Training and Career Development
A major goal of the Diabetes CCRE is to attract more clinicians into clinical research, including Indigenous populations and other disadvantaged communities. The CIs have a strong record of identifying, recruiting, training and mentoring clinical researchers (collectively they have supervised over 40 individuals for clinically based PhD or MD degrees). In addition to medical graduates across a wide range of specialities, these have included dietitians, nurses, a dentist and an optometrist.
As part of clinical research training in Diabetes and Nutrition, the Diabetes CCRE is developing a Specialist Certificate in Clinical Research in Diabetes and a Specialist Certificate in Clinical Research in Nutrition. Further information can be found at the Clinical Research Training page.
Making the transition from research degree completion to successful grant and fellowship applications is very difficult for practising clinicians and a significant part of the CCRE funding is directed to enable postdoctoral fellows to develop their own research projects with mentoring, salary and infrastructure support. This initiative addresses the current lack of such programs to support the retention of highly qualified individuals after their PhD or MD completion, which makes it difficult for them to develop their own clinical research projects after they resume clinical practice. Further information can be found at the CCRE Fellowship Scheme page.
In addition, CCRE CI Alicia Jenkins and AI David O'Neal were recently successful in securing funding from the Royal Australian College of Physicians (RACP) to run a one-day Continuing Professional Development training seminar on insulin pump technologies. This is an example of the various training programs the Diabetes CCRE has and is actively developing. For more information, please visit the Continuing Professional Development page.
The Diabetes CCRE has been actively involved in external training opportunities through its involvement in the Clinical Research Excellence (CRX) series of conferences. These conferences offer excellent training opportunities through the various presentations made by representatives from academia and industry, providing topical insights into clinical research and advice for younger clinical researchers. A number of Diabetes CCRE CIs and AIs participated in CRX07 and the Diabetes CCRE actively contributed to the conference materials provided to all delegates while the Diabetes CCRE also supported several CCRE CIs and Fellows to attend the CRX08 conference in Brisbane, at which they made presentations including one by Fellow Irene Blackberry which was one of only 12 selected out of over 50 submitted for oral presentation. The Diabetes CCRE has taken a major role in the organisation of the CRX09 conference, through its sponsorship of a session on the NHMRC CCRE scheme as well as invited presentations by Diabetes CCRE CI Tom Kay and Fellow Andrew Wilson. Further information about the conference can be found at www.crxconference.com.