The National Breast Imaging Academy (NBIA) has recently recruited eight new fellows, taking the total to 31 breast radiology fellows appointed since the programme launched three years ago.
Developed in conjunction with several leading breast units across the country, the one-year fellowship, funded by Health Education England (HEE), provides a new route into the specialism for radiologists from the UK and overseas. The aim is to boost the number of breast radiologists and develop leaders, educators and researchers for the future.
The newly appointed fellows will begin their training at the following breast units across England from September, helping to tackle workforce shortages in the NHS:
- Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
- Nottingham University NHS Trust
- Royal Cornwall NHS Trust
- University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
- University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
- Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust.
Keen competition for the fellowships saw over 40 candidates apply for the eight available posts. The new fellows will be joining the NHS from Egypt, India, Kenya, Nigeria and Pakistan. They will understand the key aspects of breast radiology practice in the UK to enhance their prior experience and will benefit from comprehensive training in breast radiology, covering all aspects of symptomatic and screening breast imaging. This training is further supplemented by specialist-led NBIA study blocks, academic study days and online learning.
Dr Soujanya Gadde, the NBIA lead for the fellowship programme, said: “Only three years into its inception, this fellowship programme is already well established and is highly regarded at a national and international level. A high application rate to these prestigious posts, an increasing number of host sites at every recruitment round and the keenness to subsequently recruit these NBIA fellows into the host site consultant pool are a testament to the huge success of this fellowship programme.
“We are attracting talented and committed fellows who are excited by the opportunities the programme offers. The benefits for their host breast units are also considerable. The fellows become key members of the multidisciplinary team, to provide timely diagnosis and treatment services to patients. Of the 15 who have already completed the programme, 13 have taken up posts at their training hospital or in other breast units. This is particularly important as breast units nationwide are working hard to address the issues in post-pandemic breast service delivery, which is further impacted by significant shortages in the breast radiology work force.
“Our initial aim with the fellowship programme was to deliver 30 highly trained breast radiologists to the workforce. I’m very pleased and proud that we have already surpassed our expectations in achieving this goal.
“Based on this success so far, we are delighted to receive additional funding from HEE to recruit another cohort of ten fellows. Recruitment will begin towards the end of the year, with the new fellows taking up their training posts across the country in September 2023.”
The National Breast Imaging Academy is being run in collaboration with Health Education England and is hosted by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
For more information about the NBIA Breast Radiology Fellowship, please go to https://nationalbreastimagingacademy.org/about-radiology/nbia-fellowship/