Through the Committee for Clinical Research, the University Hospital rechts der Isar offers two Clinician Scientist Programs for physicians in residency training, the Entry Program with a four month grant and the twelve month structured Main Program.
This gives fellows the opportunity to deepen the link between basic and clinical research, ensuring an efficient transfer from the bedside to the bench and back, which is compatible with residency training.
Since 2022, a structuring of the main program has taken place, so that the program now has a mandatory structure with fixed research periods, cross-sector mentoring and an individually adapted accompanying program. Thus, key scientific qualifications can be acquired at a high level and the exchange between Clinician Scientists from different disciplines is promoted.
Funding in the main program allows fellows to be released from medical practice (usually 50% over 2 years) and thus creates the urgently needed freedom to realize a Clinician Scientist career. It thus forms the basis for further research projects and paves the way for habilitation and long-term career prospects in science.
Committee for Clinical Research (KKF)
Intra-school funding in the Entry Program and Main Program is awarded annually via the Committee for Clinical Research. The elected members of the committee consist of equal numbers of representatives from clinical and research areas; Ulrike Protzer (Committee Chair), Stefan Engelhardt, Mikael Simons, Tilo Biedermann and Alessandra Moretti. Qua office, the Dean and the Medical Director are also members of the Committee.
Mentoring
All fellows are supported by a mentoring team consisting of scientific and clinical mentors within the framework of an Advisory Committee. This team supports the fellows with regard to the implementation of the research project and the compilation of individual further training opportunities.
At the time of application, the clinical mentor should already be named, and both members of the Advisory Committee should be determined at the latest at the start of the program. A letter of support from the clinical mentors is to be attached to the application, in which the support of the respective clinic is assured and thus the release is guaranteed.
During feedback meetings, which take place at least annually, the progress of the respective research project and the individual curriculum is discussed and, if necessary, optimization strategies are discussed. By defining clinical and scientific milestones as part of the agreement on objectives at the beginning of the program, the respective progress can be better assessed and constructive advice can be given. Within the framework of these meetings, the fellows are required to prepare minutes of the meetings (interim reports and final report), which are forwarded to the Clinician Scientist Program office no later than 3 months after the meetings.
A dialog should be established between the mentors and the fellows, which ideally continues beyond the duration of the program and thus forms an important cornerstone of the growing network of fellows.
Clinical mentor: This is the head of the clinic, department or institute, which guarantees that the fellows are released from work. The clinical mentor envisions the structured clinical training and establishes clinical milestones with the fellow at the beginning of the program. Through the clinical mentor, it is guaranteed that the fellows will be able to complete the necessary rotations as part of their residency training. He or she supports fellows in developing and refining their own clinical skills and works to ensure seamless progression through the training curriculum.
Scientific mentor: This is the head of the scientific research group or postdoc with many years of scientific experience. The scientific mentor is responsible for the scientific progress of the fellow and agrees with him or her on the scientific milestones at the beginning of the program. The scientific mentor guarantees the use of the necessary laboratories. He or she supports the fellows in developing their own scientific skills, learning new techniques and taking advantage of necessary further training opportunities.
Structure
In addition to protected research time and binding mentoring, fellows can put together an individual accompanying curriculum within the framework of a qualification program. This consists of mandatory elements such as a regular jour fixe, an annual retreat, subject-specific progress reports and seminar series, as well as a portfolio of freely selectable courses. Thereby, fellows can specifically learn key skills they need for their individual careers as clinician scientists.
In compiling the course program, we have placed particular emphasis on the special requirements of Clinician Scientists, with a focus on methodological and personal development.
The fellows are expected to use the program to build a network as Clinician Scientists, with active participation in relevant scientific congresses supported by funding.
News & Events - 2024
| Feb 20th, 2024 | Clinician Scientist Networking Event by TUM, Helmholtz and LMU |
| Feb 21st, 2024 | Kick-Off-Event for Fellows of the Year 2024/25 |
| Mar 20th, 2024 | Certificate Award Ceremony 2024/25 |
| Apr 15th/16th, 2024 | Workshop Conversation Management |
| May 21st, 2024 | Symposium on Publications and Habilitation |
| Jul 17th/18th, 2024 | Workshop Leadership Competency (external with overnight stay, Seminarhaus Kochel) |
| Oct 2024 | Retreat |
| Nov 2024 | Workshop on CRISPR |
Past Events - 2023
Overview of funding opportunities from the DFG and German Cancer Aid (Prof Percy Knolle)
Date: 28.03.2023
Time: 15:00-16:30
Location: Conference room 1 in the Dekanat, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich
In this seminar, Prof. Dr Percy Knolle gave an overview of the funding opportunities offered by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and German Cancer Aid, as well as tips on how to apply for funding.
