Blog - ACRC Academy: from ambition to reality

Having been operating for just under a year, the ACRC hit another milestone this week as the first cohort of students were welcomed to the Academy. 

On Monday the 20th September, the ten students were able to meet each other in person, and also some of the key personnel running the programme. 

The students are at the beginning of a four year journey: a structured PhD with integrated study. With Covid restrictions still in place, a programme has been put together that combines in-person teaching alongside remote working. 

Throughout the programme they will receive teaching not only in their specific area of research, but across areas covering the entire breadth of ACRC research. The aim of the Academy is to develop the next generation of leaders in advanced care who are both excellent in their core disciplines and skilled in working widely across disciplines and sectors. 

The members of the first cohort come from a range of backgrounds including policy, computer science, medicine, social work and occupational therapy.  We anticipate that while some of them will remain in academia, others will go into the third sector, government, NHS, industry and elsewhere, where they will work to transform care in later life. 

Ian Underwood, ACRC Academy Director, said: 

“The Academy has transformed from an ambition to a reality with the arrival of the first cohort of students. Their quality, ambition and enthusiasm mean that we can see our mission to train the future leaders of care sector being fulfilled.” 

Over the next few weeks and months, we will add biographies and research areas of all our students to the Academy section of our website.

To learn more about the Academy, and to find out how to apply for next year, click here.