Join the GIRFT Fellowship Programme
Why become a GIRFT clinical fellow?
GIRFT’s clinical fellowship programme is a development opportunity for NHS resident doctors, non-consultant doctors and other NHS health professionals. This includes resident doctors at registrar level, nurses and Allied Health Professionals (all groups).
It offers the ideal opportunity to gain significant experience in leading research, quality improvement and service transformation projects at a local, regional or national level while retaining clinical duties and continuing training.
GIRFT clinical fellows work alongside national clinical experts and senior NHS leaders, becoming part of a growing national network of fellows and alumni. Through the programme, fellows develop skills in data analysis, research, leadership and implementation, while gaining the confidence, experience and networks needed to influence change across clinical, organisational and system settings.
As a clinical fellow, you are supported to publish peer-reviewed research, develop national guidance, contribute to quality improvement initiatives and translate evidence into practice. Fellows are encouraged to take ownership of projects that deliver meaningful improvements for patients, services and the wider NHS.
You will make a positive contribution to GIRFT’s work to improve treatment and care and reduce unwarranted variation, while developing as a clinically credible improvement leader and adding valuable experience to your career journey.
How to apply for a placement
Each year, around ten GIRFT clinical fellows are selected for a new cohort. Most of them are recruited via a standard selection process led by the participating NHS trust and supported by the GIRFT team. Places are advertised externally by a participating trust via external websites such as NHS Jobs. Other fellows may join the programme through other routes, such as being nominated by the National Medical Director.
Those interested in applying are invited to submit their application and shortlisted candidates will undergo an interview before a final decision is made. We aim to complete recruitment in time for NHS resident doctors starting their rotational placement in their participating NHS trust during the summer/autumn.
Applications for the 2027/28 cohort will open in the autumn 2026.
What is the offer?
A clinical fellowship lasts for one year, during which fellows spend approximately 60% of their time leading on research and/or quality improvement projects and participating in curricular activities included in this offer. Fellows use the rest of their time for clinical work.
The curriculum develops capability in research, data analysis, quality improvement, implementation and leadership. It provides learning opportunities in sustainable healthcare, addressing health inequalities, behavioural science and improvement science, while supporting fellows to apply these approaches to real-world improvement challenges within the NHS.
The core programme is delivered as a series of educational events, including workshops and action learning sets. Mentoring is also integral to the offer.
The programme is designed to fit around clinical work commitments, with events offered towards the end of the week. Online events are recorded for those who cannot attend.
What is included?
- Workshops, webinars, action learning sets and supervisory meetings – in person and virtual
- Individual work on research and/or quality improvement projects, incl. clinical and academic supervision
- Optional meetings with mentors – virtual. A GIRFT fellow alumni mentor will offer guidance, support, and insight to mentees, using their experience and expertise to foster growth and development. This is an optional offer.
- Showcase event at the end of the fellowship
- Meetings with national clinical and NHS leaders
- Opportunities to contribute to national guidance, publications and quality improvement initiatives
- Working clinically while leading research and/or quality improvement projects
- Supportive and inclusive community
- Support from dedicated GIRFT team members
- Access to national GIRFT clinical leads offering expert opinion and policy perspectives
- Connection to the Greener NHS programme
- Engagement with national clinical bodies that work with GIRFT (e.g. Medical Royal Colleges, professional bodies, charities), where relevant
- Access to alumni network of fellows and mentors
- Exposure to NHS senior leaders and multidisciplinary improvement networks
Core curriculum
Project work: Completing projects in research and/or quality improvement
Clinical work: Working clinically in a speciality area of interest for GIRFT
Statistics: Ten training sessions – online
Sustainability: Six sessions with the Greener NHS programme team – online
Learning from leaders: Five workshops dedicated to topics including publishing academic papers, data and analytics, leading change, implementation, behavioural science, improvement science and health inequalities – in-person
Action learning sets: Six actions learning sets – virtual
Meetings with GIRFT’s SLT: Monthly meetings with Professor Tim Briggs – National Director for Clinical Improvement and Elective Recovery & GIRFT’s programme lead – online
Celebrating success: Celebrating success meeting at the end of the fellowship – in-person
- GIRFT Fellowship Managers
Dr Keith Gray
Academic Content Lead
Keith Gray is the Academic Content Lead for the GIRFT programme and has worked for GIRFT since 2019. Prior to joining GIRFT he worked as a Senior Research Associate for Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. He has a PhD in chemistry and master’s degrees in applied statistics and physiotherapy. He has authored over 200 peer reviewed academic publications. During his time with GIRFT, he has supported projects on setting up and supporting elective surgical hubs and investigated the case for network models of working and minimum annual volume standards for a range of surgical procedures covering urology, endocrinology, vascular surgery, orthopaedics, general surgery and cranial neurosurgery. He has also looked at safety of day-case surgery and enhanced recovery pathways (e.g. DrEaMing).
