Celebrating excellence: Dr Laura Convertino talks about the ground-breaking Research Attachment Programme
A pioneering initiative co-led by Professor Cathy Fernandes, Dr Simone Ciufolini, and Dr Laura Convertino, Core Trainee and Academic Clinical Fellow, is transforming how trainees across SLaM and King’s College London engage with research.
The Research Attachment Programme, launched last year, is already opening doors, building confidence, and helping trainee psychiatrists step into the world of academic research with support and ease, reflecting the Trust’s commitment to being a Great Place to Work and Care, creating an environment where staff feel valued, supported, and able to grow.
Dr Convertino co-created the programme after recognising how difficult it can be for trainees to access research opportunities, particularly those without prior academic experience.
“There are so many trainees who are interested in research,” Laura explains, “but it often feels like a world that’s hard to approach - especially when you’re busy clinically and don’t know who to talk to or where to start.”
The programme helps bridge that gap by pairing trainees with research-active academics across IOPPN, KCL Neuroscience, and SLaM, and the response from both researchers and trainees has been overwhelmingly positive.
“We imagined maybe 10 or 15 trainees would join,” says Laura. “Instead, we had 38 sign up in the first year. That enthusiasm really showed us how needed this was.”
This level of engagement highlights one of the core aims of A Great Place to Work and Care: ensuring staff have access to meaningful development opportunities that enhance their experience and wellbeing at work.
More than 50 research project proposals were submitted by principal investigators last year alone. Trainees are matched to projects based on interest, experience, and capacity, with flexible engagement built around clinical responsibilities. The second call for projects is now open, with new trainees expected to be matched in April.
The team driving the programme spans SLaM and KCL - a partnership Laura is particularly proud of.
“It’s quite unique to have something developed jointly from the outset,” she says. “It means trainees are properly supported, and they have access to people who are genuinely keen to help them grow.”
And the programme’s success is gaining wider recognition. In June, Laura will present the initiative at the International Congress of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, offering other trusts a blueprint they can replicate.
“To have a dedicated session at the Congress is an amazing opportunity,” she says. “We hope it inspires others and helps us build the programme even further.”
Work is already underway to explore expansion - both to additional professional groups and potentially to trainees in areas without dedicated psychiatry research departments.
“My hope is that increased visibility will encourage more institutional investment,” Laura says. “We want this to become a stable, long-term part of how we support trainees - not something dependent on temporary initiatives.”
As the Research Attachment Programme enters its second year, enthusiasm continues to build across the trust. The next launch event will take place in April and will again bring trainees and researchers together in a relaxed, informal setting—something Laura says makes a huge difference.
For more information or to express interest in taking part, trainees can use the programme’s dedicated KCL email address: ioppn.research.attachment.programme@kcl.ac.uk