Jour fixe of the Clinician Scientist Program: Role Model Talks
Date: 18.04.2023
Time: 17:00
Three former KKF scholarship holders shared their career paths. The speakers had acquired third-party funding in various ways (ERC Starting Grant, Emmy Noether, Struppler Fellowship), were abroad or were managing their families and their careers as clinician scientists. Participants also had the opportunity to exchange ideas and to network.
Acquisition of third-party funding and application for clinical study projects in the context of national and international research funding
Date: 20.06.2023
Time: 15:00 – 17:00
Location: Johannes B. Ortner Forum at TranslaTUM, Einsteinstraße 25, 81675 Munich
Speaker: Dr. Silvia Egert
Contents of the event:
- National/international research funding opportunities and their framework conditions
- Qualifications and quality criteria for the application process
- Application for a clinical study project using the example of the DFG funding programme
- Brief introduction to budget planning
Report of experiences on the assessment of applications for third-party funding
Date: 18.07.2023
Time: 16:00-17:30
Location: Conference room 1 in the Dekanat, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Tilo Biedermann
Jour fixe of the Clinician Scientist Program: Accelerate your science communication
Date: 10.08.2023
Time: 16:00-19:00
Speaker: Heike Wamser
Science communication is indispensable for every research organisation of today: for general understanding, acceptance of research in society and also for acquiring funding. Scientists are increasingly becoming a focus of interest. Communicating clearly is therefore also an essential scientific skill.
This course familiarised participants with different communication environments, public and private, and virtual communication platforms, giving them an overview of the various tools available.
Participants were able to discover and sharpen their authentic profile and acquired new skills to communicate their research subject in a personalised and understandable way. This module thus laid the foundation for the development of personal (scientific) communication skills.
Clinician Scientist Retreat 2023 at the Vorhoelzer Forum
Date: 08.09.2023
Jour fixe of the Clinician Scientist Program: AI in Medicine
Dates: 30.11.2023 and 07.12.2023
Time: 17:00 - 19:00
Artificial intelligence (AI) will play an increasingly important role in the future and is expected to revolutionize the medical field, potentially improving the experience for physicians and patients alike. Today, neural networks can already be used for example in diagnostics or workflow optimization. However, medical experts with basic understanding of computer science as well as computer scientists with basic understanding of medical problem statements are required to achieve real clinical impact.
These two seminars have introducee the technical foundation of AI in medicine and illustrated the potential, common applications and the respective pitfalls.
The entry-level program includes a four-month leave of absence, which takes place at the beginning of specialist training and can last up to three years after the state examination. In addition to the leave of absence, the scholarship holders receive 1,000 euros in material resources.
The prerequisite for an application is a completed or submitted doctoral thesis.
After the first scholarships were awarded in the 1990s, the program was relaunched in 2009 and further developed and expanded with the continuous support of the Faculty of Medicine.
Since the start of funding, around 150 scholarship holders have completed the introductory program, with more than half also receiving funding in the subsequent main program and thus embarking on a long-term career path as a clinician scientist.
When selecting the scholarship holders, attention is paid to an outstanding CV, a scientifically excellent project and a balanced gender distribution, which means that the career paths of researching female doctors are specifically promoted at an early stage.
In the 2024 round, 14 scholarship holders from a wide range of disciplines are on the entry program, with a 43 percent share of women.
