NHS England calls for applications from female healthcare scientists to apply for Leadership Development scheme

13 Mar 2019 02:55 PM

Female healthcare scientists are invited to apply for NHS England’s prestigious leadership development scheme, aimed at mid-career healthcare scientists to develop leaders and increase their impact within their Trusts and beyond.

Led by NHS England’s Chief Scientific Officer, the CSOWISE Healthcare Science Leadership Development Programme for NHS England scheme provides support for 32 healthcare scientists over 12 months through a leadership development programme that includes mentoring alongside communication and leadership skills training. In addition, successful applicants will have the opportunity to attend the Chief Scientific Officer conference and become WISE role models, helping to inspire the next generation to follow in their footsteps.

The initiative was launched in partnership with WISE – the campaign for gender balance in science, technology and engineering, on International Women’s Day at the NHS England Chief Scientific Officer’s Annual Conference. The 2019 scheme was formally announced by Professor Dame Sue Hill DBE, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) for England who, in support of the WISE campaign, has taken on the role of WISE Lead Ambassador, working in collaboration with a team of female leaders to encourage women and girls to value and pursue science, technology, engineering and maths.

Professor Dame Sue Hill DBE, Chief Scientific Officer for England, yesterday said: 

“the initiative was a unique opportunity to inspire the next generation of female healthcare scientists to gain leadership, knowledge and experience.

“We are delighted to partner with WISE and launch this prestigious opportunity on International Woman’s Day for a fourth year. Science and innovation play a crucial role in patient-centred service transformation and are vital to delivering new frontiers in areas such as genomic medicine and tackling antimicrobial resistance. Ensuring our healthcare system operates at the limits of science, this programme recognises the significant contribution women make to technology and engineering, providing a global contribution to science in health and inspiring the next generation of scientists.”

Helen Wollaston, Chief Executive, WISE, highlighted the impressive impact from the previous fellowships and yesterday said:

“The ripple effect of the WISE Fellowship has surpassed all expectations. We are delighted to be expanding the number of women involved in the programme. We look forward to using their stories to inspire more girls to see how choosing scientific subjects at school can lead to a career where they will make a real difference to people’s lives.”

Applications are open now, find the application form on the WISE website. Deadline for applications is 10 May, at noon.