Clinical Research Fellow in Renal Medicine - Heartlands Hospital

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 14 February 2026

We are looking for a doctor with a keen interest and demonstrable research potential to join us as a Clinical Research Fellow. The successful candidate will develop and lead studies looking into the effects of chronic kidney disease and dialysis on cognition supported by several senior investigators. This post will include protected research time with a view to obtaining an MD/PhD, as well as participation in the on‑call general medicine and renal rota to maintain clinical competency.

The Fellow will be provided with research training opportunities and supported to apply for externally funded clinical research training fellowships. Our previous fellows have successfully completed their work towards a PhD at the University of Birmingham, and two are currently finalising their MD/PhD theses at the University of Warwick.

This post would be ideal for trainees seeking to develop subspecialty research skills as part of out‑of‑programme research (OOPR). The duration of this position is two years, with a view to extending depending on satisfactory research progress.

The Fellow will be expected to take initiatives in the planning of research, identify and develop suitable techniques for the collection and analysis of data and to conduct data analysis. You will be required to present your findings to colleagues and at conferences, and submit publications to peer‑reviewed journals.

The Fellow will be expected to attend Renal departmental meetings e.g. morbidity and mortality, journal club; and contribute to the educational rota e.g. departmental residents teaching, journal club, locally delivered regional specialty trainee teaching and hospital grand rounds.

Normal working hours are 9am to 5pm with a 1 in 5 on‑call frequency and 1 in 4 weekend on‑call frequency in the capacity of the renal and general medicine registrar.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people.

As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.

Cognitive impairment (CI) is common in chronic kidney disease and even when mild, carries a high risk of progression to dementia with an annual rate of 1.9%. Cognitive function, especially executive function, drops steeply at dialysis initiation, followed by a stepwise decline. CI is reportedly less frequently in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.

The UK Dialysis‑Cognition (UK‑DC) Study was set up to investigate the impact of dialysis modality on decline in cognitive function. Previous small studies have suggested that the cognitive decline was more rapid in patients receiving HD rather than PD. This longitudinal, cohort study will include 16 UK kidney centres, and compare the change in cognitive function between incident PD and HD.

The Fellow will be expected to participate in the recruitment and assessment of patients.

The Fellow will be involved in the set‑up of the Evaluation of Effect of Cooled Haemodialysis on Cognition in Patients with End‑Stage Kidney Disease (ECHECKED) Cluster Randomised Trial, which looks at the potential for dialysate cooling as a potential neuroprotective treatment to prevent CI. Cooler dialysate (34–35 °C) reduces intradialytic hypotension compared to standard temperature dialysis by 70%. Our NIHR‑funded feasibility study has already been published (Dasgupta et al.

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