Scholarship holders in the entry program 2024
| Name | Clinic / Department / Section | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Marta Dechant | Clinic and Polyclinic for Dermatology and Allergology at Biederstein | The importance of necroptosis for the response to immunotherapy in melanoma |
| Dr. med. Valentina Faihs | Clinic and Polyclinic for Dermatology and Allergology at Biederstein | Role of prostagladins in wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA) |
| Dr. med. Yannick Dorian Foerster | Clinic and Polyclinic for Dermatology and Allergology at Biederstein | The neurotrophin receptor CD271 as a possible tumour stem cell marker in cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas |
| Dr. med. Alicia Gantzkow | Clinic and Polyclinic for Neurology | Proteome analysis and identification of potential biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with meningeosis neoplastica |
| Dr. med. Michael Griessmair | Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology | Influence of new mutations on the histological and morphological phenotype of a glioblastoma in its tumourigenesis |
| Dr. med. Malik Jessen | Clinic and Polyclinic for Trauma Surgery | Screw tip augmentation with calcium sulfate cement in proximal humerus fractures: a biomechanical study |
| Christopher Keßler | Clinic and Polyclinic for Radiooncology and Radiotherapy | OXPHOS-dependent radiosensitisation of patient-derived pancreatic cancer organoids |
| Dr. med. Su Hwan Kim | Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology | User-centred use of a large language model to support neuroradiological diagnoses |
| Dr. med. Alexander W. Marka | Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology | Quantitative dark-field X-ray imaging of the lungs: Age, gender and physiological variations |
| Dr. med. Evamaria Olga Riedel | Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology | The glymphatic system in premature adults - a starting point for premature brain ageing? |
| Dr. med. Benedikt Schmidl | Department of Otorhinolaryngology | Tumour educated platelets (TEP's) and their vesicles (TEPEX) modulate PBMCs and CAFs to immunosuppressive and malignant subtypes in head and neck carcinomas |
| Korbinian Felix Schreyer | Clinic and Polyclinic for Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine | Influence of netrin-1 on the differentiation of T cells and macrophages in healthy individuals and in patients with sepsis |
| Dr. med. Nick Seyfried | Clinic and Polyclinic for Surgery | Analysis of molecular genetic markers of liver regeneration after hypertrophy treatment/hepatectomy |
| Ingrid Marie-Madeleine Stas | Clinic and Polyclinic for Neurology | T- and B-cell interaction in a new mouse model of neuromyelitis optica |
The main program includes a twelve-month leave of absence over two years and is aimed at clinically active and research-active doctors from the fourth year of specialist training up to eight years after the state examination. In addition to time off work, the scholarship holders receive 2,000 euros in material resources. During the two-year program, the scholarship holders are accompanied by two mentors and supported through an individual training program, which lays the foundation for their future clinical-scientific career.
The prerequisite for an application is a completed doctoral thesis and at least one accepted publication.
After the first grants were launched in the 1990s, the program was relaunched in 2009 and further developed and expanded with the continuous support of the Faculty of Medicine.
Since the start of funding, around 150 scholarship holders have completed the main program, often accompanied by a successfully completed habilitation.
When selecting the scholarship holders, attention is paid to an outstanding CV, a scientifically excellent project and a balanced gender distribution, which specifically promotes the career paths of researching female doctors.
There are currently a total of 13 scholarship holders from a wide range of disciplines in the 2023/24 round of the main program, with a 60 percent share of women. The 2024/25 round consists of 8 scholarship holders, 63 percent of which are women.
