ACF Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery 2027 (Sheffield)

The following posts are available:

• One post in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at ST1 level- Research Theme: Mulit Long-Term Conditions - (Please note: This is a multi-specialty vacancy; an appointment may not be made in this specialty. There will be 1 ACF post in either General Surgery or OMFS.)

The University of Sheffield, in partnership with NIHR, NHS England North East and Yorkshire and the East Midlands Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) Training Programme, has developed an exciting pathway of academic clinical training opportunities. 

 

Applications are now invited for an Academic Clinical Fellowship in OMFS at ST1 level with an integrated clinical and academic training scheme through to ST6. This post is being offered under the NIHR theme of Multiple Long Term Conditions (MLTCs)  

 

Please Note:- 

Applicants who do not already hold a National Training Number (NTN) or Deanery Reference Number (DRN) in the GMC specialty to which they are applying for will be required to undertake the national clinical recruitment process and attend an assessment/interview for that GMC specialty as appropriate. 

  

This new post has been created as part of the NHS England (NHSE)/National Institute for Health Research programme of Integrated Academic Training. It offers candidates a comprehensive experience of clinical academic medicine working alongside internationally renowned clinicians, researchers and medical educators. 

 

We are seeking highly motivated, enthusiastic individuals with the potential to excel in both their clinical and academic training and who have the ambition to be the next generation of academic clinicians. 

 

This Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) programme in OMFS will be run by the University of Sheffield and the East Midlands OMFS Training Scheme. 

 

OMFS Academic Clinical Fellowships (ACFs) at ST1 entry are fixed-term national training posts. They attract an NTN(A). 

 

Trainees undertake 75% clinical training and 25% academic training. 

 

Trainees are employed by the NHS Trust and have an honorary contract with the University at whose Medical School their academic research is supported. 

 

ACF trainees also undertake a Research Training Programme (RTP) which includes a 

choice of appropriate research modules depending on prior research training. In addition, the trainee will receive bespoke research training and mentorship within the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and associated academic units, according to their interests and experience. There is access to additional research training opportunities within the Faculty of Health. The trainee is also eligible for a £1,000 bursary per year to support research training activity (i.e. to attend academic conferences). 

 

The clinical portion of the three years of the programme takes place in the Oral and Maxillofacial Department in Sheffield, which provides regional oncology and trauma services to South Yorkshire. The academic component of the post is within the University of Sheffield. The Academic Supervisor will be Mr Iain Varley, a former Academic Clinical Fellow who is Clinical Lead for the OMFS service and an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer within the University, in conjunction with Professor Paul Hatton and Professor Ipsita Roy, Professor at the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering. Further academic supervision and support will be provided to fellows to attend local and national NIHR trainee conferences and to plan their academic training programme early in the post with their academic supervisor. The Academic Clinical Fellow will have a senior Academic Supervisor allocated for the entire training post in addition to their Educational and Clinical Supervisors 

 

As the ACF will be undertaking research within the theme of MLTCs, we offer co-supervision and projects within our established cross-specialty collaborations across the University. 

 

Long-term health conditions impact 43% of the adult population in England. Around 70% of all health and social care funding goes to supporting people with long-term health conditions. People experiencing socioeconomic deprivation (PESD) have a 60% higher prevalence of having a long-term health condition and a 30% increase in severity of the condition compared with those from more affluent backgrounds. Multiple Long-Term Conditions (MLTCs), i.e., two or more long-term conditions in an individual, are predicted to rise in the UK from 54% in 2015 to 68% in 2035. People living in areas of deprivation are almost twice as likely to have MLTCs, which occur on average 10–15 years earlier than those from more affluent groups/areas. Major socioeconomic inequalities exist even when accounting for risk factors such as smoking, nutrition, exercise, and alcohol consumption.  

 

In OMFS patients, MLTCs are associated with heavier disease burden, increased rate and severity of surgical complications, poorer outcomes and an increase in hospital admissions and social care costs. 

 

As an example, osteoporosis affects up to 50% of people by the age of 80. The mainstay of treatment is the use of antiresorptive medications, such as bisphosphonates or denosumab. A common cause of osteoporosis is long-term steroid use, such as in systemic inflammatory conditions such as Addison’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, pulmonary disorders etc. Obesity also plays a significant role, predisposing to osteoporosis and other conditions such as diabetes. Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws is a condition where surgery to the jaws, removal of a tooth, or oral trauma, in a patient treated with antiresorptive medication, results in failure of the tooth extraction socket to heal, leading to exposed, painful necrotic bone, and in some patients progressing to pathological fracture of the jaws and/or orocutaneous fistulae. The incidence of MRONJ in patients with multiple comorbidities is known to be significantly higher than in the general population (in the region of 1 in 1000 for high risk vs 1 in 10000 for low risk). In addition, the quoted incidence is based upon the entire population exposed to antiresorptive medication, whereas the “at risk” group of those with surgical or traumatic injury to the jaws is significantly higher, with an incidence of approximately 1 in 10 (based upon a local longitudinal study - DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28200.38409). 

 

The Academic Clinical Fellow will be supported and trained to develop a distinctive research project to include publication and conference outputs and write grant applications. ACF trainees would also normally complete and submit an external funding application for an NIHR fellowship to enable them to complete a higher degree (PhD or research MD) following the completion of their ACF fixed-term post. 

 

The ACF would be guaranteed continued training to CCT within the East Midlands OMFS Training Programme as long as they progress satisfactorily through both their academic and clinical training. 

 

We welcome informal enquiries about the post:  

Mr Iain Varley, iain.varley@sheffield.ac.uk Clinical Lead for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer 

Professor Paul Hatton, paul.hatton@sheffield.ac.uk  

Professor Ipsita Roy, i.roy@sheffield.ac.uk  School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering 

Please note: All applicants who do not already hold a National Training Number (NTN) or Deanery Reference Number (DRN) in the GMC specialty for which they are applying will be required to undertake the national clinical recruitment process and attend an assessment/interview for that GMC specialty as appropriate.

NIHR have produced some Frequently Asked Questions for applicants. You are advised to read this document in full before submitting your application.

Further sources of information

• National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
• Yorkshire and the Humber Academic Training webpage
• The University of Sheffield

Details  of the recruitment process are provided below.