Clinician Scientist CareerS Münster

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Michael Schäfers
• Subject Area: Clinical Immunology and Allergology ; Immunology ; Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy, Radiobiology ; Virology
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 493624047

Clinical research and thereby medical progress are dependent on novel insight into the molecular and cellular basis of diseases, innovations in disease-specific diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, and translation into patient-centred clinical algorithms. This needs Clinician Scientists who are both optimally trained in different disciplines and active in medical research and clinical medicine. Pursuing a Clinician Scientist career, on the other hand, comes with significant challenges including sufficient, integrated and protected time for concomitant scientific and clinical training, a clear and reliable career perspective, visibility and acceptance amongst colleagues, the compatibility of a long and demanding dual training with family life, and many others. In recognition of this urgent dilemma, a dedicated Clinician Scientist career path is needed that allows research-active physicians to tightly integrate both the clinical and the scientific training and to optimally support Clinician Scientists at all stages of their career. The concurrent development of research skills and a first individual research profile during clinical specialisation is the most critical phase in a Clinician Scientist career; although existing measures already support Clinician Scientists at the Medical Faculty Münster of the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU), these do not sufficiently address the specialisation training phase. In particular, we need a structured Clinician Scientist curriculum and integration of this important career step into a career path. Therefore, we apply for a 3-year CareerS Boost module that provides protected, but flexible research time for physicians optimally integrated with clinical training during specialisation, and a structured Clinician Scientist curriculum including research training and the development of key qualifications and mentoring by Clinician and Natural Scientists. Based on local research strengths, existing DFG-funded networks, intramural research structures and infrastructures we will initially focus on better understanding of organ-specific immune responses as a lead research topic. This university-wide research topic will also promote interdisciplinary research between Clinician Scientists, Natural Scientists, Mathematicians and Computer Scientists at WWU to foster translational strategies and to introduce Clinician Scientists into novel research methodologies such as artificial intelligence, mathematical modelling and computational big data strategies. The Boost module will be the core of our future faculty-wide CareerS path funded through MFM long-term.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigators: Professorin Dr. Petra Dersch; Professorin Dr. Luisa Klotz; Professor Dr. Hermann Pavenstädt; Professor Dr. Johannes Roth; Professor Dr. Alexander Zarbock