Clinical Research Fellow in Renal Medicine - Heartlands Hospital

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare institution in Birmingham is seeking a Clinical Research Fellow to investigate cognitive impairment in chronic kidney disease. The role includes research leadership, data analysis, and patient assessments, with opportunities for MD/PhD development. Ideal candidates are MBBS graduates with GIM training experience. Competitive benefits and professional growth are offered.

Benefits

Research training opportunities

Support for external fellowships

Inclusive work culture

Qualifications

• Must have a Medical Degree and be a member of the Royal College of Physicians.
• Experience in General Internal Medicine (GIM) training is required.
• Demonstrated skills in research and data management are essential.

Responsibilities

• Lead studies on chronic kidney disease and its effects on cognition.
• Conduct data analysis and present findings at conferences.
• Participate in patient recruitment and assessments for ongoing studies.

Skills

Research skills

Data analysis

Presentation skills

Education

Medical Degree (e.g MBBS, MB ChB)

Member of the Royal College of Physicians

Full GMC Registration

Job description

Overview

Go back University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 05 October 2025

We are looking for a doctor with a keen interest and demonstrable research potential to join us as a Clinical Research Fellow. The successful candidate will develop and lead studies looking into the effects of chronic kidney disease and dialysis on cognition supported by several senior investigators. This post will include protected research time with a view to obtaining a MD/PhD, as well as participation in the on-call general medicine and renal rota to maintain clinical competency.

The Fellow will be provided with research training opportunities and supported to apply for externally funded clinical research training fellowships. Our previous fellows have successfully completed their work towards PhD at the University of Birmingham, and two are currently finalizing their MD/ PhD theses at the University of Warwick.

This post would be ideal for trainees seeking to develop subspecialty research skills as part of out-of-programme research (OOPR).

Main duties of the job

The Fellow will be expected to take initiatives in the planning of research, identify and develop suitable techniques for the collection and analysis of data and to conduct data analysis. You will be required to present your finding to colleagues and at conferences, and submit publications to peer-reviewed journals.

The Fellow will be expected to attend Renal departmental meetings e.g. morbidity and mortality, journal club; and contribute to the educational rota e.g. departmental residents teaching, journal club, locally delivered regional specialty trainee teaching and hospital grand rounds.

Normal working hours are 9am to 5pm with a 1 in 5 on-call frequency and 1 in 4 weekend on-call frequency in the capacity of the renal and general medicine registrar.

About us

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.

Job responsibilities

Cognitive impairment (CI) is common in chronic kidney disease and even when mild, carries a high risk of progression to dementia with an annual rate of 1.9%. Cognitive function, especially executive function, drops steeply at dialysis initiation, followed by a stepwise decline. CI is reportedly less frequently in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.

The UK Dialysis-Cognition (UK-DC) Study was set up to investigate the impact of dialysis modality on decline in cognitive function. Previous small studies have suggested that the cognitive decline was more rapid in patients receiving HD rather than PD. This longitudinal, cohort study will include 16 UK kidney centres, and compare the change in cognitive function between incident PD and HD. The Fellow will be expected to participate in the recruitment and assessment of patients.

The Fellow will be involved in the set-up of the Evaluation of Effect of Cooled Haemodialysis on Cognition in Patients with End-Stage Kidney Disease (ECHECKED) Cluster Randomised Trial, which looks at the potential for dialysate cooling as a potential neuroprotective treatment to prevent CI. Cooler dialysate (34--35 C) reduces intradialytic hypotension compared to standard temperature dialysis by 70%. Our NIHR-funded feasibility study has already been published (Dasgupta et al. BMC Nephrology (2024)). A substantive, multicentre trial is required, and the Fellow will assist with writing up a funding application to the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

There are several potential key areas for further study within these study cohorts, which could form a substantive portion of the Fellow's MD/PhD thesis, as well as further clinical research fellowship/project grant applications. These include measures of cerebral arterial flow, cerebral imaging and measures of vascular endothelial function. There may be further opportunities for pre-clinical, mechanistic studies should the Fellow show interest in that area.

The overarching aims of these (sub)studies are to corroborate the cognitive change observed in dialysis patients with functional and structural brain alterations, and to investigate the mechanisms by which they occur.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Medical Degree (e.g MBBS, MB ChB)
• Member of the Royal College of Physicians (or equivalent)
• ALS
• Full GMC Registration

Experience

• 12 months GIM training or equivalent
• Currently Holding NTN in base speciality (ST 4-6)

Additional Criteria

• Note the job is for 2 years initially, but may be extended on progress and choice of higher degree b(MD or PhD) by mutual agreement.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust