UMC Utrecht appoints eighteen clinical scientists

Eighteen clinical scientists have been appointed at UMC Utrecht as of December 3. These are in-house healthcare providers with interest and proven expertise in conducting scientific research. Divisions and spearheads nominated candidates for this new role. They have been enabled to devote a guaranteed 40 percent of their time to research for five years. The goal of their new role is to promote translational research within UMC Utrecht.

The combination of scientific research and clinical duties in one person-the clinical scientist-is one of the essential characteristics of a university medical center. Many medical professionals at UMC Utrecht each have a small (0.1-0.2 fte) research appointment. On an individual level, the workload in healthcare is very high, but scientific research also requires great effort and regular peak loads (for example, during the writing of grant applications).

Insufficient time

As a result, medical professionals with such a small research appointment usually have insufficient time to conduct competitive research in high-value research areas. Or to set up and manage their own research group/lab. It also proves difficult to bridge the gap between basic, translational and clinical research and participate in scientific bodies (e.g., editorial boards of scientific journals, board positions in research consortia). Because of all these common situations, the necessary multidisciplinary integration of research and care often does not occur optimally, hindering both innovation and the creation of societal impact.

Combining clinical and scientific tasks

The board of directors therefore asked divisions to nominate clinical scientists, who were then recognized in their roles with the support of the spearheads. They are enabled to devote a guaranteed 40 percent of their time to research over a five-year period, while also remaining employed in healthcare for at least 40 percent of their time. The divisions thereby commit, in concert with the spearheads, to identifying and enabling candidates for this role.

Candidate Profile

The typical candidate for this role is a doctoral medical professional (for example, a physician, a nursing scientist, a psychologist) with a permanent, full-time (0.8-1.0 fte) appointment at UMC Utrecht. The candidate has an excellent scientific reputation, demonstrable interest and proven expertise in developing and conducting translational research. Furthermore, the candidate is expected to be able to create social impact and bridge the gap between research and the clinic.

First batch

The first batch of clinical scientists within the UMC Utrecht consists of eighteen colleagues (thirteen women and five men) from seven divisions and five spearheads (see table). From spearhead regenerative medicine & stem cells, candidates will be nominated early next year. The intention is to appoint more clinical scientists in the coming years.

Board member and dean Prof. Dr. Arno Hoes: “The added value of an umc is combining care, research and education, especially by individuals. But people who combine two or more tasks must unite very different worlds. By establishing the role of clinical scientist, with a fixed share of research time, we hope to help these bridge-builders to be able to have impact in both worlds. In our ‘Connecting Worlds’ strategy, we integrate research and care, which is much needed to for the ultimate development and implementation of innovations and the creation of societal impact.”