Senior Clinical Fellow in Dermatopathology

NHS; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS foundation trust in Greater London is seeking a Senior Clinical Fellow in Dermatopathology for a fixed-term 24-month position. This role offers a unique opportunity to develop skills in dermatopathology through an apprenticeship model, aimed at pathologists and dermatologists nearing the completion of specialty training. Responsibilities include diagnostic treatment, training junior staff, and contributing to teaching. Applicants must hold Full GMC Registration and relevant postgraduate training.

Benefits

Final salary pension scheme

Comprehensive training program

Qualifications

• Candidates must have Full GMC Registration and a valid licence to practice.
• At least one year of postgraduate training in Dermatology is required.
• Experience in leading clinical services and participating in audits is vital.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialty services to the NHS Trust.
• Train and direct junior staff.
• Contribute to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.

Skills

Effective multidisciplinary teamwork

Experience in histopathology

Familiarity with routine dermatopathology

Education

Full GMC Registration with licence to practice

MRCP (UK) or equivalent

Postgraduate training in Dermatology

CCT/CESR

Job description

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Clinical Fellow in Dermatopathology

The closing date is 12 January 2026

Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

St. John's Institute of Dermatology

Senior Clinical Fellow in Dermapathology

Full Time: 40-hours

Fixed Term: 24-Months

Applications are invited for this fixed term 2-year appointment commencing March/April 2026. The post of Clinical Fellow in Dermatopathology in St John’s is unique in the UK. Appropriate for pathologists and dermatologists towards the end of, or having completed, their speciality training, during the two year period, most of which is in the form of an apprenticeship model, doctors will become highly skilled in all areas of dermatopathology. Clinical Fellows will be encouraged to take the Royal College of Pathology Diploma in Dermatopathology and/or the International Diploma in Dermatopathology during their tenure of the post.

Main duties of the job

The purpose of this programme for specialty training in dermatopathology is to set the standards required for practising as a Consultant dermatopathologist and satisfying the standard expected in the The Royal College of Pathologists' Diploma in Dermatopathology and the International Diploma in Dermatopathology examinations.

Duties and responsibilities

Clinical:

The postholder will, together with colleagues, be responsible for the provision of specialty services to the Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust to include:

(a) Diagnosis and treatment of patients of the trust in such hospitals, health centres or clinics or other premises as required.

(b) Continuing clinical responsibility for the patients in your charge, allowing for all proper delegation to, and training of, your staff.

Training of junior staff:

The postholder will take responsibility for the training and direction of junior staff allocated to him/her under aegis of the training plan that that postholder has agreed with their supervising consultant.

Teaching:

The postholder will be expected to contribute as appropriate in the teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate students.

About us

As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends. Creating a world-leading Academic Health Sciences Centre. All our vacancies can be viewed on our website. Our excellent benefits include final salary pension scheme. Please visit our website to find out more.

*** Please be advised that this vacancy may close early should we receive sufficient number of applications ***

Job responsibilities

The programme is divided into four stages, AD.

At all stages of the programme the Clinical Fellows will alternate between routine and referral blocks with a 4-week cycle.

Routine: these cases constitute the biopsies & excisions generated from within St Johns, St Thomas and those received from primary care. Cases for Multidisciplinary Meetings (MDMs), Mohs cases and sentinel lymph nodes also fall within this block.

Referral: these are those cases sent to a pathologist in the department for a specialist opinion. The precise role of the Fellow in this component of work will differ according to the supervising Consultants practice.

Stage A

This stage approximates to the first 3 months in the post. Fellows will familiarise themselves with the cut-up manual and procedure; the day-to-day running of the reporting room, of which they will take charge. Fellows will review all cases processed for reporting and write a surgical report.

Early in the post those Fellows with a dermatology background should spend one day in the laboratory following the processing of tissue after prosection, and cut a section. They should also observe the technical aspects of immunocytochemistry.

Stage B

From 3-6 months Fellows should take increasing responsibility for preparing histochemical and immunocytochemical request forms for discussion with the supervising Consultant.

Stage C

Between 6-12 months Fellows should be developing a detailed understanding of reporting complicated cases, including: lymphomas with associated immunocytochemistry; difficult adnexal tumours; alopecia samples; dermal spindle cell tumours and sarcomas.

At this stage Fellows will make arrangements to attend immunfluorescence reporting sessions once per week by arrangement with the IMF department.

Fellows will begin to present cases at the MDMs under supervision of the responsible Consultant.

Stage D

Stage D of training begins after 12 months in the post. At this stage Fellows should be able to write surgical reports for difficult and complex cases, including referral specimens. During this period a Fellow with a dermatology background should be rosted for attachments in General Histopathology, which ideally will include the following:

• Haematopathology; including systemic lymphoma classification and diagnosis; metastases; large cell and follicular lymphomas; bone marrow interpretation including the typing of leukaemias.
• Breast pathology; some experience of the common breast malignancies
• Salivary gland tumours; the more common tumours, which have some resemblance to cutaneous adnexal neoplasms.
• Gynaecological pathology; particularly CIN and VIN, and the common malignant tumours.
• Other sub-specialities: gastro-intestinal, urological and respiratory, with particular emphasis on tumour pathology.

A short attachment period in the department of Oral Pathology is also required.

Subject to satisfactory progress, all Fellows will now have the opportunity to present cases at each of the MDMs in the absence of a Consultant.

By the end of Stage D, the trainee should be able to demonstrate a level of knowledge and skill consistent with practise as a consultant in dermatopathology in the National Health Service.

Person Specification

Education

• Full GMC Registration, with licence to practice
• MRCP (UK) or equivalent
• At least one year postgraduate training in Dermatology at Registrar or SHO level
• Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCT)/Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR)

Knowledge and Skills

• A broad training in General Medicine
• Ability to work as an effective member of a multidisciplinary team
• Experience in histopathology
• Familiarity of the basic conditions encountered in routine dermatopathology

Other

• Evidence of understanding of the role of clinical management
• Evidence of understanding of and adherence to the principles of Good Medical Practice set out by the General Medical Council
• Evidence of contribution to effective clinical audit and clinical risk management
• Evidence of leadership in the development of clinical services

Research and Teaching

• Understanding of the principles and applications of clinical research
• Involvement in medical research project
• Experience of undergraduate teaching and post graduate training
• Evidence of original research
• Teaching qualification

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.

Employer name

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust