Chris Roberts
Current Position: Academic Clinical Fellows
Research Field: Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Pharmacogenetics
Why did you decide to undertake clinical academic training and what pathway have you taken so far?
Interested in research and working beyond solely clinical work. Interested in how we can improve the care of the patients both locally and nationally. Have gone straight from Academic Foundation Programme.
Why did you choose to conduct your clinical training at the University of Exeter and what are some of the highlights?
Expertise of the IBD team in its worldwide reputation for delivering multisite projects which lead to real changes in the treatment of people with IBD.
What challenges have you faced during your clinical academic training and how have you overcome these?
Lack of time for academics and juggling on call commitments with still being able to deliver on research deadlines.
What impact has clinical academic training had on your career and what are your next steps?
Reinforced my desire to long-term have a mix of clinical and academic work. Upon completion of ACF programme expect to be applying for PhD programmes.
What advice would you give to an aspiring clinical academic?
That to know what specific areas of research you are interested in, working within teams that have an active research focus will make projects far more likely to succeed than working with individuals.