He is a co-investigator (together with Dr Joseph John and Dr John McGrath from GIRFT) for a UKRI/NIHR funded net zero healthcare hub (One Healthcare) which will look at ways to support the NHS to reach its target of next zero emissions by 2045.
Dr Katrein Savage
Senior Clinical Content Curation Manager
Katrein is the Senior Clinical Content Curation Manager at the GIRFT Academy. Together with Keith, she is responsible for selecting and supervising GIRFT clinical fellows, focusing particularly on quality improvement and qualitative research.
Katrein combines a wealth of experience in research and innovation, and talent management and leadership development in the public, private and higher education sectors. Most recently, she held a national role as Demand Signalling and Horizon Scanning Manager at the Innovation, Research and Life Sciences Strategy group at NHS England, where she led a team responsible for identifying, articulating and prioritising the NHS’s research and innovation needs in the strategically most pressing clinical areas. Katrein led on efforts to mobilise this knowledge across system partners and call for specific actions, strategically targeting research and innovation funders, industry, regulators and policy makers, influencing national research and innovation activity where the NHS needed it most.
Earlier in her career at NHS England, Katrein managed large and complex talent management and leadership development programmes. Before joining the NHS, she managed and audited international early-phase clinical trials and was a medical writer. Katrein began her career as an academic biomedical research scientist. She is a graduate from the Berliner Hochschule für Technik in Germany and acquired her Master of Research and PhD degrees in the life sciences in the United Kingdom.
Janet Cox
Senior Academy Manager
Janet is the Senior Academy Manager at the GIRFT Academy and manages the GIRFT clinical fellowship programme. Janet has worked on the fellowship programme since its inception in 2022 and has been instrumental in the development of the educational events included within the taught curricular.
Janet joined GIRFT in 2017 and was involved in the recruitment and set up of the regional hubs. She then moved across to an implementation role within the north-west working with trusts to reduce unwarranted variation across a variety of medical and surgical specialties. Immediately prior to joining the GIRFT Academy she worked with the regional clinical lead to establish the Urology Area Networks in Cheshire & Merseyside.
- 2025/26 GIRFT Clinical Fellows
Amir Khan, chief registrar in trauma and orthopaedics at Medway NHS Foundation Trust.
Project: reducing waiting lists in trauma and orthopaedics.
Katherine Creamer, specialist registrar in dermatology at South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust.
Project: decarbonising dermatology surgery pathways.
Majd Abusharar, registrar in urology at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.
Project: decarbonising urology pathways.
Michael Ayres, specialist registrar in anaesthetics at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and the National Medical Director’s fellow.
Project: risk holding by resident doctors.
Osama Elghropy, senior clinical fellow in ophthalmology at Manchester University NHS Foundation.
Projects: improving outpatient pathways through Patient Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU) in ophthalmology. Tray rationalisation across Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Saint Mary’s Hospital.
Rebecca Martin, specialist registrar in trauma and orthopaedics at Northumbria NHS Foundation Trust.
Project: volume outcome relationships in ankle surgery.
Robert Sandler, registrar in rheumatology and general internal medicine at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Project: reducing rheumatology waiting lists.