The Integrated Clinical Academic Training (ICAT) programme led by BHP founder-member the University of Birmingham, has been rated joint top alongside the University of Oxford.

Birmingham’s ICAT programme is one of 36 across the country, with its NIHR funding complemented by posts supported by fellow Birmingham Health Partners member organisations. It provides opportunities for medical and dental graduates to have dedicated research time alongside their clinical training and NHS commitments and is critical to developing the future clinical research workforce, supporting clinicians to pursue research interests alongside clinical practice.

The University excelled in the recent NIHR funding competition, being awarded 28 Academic Clinical Fellow posts and 13 Academic Clinical Lecturer posts, for the period 2026 and 2027.

“We are proud to be one of the largest of the 36 NIHR ICAT programmes in the country, with 116 current trainees, ranging from pre-doctoral Academic Clinical Fellows to consultant level, postdoctoral Birmingham Health Partners award holders. Our relationships with NHS trusts across the region through BHP stand us apart from many of the other ICAT programmes and this partnership is integral to building regional research leadership capacity,” said Professor Kristien Boelaert, ICAT Academic Lead and Professor of Endocrinology at the University.

Earlier this year, the Medical Schools Council highlighted a trend in declining numbers of clinical academics and called for intervention to safeguard the future of medical research and education. The Government’s 10 Year Health plan recognises the importance of embedding research across healthcare to drive reform and attracting early career clinicians to academia is essential to increase those numbers.

Commenting on the importance of Birmingham’s contribution, Professor Boelaert explained: “It’s not just that we have an impressive number of posts here in Birmingham – our career development initiatives, research culture and peer support activities make up the full package. Our Research Retreat was also highlighted as very beneficial, along with outstanding feedback via our trainee experience survey.”

Since Birmingham’s ICAT Programme launched in 2015, 55 of our 86 NIHR Academic Clinical Fellows (64%) have progressed to clinical research training fellowships or other academic posts and 55 of 73 our NIHR and locally-funded Clinical Lecturers have progressed to senior academic positions (75%), including 17 as research-active consultants.

Find out more about our programmes:

• BHP Starter Fellowships, allowing individuals to start their research career providing cost to cover one year’s salary to undertake a Master’s by Research
• Clinical Academic Research Partnerships (CARP), to support individuals continue their research careers while delivering clinical service providing salary funding for two programmed activities (PAs) – or 8 hours per week – of protected research time for two years
• New Consultant Scheme, providing salary funding for two programmed activities (PAs) – or 8 hours per week – of protected research time for three years
• BHP Clinician Scientist, 50:50 appointments providing an academic consultant post linked with one of our NHS trusts to develop individuals as successful independent clinical researchers

BHP’s 2026 training programmes open for applications

Learn more about our programmes and apply

Birmingham Health Partners annual meeting will be held on the afternoon of 19^th November (1.00pm – 5.00pm), at the Edgbaston Park Hotel, Birmingham.

Our keynote speaker will be Prof Waljit Dhillo, Dean of the NIHR Academy and NIHR Scientific Director for Research Capacity and Capabilities.  We will also hear from our new Chair of Birmingham Health Partners, Richard Meddings, CBE.

A full programme will follow in the next few weeks. 

To register please email k.mcnaughton@bham.ac.uk by 31^st October 2025.

Please also indicate your order of preference for which themed table session you would like to join:

Tackling the NHS 10 year plan: how can we use BHP to address the “Three Shifts”

• Theme 1: Analogue to Digital
• Theme 2: Hospital to Community
• Theme 3: Treatment to Prevention

Professor Dhillo is a Professor in Endocrinology & Metabolism at Imperial College London and Consultant Endocrinologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. His research includes the development of safer IVF treatment for women; robotic sensor technology to diagnose women’s reproductive health problems in real-time; and exploring whether kisspeptin can ultimately be used to treat men with common psychosexual disorders, such as low libido. He was previously an NIHR Research Professor and this year was appointed as an NIHR Senior Investigator.

As Dean of the NIHR Academy, Professor Dhillo will support the delivery and development of NIHR Academy schemes, including the Integrated Academic Training Programme, Personal Research Fellowships, the Integrated Clinical Academic Programme, the Infrastructure Training Forum, as well as a number of Global Health Training Programmes. Working in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the NIHR Academy CEO, Professor Dhillo will provide oversight on the development and delivery of NIHR research training programmes, to ensure they meet the needs of the current research landscape, as well as identifying future gaps and how to solve them.

The benefits and harms of vaping for long term respiratory health will be the focus of a new research project, thanks to a funding award of £1.46m by the Medical Research Council (MRC).

Building on internationally recognised work in e-cigarette studies at BHP founder-members the University of Birmingham, the EVALUATE study aims to address unanswered questions about the effect of long-term vaping on the respiratory system by conducting a four-year cohort study.

