Doctoral Fellowships

Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (DCAF) Funding Committee

Published: 18 September 2024
2 min read

The Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (DCAF) scheme constitutes the doctoral tier of the NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Programme (ICA) and exists to support future clinical academic leaders with immediate aspirations for PhD study. The DCAF scheme which is a successor to the Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship (CDRF) is a bi-annual two-rounds competition.

The scheme is open to all health and care professionals (excluding doctors and dentists) registered with the ICA Approved Regulatory Bodies.

The DCAF scheme is managed through a funding committee that is primarily comprised of academic experts from a variety of professional backgrounds and with diverse fields of academic expertise in the health and social care. The overall remit of the DCAF Funding Committee is to assess applications to the NIHR Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (DCAF) and make recommendations for funding.

Since 2016, each of the interviewing sub-committees of the ICA funding committees have also included two public members. The public members have a specific remit to assess the quality and appropriateness of the approach to patient and public involvement in the proposals of each applicant who attends an interview.

During the assessment of applications, the Funding Committee is held to the highest standards of probity to ensure the fair use of public money including:

impartiality
openness
accountability and
maximising returns on NIHR investment in research capacity development.

In addition, members of NIHR Funding Committees have a responsibility to:

bring an independent judgement to bear on all issues considered by the Selection Committee;
act in good faith and
act in the best interests of the NIHR and NHS.

Role	Title	First Name	Surname	Employing/Hosting Organisation(s)
Chair	Professor	Avril	Drummond	The University of Nottingham
Co-Chair	Professor	John	Baker	University of Leeds
Co-Chair	Professor	Louise	Connell	University of Central Lancashire
Deputy Chair	Professor	Vanora	Hundley	Bournemouth University
Deputy Chair	Dr	Gita	Ramdharry	University College London Hospital NHS Trust
Deputy Chair	Dr	Claire	Diver	The University of Nottingham
Member	Dr	Theophilus	Akudjedu	Bournemouth University
Member	Professor	Margaret	Coffey	Imperial College London/imperial College Healthcare Trust
Member	Dr	Angus	MacBeth	The University of Edinburgh
Member	Professor	Taraneh	Dean	London South Bank University
Member	Professor	Seeromanie	Harding	Kings College London
Member	Dr	Jamie	Murdoch	King's College London
Member	Dr	Kirstie	Coxon	Kingston University
Member	Dr	Naim	Abdulmohdi	Anglia Ruskin University
Member	Professor	Sara	Kenyon	University of Birmingham
Member	Professor	Natalie	Pattison	University of Hertfordshire
Member	Professor	Julie	Sanders	Barts Health NHS Trust
Member	Professor	Mary	Wells	Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Member	Dr	Frank	Lai	Northumbria University
Member	Professor	Cilla	Harries	Kingston and St George's Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education
Member	Professor	David	Alldred	University of Leeds
Member	Professor	Bryony	Franklin	University College London
Member	Dr	Penny	Lewis	The University of Manchester
Member	Professor	Caroline	Alexander	Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Member	Professor	Sally	Singh	University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
Member	Professor	Jane	West	Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Member	Dr	Sharon	Docherty	Bournemouth University
Member	Professor	Maryann	Hardy	University of Bradford
Member	Professor	Rebecca	Palmer	University of Sheffield
Member	Dr	James	Martin	University of Birmingham
Member	Dr	Tina	Harris	De Montfort University
Member	Professor	Yanzhong	Wang	King's College London
Member	Dr	Nicola	O'Brien	Northumbria University
Member	Professor	Arlene	Astell	Northumbria University
Member	Dr	Yemisi	Latunde-Dada	King's College London
Member	Professor	Andy	Welch	University of Aberdeen
Member	Professor	Melanie	Calvert	University of Birmingham
Member	Professor	Amy	Brown	Swansea University
Member	Dr	Hairil	Abdul Razak	University of Exeter
Member	Dr	Sarah	Hughes	University of Birmingham
Member	Dr	Paraskevi	Triantafyllopoulou	University of Kent
Member	Professor	Farzad	Amirabdollahian	University of Wolverhampton
Member	Professor	Amanda	Lee	University of Aberdeen
Member	Professor	Ryan	Donnelly	Queen's University Belfast
Member	Professor	Yanzhong	Wang	King's College London
Member	Dr	Yemisi	Latunde-Dada	King's College London