From bench to bedside : a new kind of PhD

A new PhD programme from UCL Immunology will give basic-science PhD students a flavour of the clinical context of their research. 'From Bench to Bedside', developed by Professor Benny Chain of UCL Immunology reflects the move to extend the PhD training period from three to four years in order to incorporate elements of taught programmes and, in particular, training in transferable skills. Professor Chain explains what the programme will mean for students, and how changing the nature of learning within the clinical setting will affect future treatment and improve the patient experience. What was the rationale for developing this new PhD programme?. I felt that many PhD students working on problems of basic science were completely unaware of the clinical context in which these projects were happening. For example, a student working on some detail of how HIV grows had no feel for how the growth of HIV impacted on individuals within the hospital and the real questions confronting the clinician responsible for such patients. This seemed a serious issue given that one of the real strengths of UCL is its close links with an enormous diversity of clinical practice, through its historic and current close connections to UCL hospitals.