The concepts were easy to grasp because of the engaging and entertaining teaching. Interactive and flexible in terms of what we were interested in and wanted to learn. We used our own projects to work out different ways to disseminate them. I liked that the session was based on a group discussion. Truly great teaching, well planned and well executed. Examples were current and interesting to us specifically. Lots of chance to discuss and participate. One of the best yet. This should be given to all doctors not just AF2s!

The academic foundation programme was a great way to start my medical career and give me a flavour of what working as an academic clinician might be like. From a research perspective, I was able to gain skills in "Big Data" analysis, choosing and running my own research project, and presenting my findings at conferences. From a clinical perspective, it was great to have quality rotations all in the same hospital and to be able to concentrate on improving my clinical skills rather than moving around the region. The F2 structure with 'day-release' on each of my rotations was a great way to ensure I never lost touch with either world.

From my experience foundation years can often be quite relentless, therefore the designated research time within the AFP provides an invaluable opportunity to reflect and develop a deeper understanding of clinical experiences through research. The flexibility, training and support available in Seven Deanery allowed me to make the most of this opportunity. I enjoyed the programme so much that I have since undertaken an Academic Clinical Fellowship in Severn and am due to start a PhD at the University of Bristol in August 2018."

I chose the Severn Academic Foundation Programme because I wanted to work with world class academics in clinical and epidemiological research during a dedicated research block. I also benefitted from a set of Foundational clinical jobs which were aligned with my career aspirations. The Programme provided the skills and opportunities I needed to secure an Academic Clinical Fellowship in Anaesthetics in Severn.

I have thoroughly enjoyed and felt very privileged to be part of the Academic Foundation Programme. It brought a whole new dimension to my foundation training. I worked as part of a high-level team on a range of projects and felt supported to challenge myself throughout. I am proud of the training and experience I have gained which contributed my success in obtaining an Academic Clinical Fellowship in Public Health in Cambridge.

The South West Clinical Academic Training Programme is a fantastic programme. I've been fortunate to be supported for the last eight years from an Academic Clinical Fellowship through my Doctoral Research Fellowship to my current position as a Clinical Lecturer in Public Health. I've been based at the School of Social and Community Medicine, which provides a supportive research environment for early career researchers in Public Health. It is a world–renowned centre where teaching and research programmes are led by experts in their field. As a result, I have been able to build a strong personal portfolio of research outputs resulting in success in applying for grants from the NIHR, MRC and the Academy of Medical Sciences with the additional promise of an exciting and fulfilling future research career.

I picked Bristol to do a General Practice Academic Clinical Fellowship as I felt it offered excellent training in both the university and practice settings. The main thing that appealed about the University, apart from its UK-leading primary care research department, was the flexibility to choose projects and allocate the study budget to match my goals. I now work within the Medical Education department; I have used my budget to get qualifications that have given me the privilege of working on projects such as developing the new Bristol curriculum and introducing a completely new degree programme.

Making the transition from full-time PhD to 50:50 Clinical Lecturer position was not easy but fortunately the School offered a huge amount of support during this time. Another hugely successful initiative are the biannual networking events. Not only do these give us the opportunity to hear from inspirational and influential academic guest speakers, we are encouraged to present our own work and, perhaps most importantly there is always time for discussion – meaning we are able to forge new friendships and links with other academic trainees. We are also actively encouraged to openly discuss difficulties with the academic training faculty.

I’m an ST5 anaesthetic registrar and am also in the final year of my National Institute for Health Research Academic Clinical Fellowship. It’s been a brilliant three years and I would highly recommend considering doing an ACF here! I was doing my anaesthetic training in London but wanted to come to Bristol due to the opportunities available here for academic anaesthetists. Plus Bristol as a city generally has loads going on. I’ve been able to set up and run a new project looking at the role of the carotid body in the development of human hypertension, whilst being fully supported by my research group and mentors. This has allowed me to get experience in writing scientific protocols, running a study, analysis and presentation of data. I also successfully obtained grant money for research equipment. I am now in the process of writing a PhD fellowship application, so hope to start this in the next few years and go on to have a career as an academic anaesthetist.

I have really enjoyed my time as an academic foundation doctor in Bristol. The mix of brilliant research teams, a good mix of clinical rotations and excellent location have made for a thoroughly enjoyable and productive 2 years. The dedicated research time throughout my second year has enabled me to get significantly more out of the experience than I would have doing a sole 4-month research stint, allowing me to help others in the research time with their work as well as pursuing my own projects.

After completing the AFP in 2015, I took a year out of practice to undertake an MA in Bioethics and Society, and a job as a research worker, both at King's College London. I then started the Oxford public health training scheme in 2016. As part of this programme I have completed an MSc in Global Health Science at the University of Oxford and had placements at organisations including Oxfordshire County Council, Public Health England and NHS England. I am based part time at the University of Oxford where my research interest is in the ethics of global health security. I am a recipient of the 2018 'Next Generation for Biosecurity Competition' prize and a 2019 fellow on the John Hopkins University ‘Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity’ scheme.