City St George's to lead pioneering doctoral programmes tackling global fungal threat and underrepresented populations disease research

Two leading Wellcome Trust clinical Doctoral Training Programmes (DTPs) at City St George’s are enabling students to carry out cutting-edge research into fungal infections and address underrepresented populations and diseases in one of the most deprived parts of London.

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation established in 1936 with an aim of working towards a healthier future for everyone. Through a £155 million investment into 14 new doctoral training programmes across the UK, Wellcome is supporting the next generation of healthcare professional researchers. At City St George’s, the Trust is supporting students in collaboration with partners at other universities across the UK.

Investigating underrepresented populations and diseases

Based in the ethnically-diverse East End of London, which is home to 2.5 million people from almost 100 nations of origin and where average healthy life expectancy is 57 years for women compared with 70 years for the highest in London, the Health Advances in Underrepresented Populations and Diseases (HARP) PhD Programme focuses research on people and diseases that have traditionally been underrepresented in healthcare studies.

Current fellows are investigating a wide variety of topics, ranging from the effects of Covid lockdowns on the language and cognitive development of socially disadvantaged children born in the pandemic to mapping community dietician services in East London and identifying groups not accessing these services in order to improve healthcare advice.

Run in partnership with Queen Mary, University of London, the programme is led at City St George’s by Professor Madeline Cruice, Professor of Aphasia Rehabilitation and Recovery and Co-Director of the programme, and the DTP aims to equip fellows with the skills, knowledge and leadership capabilities to conduct impactful research.

Tackling the global threat of fungal disease

The Mycology Doctoral Training Programme (Myco-DTP) will develop the next generation of clinical academic leaders tackling fungal diseases, one of the world's most significant but often overlooked infectious disease challenges.

Fungi such as Candida, Aspergillus and Cryptococcus cause more than six million invasive infections and over three million deaths globally each year, particularly affecting people with weakened immune systems. Treatment options remain limited and antifungal resistance is an increasing concern.

Although the UK is internationally recognised for excellence in medical mycology research, there is a shortage of clinically trained researchers able to translate laboratory discoveries into improvements in patient care. Myco-DTP has been designed to address this gap by supporting doctors, pharmacists and healthcare scientists to become future leaders in fungal disease research.

Led at City St George's by Professor Tihana Bicanic, alongside Professor Adilia Warris at the University of Exeter, Professor Mike Bromley at the University of Manchester and Professor Darius Armstrong-James at Imperial College London, the programme will train 15 healthcare professionals through a multidisciplinary curriculum spanning five translational research themes of mechanisms of disease, diagnosis,  immunology, therapeutics and antifungal resistance. PhD fellows will benefit from training, mentoring and networking opportunities within an internationally recognised UK medical mycology community.

The programme brings together leading experts in fungal disease research and is linked to international networks focused on clinical trials, policy and advocacy, helping ensure discoveries made through the programme can deliver impact for patients in the UK and around the world.

Professor Tihana Bicanic, Professor of Infectious Diseases and Mycology, said:

"Myco-DTP offers a unique opportunity to develop future leaders in fungal disease research while strengthening the UK's clinical academic workforce in this critical area. By partnering with outstanding institutions across the country and connecting fellows to national and global research, trial and policy networks, we aim to create lasting impact that extends far beyond the programme itself and ultimately improves outcomes for patients with fungal diseases worldwide."

Crucial insights to sustain excellent discovery research

Ben Murton, Head of Early Career and Career Development Researchers at Wellcome, said:

“Healthcare Professional researchers are essential for the research sector. Working on the frontlines of healthcare – from doctors and nurses, to physios and pharmacists – they gather a wealth of crucial insights that sustains excellent discovery research. However, we know that getting onto and progressing through the dual career pathway with the need to balance research alongside intensive clinical practice is often incredibly challenging.

“The 14 doctoral programmes we are supporting address those barriers, particularly through the innovative use of the funding to support career transitions and progression.”

Learn more about the Wellcome-funded doctoral training programme