Wellcome Trust PhD Programme for Primary Care Clinicians

Primary care is central to the provision of health care in the NHS, accounting for more than 90% of patient contacts every year. Recent changes to the organisation of the NHS has placed general practice at the centre of reform. It is imperative to develop a strong clinical academic workforce to generate research evidence to underpin high-quality extramural care, and provide multidisciplinary academic leadership to clinical colleagues. The Wellcome PhD Programme for Primary Care will provide strategic investment to support the development of a strong cohort of clinical academics, providing high quality training in internationally renowned applied research units and supporting capacity development in a critically important but still under-resourced field. Our expertise in a broad range of clinical and methodological areas maps to national research priorities and provides a platform for innovative translational research that will span and break down traditional barriers between professions and health care settings whilst developing the next generation of primary care scientists. Our proven track record in supporting academic careers demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that Fellows will receive the highest quality research training together with extensive mentoring and networking opportunities enabling them to become our future research leaders.