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The Oxford Kennedy MB PhD (BM DPhil) Educational Training Program

Houfu Leng working in the lab

The Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research-funded OxKen programme will fully fund 4 Oxford University medical students each year from 2021-5 to undertake DPhils in the Medical Sciences Division in the fields of musculoskeletal disease, inflammation and immunology. Our vision is to foster a new generation of clinical academics to drive world-leading research into musculoskeletal and inflammatory disease and improve patient care.

Applications from current Oxford medical students are welcomed to start directly after preclinical training (Final Honours School) or after the first clinical year. The first cohort will start in October (or July for first year clinical students) 2023.

Research Themes


Our research themes relating to musculoskeletal disease are as follows:
  • Basic mechanisms of inflammation
  • Inflammatory and rheumatic disease
  • Patient-reported outcomes
  • Clinical trials and in vivo studies
  • Epidemiology, computational and data science
  • Tissue engineering and remodelling
Applications are invited from 31 Oct 2022 to 9 Dec 2022 (12.00). Please apply through MSD DTC (DPhil in inflammatory and musculoskeletal disease).

For further information, please see the Oxford Kennedy BM DPhil 2024 Intake Booklet.