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Celebrating 10 years of Arena Fellows: Tra My Pham

Dr Tra My Pham (MRC Clinical Trials Unit) became a Fellow in 2024. We asked her to reflect on her experience of the programme.

photo of Tra

23 January 2025

1. What is your role?

I am a Senior Research Fellow at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, where I work on the design and analysis of clinical trials. I have experience in developing and evaluating methods for handling missing data. Recently, I have been interested in topics around estimands in clinical trials.

I teach several short courses and co-lead the module "ICTM0021: Advanced Clinical Trials Statistics" for the MSc Statistics for Clinical Trials. 

2. Why did you apply for Fellowship?

I applied for the UCL Arena Fellowship to gain formal recognition of my professional development in teaching and learning. Fellowship provides me with an opportunity to reflect on my teaching practices and identify areas for further development. Achieving fellowship also supports my career progression by demonstrating my commitment to high standards in teaching and learning, ultimately benefiting my students and institution.

3. Tell us about your experience of applying for Fellowship.

Applying for the Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy was a reflective and rewarding experience. The process involved a detailed review of my teaching practices, focusing on how I engage with teaching and support students’ learning. I gathered evidence of my work, including short examples of professional development activities and three detailed case studies, to demonstrate my understanding of the UKPSF Areas of Activity, as well as my reflection on feedback from students and colleagues.

Through the process, I have been able to identify areas for improvement and also strengthen my commitment to ongoing development in higher education. 

4. What are the ways that gaining Fellowship has helped you to teach differently and/or advanced your career?

The fellowship has encouraged me to incorporate more reflective practices and has enabled me to establish a foundation for future responsibilities and leadership roles.

I will continue to engage more with quality assurance processes and with formal and informal processes for evaluating teaching, assessment, and feedback, including reflecting on how they inform my practice and decision-making. 

5. Do you have any advice for someone thinking about applying for Fellowship?

I would advise starting your application early so you have enough time to thoroughly reflect on your teaching practices and gather evidence that demonstrates your impact on student learning. Seek feedback from colleagues or mentors to strengthen your application and ensure that it aligns well with the UKPSF Areas of Activity.

 

Interested in exploring Fellowship? Get support to develop your career

Over the last 10 years 2,837 of your colleagues have gained recognition for their teaching with nationally-recognised Higher Education Academy (HEA) Fellowships through Arena

Join one of our online workshops throughout Term 2 and 3 to discuss and develop your application.