Scholarship holders in the main program 2023/24
| Name | Clinic / Department / Section | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. med. Theresa Brunet | Institute of Human Genetics | Assessing the burden of genomic structural variants in neurodevelopmental disorders using optical genome mapping. |
| Michael Dietachmayr | Clinic and Polyclinic for Internal Medicine III: Hematology and Internal Oncology | Anti-folate mediated induction of SLC2A1 as a basis for synergistic therapeutic approaches in osteosarcoma |
| Dr. med. sci. Florian Gassert | Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology | Evaluation of dark-field radiography for the diagnosis of lung tumors |
| Dr. med. Marie-Therese Georgii | Clinic for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine | Use of procedural EEG information to estimate postoperative cognitive status using standardized preoperative EEG baseline measurements |
| Dr. med. Friederike Held | Clinic and Polyclinic for Neurology | Dynamics of the acquired immune response during the manifestation phase of multiple sclerosis |
| Dr. med. Benita Schmitz-Koep | Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology | Lifespan perspectives after premature birth - How the brain ages after a developmental disorder |
| Dr. med. Marie-Christin Metz | Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology | AI-driven improvement of tumor growth models for glioblastoma: Towards a first clinical application |
| Dr. med. Christine Maria Poch | Clinic and Polyclinic for Internal Medicine I: Cardiology | 3D bioprinting to generate a vascularized ventricular 3D heart patch from hiPSC cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells |
| Dr. med. Carmen Mota Reyes | Clinic and Polyclinic for Surgery | Neogenesis and maturation of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in human PDAC and chronic pancreatitis |
| Dr. med. Sebastian Jörg Rühling | Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology | Artificial intelligence as an integrative approach for longitudinal analysis of spinal MS lesions |
| Dr. med. Anne Schnelzer | linic and Polyclinic for Neurology / Institute for Experimental Neuroimmunology | The influence of IL-6 on the functional phenotype of differentiated Th17 cells in the course of an autoimmune inflammatory CNS disease |
| Dr. med. Matias Wagner | Institute of Human Genetics | Assessing the burden of genomic structural variants in neurodevelopmental disorders using long-read sequencing. |
| Dr. med. Sebastian Ziegelmayer | Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology | Multi-task deep-learning framework for detection and characterization of large bowel wall thickening in computed tomography |
Scholarship holders in the main program 2024/25
| Name | Clinic / Department / Section | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. med. Isabell Cordts | Clinic and Polyclinic for Neurology | Deciphering genomic and transcriptomic variation in ALS: A multi-omics long-read sequencing study of extreme phenotypes |
| Dr. med. Luise Eckardt | Clinic and Polyclinic for Neurology / Institute for Experimental Neuroimmunology | Characterization of the AQP4-specific T cell receptor repertoire in perturbed thymic selection |
| Dr. med. Luca Engelmann | Clinic and Polyclinic for Ear, Nose and Throat Medic | Influence of tumor-educated thrombocytes and tumor exosomes on HNSCC in different models |
| Dr. med. Felix Kirchhoff | Clinic and Polyclinic for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery | Role of GDF7, ZFHX3 and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition in aortic aneurysm |
| Dr. med. Manuel Knauer | Clinic and Polyclinic for Internal Medicine III: Hematology and Internal Oncology | Lipid metabolism as a metabolic target structure in chronic lymphocytic leukemia |
| Dr. med. Timon Kuchler | Department of Nephrology | All Eyes on PCS - Characterization of retinal vascular reactivity in patients with post-COVID syndrome - A prospective observational study |
| Dr. med. Jacqueline Lammert | Clinic and Polyclinic for Gynecology | Challenges and benefits of genome sequencing in (gynecological) oncology at the CCC Munich |
| Dr. med. Alix Schwarz | Clinic and Polyclinic for Internal Medicine III: Hematology and Internal Oncology | Microbial metabolites in fecal transplantation for the treatment of acute GvHD |
We are pleased to inform you that the application period for the KKF Entry and Main Program 2025-2026 has started!
The deadline for submitting applications in both programs for the new funding period is May 31st, 2024.
Only individuals who have an employment contract through Chapter 1513 are eligible to apply for both programs. Applications from the German Heart Center may be reviewed for the purpose of quality review. However, in the event of a positive vote, funding for the release from clinical duties must be fully covered by the Heart Center.
For the Main Program, the utilization of the funding can take place over a maximum period of 24 months, i.e. from January 1st, 2025 to December 31st, 2026. The time in the laboratory can therefore also be completed in partial periods with a temporary return to clinical work.
The cut-off date for calculating the three- and eight-year periods is March 31 of each year. This allows those interested in applying, who have completed their studies in the spring (April-June) of a given year, to be eligible.
The exact requirements that applicants in the two programs must fulfill can be found in the respective application forms.
Application form for the Main Program (Twelve-month funding; funding period starting from January 1st, 2025)
Application form for the Entry Program (Four-month funding; funding period starting from January 1st, 2025)
Applications must be submitted both electronically as one pdf file (via email) to csp(at)mh.tum.de and as a hard copy signed by the head of the clinic via mail to:
Laura Vogelgesang
TUM School Office Medicine and Health
Bereich Talent Management & Diversity
Ismaninger Straße 69 (Bau 702)
81675 München
Contact
Dr. Julia Brandt (on parental leave)
Manager of Promotion of Young Talents
Stand-in
Laura Vogelgesang
Coordination Talent Management
phone: 089 4140 9291
e-mail: csp(at)mh.tum.de