzheimer’s disease and its neuropsychiatric symptoms;
neuroimaging; clinical trials on using technology for dementia prevention; development and testing of new
interventions to reduce risks and promote independence in people living with dementia in the community;
trials on drugs for drug treatment of dementia and its neuropsychiatric symptoms; support for carers and
end of life care in dementia. Collaboration with other researchers within and outside UCL is strongly
encouraged. Areas of current active collaborations within UCL include the Dementia Research Centre at
Queens Square, the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, the UCL Ear Institute, the UCL Division of
Psychology and Language Sciences, the PRIMENT Clinical Trials Unit for primary care and mental health.
The academic part of the post will be centered at the Division of Psychiatry at the Bloomsbury Campus of
UCL. Mental health research at UCL is world-leading with a strong emphasis on cross-disciplinary work
across the life-course. Our expertise spans cognitive neuroscience and computational psychiatry, genetic
and biological psychiatry, child and intellectual disability psychiatry, trials, psychological and social science,
psychiatric epidemiology, mental health informatics and applied health and policy research. A full description
of the Department, its staff and its research interests can be found at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/psychiatry/

We have a strong track record in providing trainees with cross-disciplinary structured supervision and
training. ACFs refine research questions and gather and analyse data to support applications for externally
funded doctoral fellowships. ACFs are fully integrated in the research life of the Division, we currently have
over 60 PhD students and 100 MSc students. The trainee will establish links with other ACFs within and
outside the Faculty of Brain Sciences at UCL to facilitate peer support and learning. We have a thriving
monthly academic meeting for all mental health academic trainees chaired by IAT lead Costafreda.

The trainee will receive Divisional supervision and access to UCL training covering key skills such as
information management, epidemiology, clinical trials, statistical methods, understanding of the funding of
UK science, grant writing, and scientific communication including the public understanding of science and
medicine. The ACF will have access to methodological and statistical training and support at UCL, through
structured modules, MScs, and seminars. Trainees will have the support of the post-graduate tutor in
Psychiatry for advice on educational training needs and pastoral issues.

The trainee will be encouraged to present his/her work throughout the ACF, including seminars, which will
give him/her further, informal training in oral presentation skills and the development of his research ideas.
He/she will also be encouraged and supported in the more formal presentation of his work at Regional,
National and International conferences.

The trainee will be attached to UCL from the beginning of the ACF with an honorary contract. He/she will
have use of a networked computer and will receive support/training in effective use of this syste m. Trainees
will be encouraged to give regular formal and informal feedback to the clinical and academic leads on 1) the
quality of the programme offered; 2) any difficulties balancing clinical and academic time and ideas on how
to ameliorate them; and 3) where academic support could be improved as well as any other views on how
the scheme might become more innovative. Trainees will have the support of the post-graduate tutor in
Psychiatry for advice on formal educational training needs, as well as pastoral issues.

6. Description of clinical training component of programme

The clinical component of the ACF training programme is part of the North Central London Core Training
Scheme in Psychiatry and Higher Psychiatry Old Age Psychiatry (Camden and Islington Foundation Trust
and Barnet Enfield and Haringey Mental health Trust). The trainee will work in HEE-recognised posts for
specialist psychiatric training. Trainees will be matched up to posts providing progress is satisfactory, to
complete the 3-year ACF post. There are a variety of community, specialty and inpatient clinical placements
within the scheme and on-call rotas.

Placements will be allocated according to the clinical training needs of the post-holder and current training
vacancies on the scheme. Core clinical placements will be organised with Dr Bhaskar Punukollu and Dr
Jules Summerfield, Core Training Programme Directors. Higher training posts will be organized by Dr Lucy
Wright and Dr Uttara Mandal, Old Age Psychiatry Training Programme Directors.

7. Academic Programme Director name

Prof Sergi Costafreda
8. Clinical Programme Director name
Dr Bhaskar Punukollu and Dr Jules Summerfield (Core Training)
Dr Lucy Wright and Dr Uttara Mandal (Old Age Psychiatry Higher Training)

9. Programme contact for further information (phone or email)

Prof Sergi Costafreda - s.costafreda@ucl.ac.uk

10. NHSE contact:

Specialty Team https://lasepgmdesupport.hee.nhs.uk/support/home
Recruitment Enquiries - https://lasepgmdesupport.hee.nhs.uk/support/home

11. Useful websites for further information

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/explore-nihr/academy-programmes/integrated-academic-training.htm

12. Confirmation that the post attracts an NTN (A): YES

This job description was prepared on 29/8/2023.