Dr Aaron Scott, Associate Professor in Respiratory Science at the University of Birmingham and Chief Investigator of EVALUATE said: “We will study how vaping affects important airway immune cells and the epithelial cells which line the insides of the lung. Since these cell types play a critical role in the development of smoking-related lung diseases, these changes will provide clear insight into vaping’s on lung health”

“This study will provide critical data needed to understand the safety of vaping as a short-term smoking cessation strategy and in longer-term usage so people can make an informed personal choice”

David Thickett, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Birmingham and Clinical lead of University Hospitals Birmingham’s staff smoking cessation service said: “The EVALUATE study will investigate changes to immune and lung cell health following vaping. Supported by the NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, the multi-faceted study will also investigate how vaping changes the human microbiome after smoking cessation. For the trillions of microorganisms that live on and in the human body, environmental factors can affect the delicate balance of microbiomes and can impact health if disrupted.”

Dr Dhruv Parekh, Associate Professor in Respiratory Medicine and Director of the University Hospitals Birmingham Clinical Research Facility said: “Studying immune cells from the blood (indirect effects) and from the airways (direct effects) by bronchoscopy, allows us to get a complete picture of how the airways are affected by vaping. This important study will be delivered through our NIHR Clinical Research Facility which is integral to the delivery of this work.”

Dr Mike Cox, Assistant Professor Respiratory Microbiome at the University of Birmingham said: “Smoking can drastically alter microorganisms in our bodies, particularly in the airways. This project will allow us to uncover how vaping impacts this balance and map out how this changes over time.”

Studying toxicants in the airways

Previous work from Dr Scott’s lab at the University of Birmingham has shown that toxicants within e-cigarette vapour, formed by the breakdown of e-liquid, can negatively impact important immune cells, independently to the effects of nicotine. Some of these toxic components of e-cigarette vapour are also found in cigarette smoke. We know this could harm our airways, but this is difficult to sample and measure.

Professor Luis Mur at Aberystwyth University will lead the investigation into the accumulation of toxicants within the airways after vaping. Professor Mur said: “Using our cutting-edge mass spectroscopy platforms, we can monitor how toxicants in the airways change as people move from smoking to vaping. Combined with data on immune cell function, this interdisciplinary approach will give us a powerful insight into the true nature of e-cigarette exposure on the airways.”

This new study will also run alongside a complementary clinical trial, ECAL and linked EME mechanism study, which is examining the impact of vaping in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The research team will begin recruiting for the EVALUATE study in the Autumn of 2025.

Richard Meddings CBE, the former chair of NHS England, has been appointed Chair of Birmingham Health Partners – signifying the importance, ambition and leadership of the second city’s NHS-university partnership. Richard will take up his role from October 1^st 2025. 

Richard completed a three-year term at NHS England until March 2025. During his tenure, he oversaw the reorganisation which led to NHS Improvement, NHS-X and Health Education England merging into NHS England, which reduced costs and placed more funding directly into patient care. Additionally, the first NHS Long Term Workforce Plan was delivered and Integrated Care Boards formally established.  

Alongside his NHS England role, Richard was a non-executive director at Genomics England – established by the UK Government to bring genomic medicine into routine NHS care and transform diagnosis and treatment of cancer and rare conditions. 

Originally from Wolverhampton, Richard moved into healthcare leadership after a 30-year career in financial services and banking, where his senior executive roles included Group Executive Director at Standard Chartered, following finance director roles at the Woolwich and Barclays. He has served in non-executive board roles for numerous organisations including Legal & General, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse and TSB Bank, as well as seven years on the Board of HM Treasury.  

Commenting on his appointment, Richard said: “Today’s NHS is a remarkable machine, providing record levels of care, and it has been humbling and inspiring to witness that front-line work in action. In tandem, research innovations are coming thick and fast which will enable us to be more proactive with patients, address capacity issues and harness the power of new technology. Nowhere are these opportunities greater than in my native West Midlands, making it a very exciting time to join BHP.” 

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, Chair of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Richard brings gravitas, wider connections and additional vision to Birmingham Health Partners. BHP’s member organisations will benefit greatly from his deep understanding of the NHS and the promise that Birmingham’s national genomics programme offers to our population, the regional life science industry, and the future of medicine.” 

Dame Yve Buckland, Chair of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Richard’s leadership experience, skills and insights will be invaluable to our important collaboration and the opportunity we have to advance new treatments, diagnostics, and technologies to improve the health and care of our communities – which include some of the most challenged in the country.” 

Sir David Nicholson, Chair of Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, said: “It is tremendous to welcome Richard back to the West Midlands. Birmingham is a UK leading centre hosting one of the most substantial Government investments in research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) amongst others. Our work in health data, addressing health inequalities and optimising clinical trials is already improving healthcare. It is an exciting time across our partnership.”  

Professor Neil Hanley, Executive Director of Birmingham Health Partners and Pro-Vice Chancellor and Head of the College of Medicine & Health at the University of Birmingham: ‘I am absolutely delighted we have persuaded Richard to become our next chair of Birmingham Health Partners. Combining business and financial acumen with his experience at the helm of NHS England, he will give us a unique perspective on the opportunities presented by the NHS 10-year plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan. We’re delighted to have him join our Board.” 

BHP, established in 2015, is a strategic alliance between nine University and NHS members who collaborate to deliver groundbreaking translational research, world-class education and training, and the highest quality patient care.