MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit - Complexity in Health programme

Handling multiple outcomes in complex intervention trials

Lead supervisor: Prof Rod Taylor
In the majority of randomised trials, multiple outcomes are of interest. Traditionally, the analysis and interpretation of trials focuses on a pre-defined ‘primary outcome’ and, in parallel, consideration of the impact on other ‘secondary outcomes’. This studentship is offered to explore the methodological issue of how to better handle multiple outcomes collected in the context of complex intervention trials. Can the design and analysis of trials of interventions with multiple outcomes be improved? What are the relative merits of alternative strategies such as composite outcomes, multiple response models, and multivariate approaches to analysis? The methods for this studentship are likely to include: systematic review and meta-epidemiology including individual data meta-analysis and simulation and will be under the umbrella of the MRC-NIHR Trials Methodology Research Partnership.

Agent based models in population health

Lead supervisor: Dr Eric Silverman
Many population health issues are driven by interacting behavioural, environmental and social factors. Agent-Based Models (ABMs) allow us to examine how multiple, complex patterns of interactions between individuals, their health behaviours and their surrounding environment, combine to determine population patterns in health outcomes. We are interested in supervising PhD students to either (i) develop ABMs to assess the health outcomes of welfare reforms (such as the Universal Basic Income), or to investigate the provision of social care; or (ii) develop procedures and software tools for the application of machine learning and deep neural networks to the analysis of ABMs.

Improving the quality of life, activity, connectedness and mental health of older adults living in a community setting

Lead supervisor: Prof Sharon Simpson
Social isolation and loneliness among older people are linked with many health problems and poorer mental health. There is some evidence from systematic reviews that interventions offering social activity and/or support within a group format can be effective and social network approaches to understanding and tackling loneliness and social isolation show promise. Systems approaches may also offer potential for understanding the multiple influences on our behaviour, as well as addressing change at a broader level. This PhD will explore the evidence on the relationship between loneliness/social isolation and health and consider how interventions involving social networks and social support might address these issues. The PhD is likely to involve qualitative or mixed methods and could include a systematic and/or theoretical review as well as collecting primary data through, for example, systems mapping and stakeholder workshops.