SRT Newsletter

Research in Radiology
How you can get involved
The clinical radiology department is at the heart of
every hospital, with many specialities relying on
medical imaging for patient management. As a
result, radiology input is fundamental to many
research studies, so there are plenty of
opportunities for trainees.
One route into academic radiology is to apply for
an academic clinical fellowship (ACF) co-ordinatined
by the National Institute for Health Research
(NIHR), in which up to 25% of training is dedicated
to research activity. The Welsh equivalent is the
Welsh Clinical Academic Training (WCAT) fellowship
(to which I’m extremely grateful because the
fellowship provided funding for my PhD). These
schemes provide trainees with support to develop
their research careers.
Involvement in research is a requirement of core
training and is embedded in the Royal College of
Radiologists curriculum, necessitating at least an
understanding of its core principles. It is therefore
a basic requirement that trainees engage in
research in their respective deaneries. For many,
there may be natural links to research activity in
their respective departments. But some of you may
be reading this and thinking “I don’t know anyone
that does research in my department”. Not to
worry, there are many resources that can help!
My first recommendation is to visit the RCR
website’s academic radiology section
(https://www.rcr.ac.uk/clinical-radiology/academic-r
adiology). The RCR academic committee have
worked hard to bring this valuable resource
together. This page hosts extremely useful
information about research awards and
fellowships, the annual RCR academic day and
other pieces of advice and guidance. There is also a
‘Research Map’
(https://www.rcr.ac.uk/clinical-radiology/academic-r
adiology-and-research/radiology-research-map)
listing radiologists around the UK who are willing to
help trainees with research projects, from simple
advice to more active participation. An excellent list
of electronic resources for research has been
compiled by Dr Karen Eley
(https://www.rcr.ac.uk/sites/default/files/e-Learning
_Research_Resources.pdf).
Dr Kieran Foley, an academic radiology registrar from South
Wales, explains how you can get involved in research
The world of research is extremely varied and means different things to
different people. To many, just hearing the word ‘research’ triggers
involuntary responses of fear, trepidation or boredom. To others, the
prospect of setting up or joining an existing research study is exciting.
Luckily, clinical radiology offers trainees a wealth of opportunities to
participate in research.
I would definitely recommend getting involved
in research. There are many positive
experiences available to trainees and I’ve
thoroughly enjoyed my research career so far.
Research provides key skills such as critical
appraisal that are required in everyday clinical
practice and that will benefit all aspects of
your future career. You should consider the
area of research that you would like to
become involved in because you can spend
many hours working in the field! My main
piece of advice is to find a mentor, supervisor
and/or research team who are willing to
actively participate in your research project.
As with most things, there will be hard work
along the way, but the benefits are extremely
rewarding! It is an exciting time to be involved
in radiology research, especially with the
emergence of artificial intelligence and other
cutting-edge technologies. By getting involved
in research, you have the chance to be at the
forefront of modern medicine.