ECAT programme is “worth its weight in gold”

After completing his medical degree and starting training in anaesthetics, Dr Andrew Bretherick decided to follow his dream and pursue a clinical academic career.

I knew I wanted to do science, and wanted an academic career, and ECAT was always on my radar. For me, one of the things that was so good about the ECAT scheme was that it gave me a run-in year before I selected my PhD. It was as if I’d been given a golden ticket to go and meet the great and the good of the University and to choose a PhD project that best suited my interests.

He was awarded his PhD in Quantitative Genetics in 2020 with a thesis entitled ‘On the Genetics of Intermediate Phenotypes and Their Utility’.

ECAT gave me a lot of ongoing support post-PhD which was really important. Going into a PhD, a lot of people don’t realise that there is also a lot of work to do afterwards in order to progress in academia.

While he recommends the programme to anyone in medical or surgical training who is interested in having a career as a clinical academic, he warns it isn’t an easy option.

You’re playing the long game, but if you want a career as a clinical academic, this is great way to do it. It’s not easy, and there are a lot of hurdles to clear on the way, but the ECAT scheme really does maximise your chances of success. The support of senior academics providing you with guidance about how to progress, and the provision of time to follow that guidance while in medical training, is worth its weight in gold.

After finishing his PhD, Andrew returned to clinical work to finish his training in anaesthetics. He became a Fellow of the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Royal College of Anaesthetists in 2022, and completed clinical training in anaesthetics in 2023.

Since then, he has been working as a Senior Clinical Research Fellow and Honorary Consultant in Anaesthetics.

Applications are welcomed for the second round of recruitment for the August 2026 ECAT intake.

The deadline for applications is 23 February 2026, with interviews on 29 April 2026.

ECAT-i Clinical Lectureships (apply here if you are a GMC-recognised medical or surgical specialist in training, or primary care practitioner)
ECAT-i Clinical PhD Fellowships for Health and Care Professionals (apply here if you are a nurse, midwife, allied health professional, healthcare scientist, pharmacy staff or psychologist)