John Gribben, MD, DSc, FRCPath, FMed Sci, from the Barts Cancer Institute, London, UK, discusses the importance of supporting early career researchers through fellowships at the 2017 British Society for Haematology (BSH) Annual Scientific Meeting in Brighton, UK. He speaks about the John Goldman fellowships funded by the charity Leuka, and explains why these are important. Prof. Gribben highlights that John Goldman was very committed to training future generations of clinician scientists. He describes the challenges and opportunities associated with being a clinician scientist, and points out how early career fellowships can address these. Prof. Gribben argues that charity-funded fellowships are essential in preserving the role of clinician scientists in the UK. He speaks about a fellow in his department, and how this fellowship will allow him to transition into independent research.