PhD Studentship: Health Foundation Improvement Science - Operational Research towards outcome driven community health services

Applications are invited for a Health Foundation funded PhD Studentship with the UCL Clinical Operational Research Unit (CORU). This opportunity forms part of the NIHR CLAHRC North Thames.

The National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) North Thames has been funded to conduct high quality applied health research, focused on the needs of patients and the public to produce a direct impact on health and the way that health care/public health is organised and delivered. Led by Professor Rosalind Raine (UCL), NIHR CLAHRC North Thames is a collaboration between 54 partners. Further information about NIHR CLAHRC North Thames is available at
http://www.clahrc-norththames.nihr.ac.uk/.

CORU is a small team of researchers applying operational research to problems in health care. This currently involves two main strands of work: projects with clinicians and managers in NHS organisations tackling problems of relevance to them and work informing national health protection policy for the Department of Health. Our work is motivated by the belief that organisations own and define the problems we work on, not academics.

The Operational Research PhD project offered will align with and augment existing work within North East London Foundation Trust, co-developing with clinical teams and others processes and tools for the timely feedback and sharing of outcome data. The project will also co-develop and implement computational models of patient/client flow into, between and out of exemplar community health services, and examine how these flows depend on outcomes achieved within constituent services. We envisage that the project will involve: systematic literature review; mathematical and / or simulation modelling; descriptive and statistical analysis of data using tools such as classification and regression trees, logistic and other forms of regression analysis; and information design. The student will be based at CORU’s offices in Bloomsbury, with considerable time spent at North East London Foundation Trust sites.

Training opportunities:

PhD students will be entitled to the full range of PhD training opportunities at UCL including training from UCL’s Public Engagement Unit. PhD students will also benefit from training provided by the NIHR CLAHRC North Thames Academy. Our doctoral programme will focus on practical aspects of applied health research, such as the skills required to undertake research in health care and public health settings, to engage patients and the public in research, and to navigate relevant ethical and research governance approval systems. We aim to provide students with an understanding of how their work fits in to current NHS structures, for example by facilitating shadowing placements. PhD students will be expected to attend and present at scientific meetings to disseminate the findings of their research.

Eligibility

Due to funding restrictions applicants must be UK/EU nationals. Please refer to UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) for full details of the eligibility criteria:
http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/International-Students/Fees--finance/Home-or-Overseas-fees/

How to apply

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the studentship in more detail, you are encouraged to contact the primary supervisor Professor Martin Utley, UCL CORU: [Email Address Removed].

Candidates should hold a Master’s qualification (or complete their Master’s by September 2014) in Operational Research or another appropriate discipline with substantial analytical or computational modelling content, and have a minimum of a 2:1 or equivalent in their first degree. Applicants must have excellent written and verbal communication skills and knowledge of the UK Health system. Candidates must be willing to work collaboratively in multi-disciplinary and multi-professional teams. Some experience of working with complex data sets would be desirable.

Your application should consist of a CV with contact details of two academic referees. You must also include a personal statement (1,000 words maximum) describing your suitability for the selected project including how your skills, experience and interests relate to the project.

Please send your application to Dr Susie Edwards, NIHR CLAHRC North Thames Manager ([Email Address Removed]).

Closing date for applications: 17.00, 09 July 2014

Interviews: w/c 21 July 2014

PhD start date: 22nd September 2014

Duration: 3 years, full time (part time PhDs may be considered)

Stipend: £22,278