Department of Haematology

The MD degree is a doctorate, specific to the University of Cambridge, awarded to clinicians who undertake an extended period of scientific research into the science, art, or history of medicine. It provides an opportunity for doctors to receive recognition of research achievement within an approved academic programme.

The MD programme, on a par academically with the PhD, spans a maximum of six years on a part-time basis, allowing candidates to undertake their research alongside clinical or other responsibilities, at the end of which their thesis is examined by Viva. Any candidate working in a Cambridge University Health Partner institution will be assigned a University supervisor and will become a registered student of the University and a member of one of the Colleges. Any candidate intending to work at an institution outside Cambridge must already hold a Cambridge primary degree and must apply to take the MD by Special Regulations.

The Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR) is one of the leading research institutions in the UK. The Institute’s mission is to determine the molecular mechanisms of disease in order to advance human health, and the institute is founded on the principle of interdisciplinarity, leveraging extensive collaboration between basic and clinician scientists, outstanding core facilities and an inclusive, supportive working environment to tackle big problems.

CIMR’s ambitious Research Strategy is to generate a detailed understanding of cellular homeostasis across three main themes: protein folding and quality control, membrane trafficking and organelle biology. These pathways are fundamental to normal cellular function, so when they are altered by mutation they can lead to diseases that are rare, devastating, and frequently occur in the nervous system. Numerous infectious pathogens have also evolved to infect cells by exploiting and manipulating these pathways. CIMR, therefore, focuses on genetic and infectious disease areas where cellular homeostasis is altered, and which are frequently neglected and overlooked, meaning there is significant unmet patient need: rare genetic disease, neurological disease, and intracellular infection. There are 26 research groups working across these research themes at CIMR.

A one-year full-time MPhil programme of research is offered under the individual supervision of principal investigators based in CIMR. This course can also be taken as a part-time option over two years. During their MPhil, the students are based in a research group, supported by their primary supervisor and the CIMR Postgraduate Education Committee. There is no taught and examined coursework, but students are encouraged to attend research seminars at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and elsewhere in the University, and postgraduate student seminars dealing with generic skills such as intellectual property rights, writing a thesis or paper, and entrepreneurship. Students write a thesis, which is examined via an oral examination.

The Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR) is one of the leading research institutions in the UK. The Institute’s mission is to determine the molecular mechanisms of disease in order to advance human health, and the institute is founded on the principle of interdisciplinarity, leveraging extensive collaboration between basic and clinician scientists, outstanding core facilities and an inclusive, supportive working environment to tackle big problems.

CIMR’s ambitious Research Strategy is to generate a detailed understanding of cellular homeostasis across three main themes: protein folding and quality control, membrane trafficking and organelle biology. These pathways are fundamental to normal cellular function, so when they are altered by mutation they can lead to diseases that are rare, devastating, and frequently occur in the nervous system. Numerous infectious pathogens have also evolved to infect cells by exploiting and manipulating these pathways. CIMR therefore focuses on genetic and infectious disease areas where cellular homeostasis is altered, and which are frequently neglected and overlooked, meaning there is significant unmet patient need: rare genetic disease, neurological disease, and intracellular infection. There are 26 research groups working across these research themes at CIMR.

A three-year full-time PhD programme of research is offered under the individual supervision of principal investigators based in CIMR. This course can also be taken as a part-time option for over six years. The PhD students are based in a research group, supported by their primary supervisor, their academic adviser, and the CIMR Postgraduate Education Committee. There is no taught and examined course work, but students can take part in core principles discussion sessions held by PIs in the CIMR.

Along with the specific research training provided in the laboratory in which the student works, he or she receives further training within the CIMR in the form of postgraduate workshops concentrating on research techniques, research seminars both on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and elsewhere in the University, and postgraduate student seminars dealing with generic skills such as intellectual property rights, writing a thesis or paper, and entrepreneurship. Students write a thesis, which is examined via an oral examination.