Tessa Jowell Fellows
Applications for 2023 are now closed
The NHS is one of the few health care systems in the developed world that does not routinely train or employ dedicated experts in brain tumour treatment. Rather, brain tumour patients are cared for typically by oncologists and radiotherapists who predominantly treat other types of cancer.
The Tessa Jowell Fellowships are fully funded fellowships aimed at exceptional applicants near to gaining their certificate of completion of training in medical or clinical oncology, who wish to further specialise in brain tumour treatment and research. The 12-month funded Fellowships aim to train highly skilled clinicians that are capable of appreciating the breadth of comprehensive brain tumour management and can integrate knowledge and experience in personalizing and optimising cancer care.
The Curriculum
The Fellow will gain clinical as well as research experience with the ultimate objective of leading high impact practice changing neuro-oncology clinical trials in the future as a Chief Investigator. Importance is placed on the longitudinal experience of managing brain tumours, in which clinical oncology trainees usually have approximately 4-months and medical oncology trainees have zero experience within a standard training programme.
The holistic curriculum will ask applicants to learn about brain tumour management in neurosurgery/neurology/neuroradiology/neuropathology as well as advanced radiotherapy techniques and early phase clinical trial design, delivery and experience.
The exact curriculum of the Fellowship and its integration into existing centre infrastructure is flexible and will be negotiated locally between the Fellow and local host centre depending on training needs and local expertise.
Host Institutions
Applicants who require additional support to facilitate the placement with a host institution or are interested in a placement at a secondary site to obtain an experience that cannot be obtained at the primary site (e.g. international site or proton beam therapy service) are advised to first contact sarah.jefferies@nhs.net to discuss how this can be facilitated.
Tessa Jowell Centres of Excellence
- University Hospitals Birmingham
- Edinburgh Centre for Neuro-oncology
- King’s Health Partners – King’s College Hospital & Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospitals
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Salford Royal Foundation Trust & The Christie
- Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Nottingham University Hospitals
- St George’s University Hospital, Royal Marsden & Royal Surrey County Hospital
- University College Hospital London NHS Foundation Trust
- Liverpool Network (The Walton Centre, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and North Wales Cancer Treatment Centre)
- Barts Health
- The East of England service (Cambridge University Hospitals, Norfolk Norwich Hospital and Ipswich Hospital)
- Oxford University Hospitals and the Thames Valley Neuro oncology Network
- The Bristol Network (North Bristol NHS Trust, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Trust)
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
- Cardiff Neuro-oncology centre (Velindre Cancer Centre and University Hospital Wales)
- Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust