Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease. Although more effective therapies are available now compared to 20 years ago, the disease still has a huge impact on patients’ daily lives. Whilst disease activity is often well controlled, this does not always translate into improvements in patient reported outcomes (PROs), such as quality of life, function, physical activity and work participation – this is potentially due to the multifaceted causal pathway from RA to PRO severity, with many psychological, socioeconomic and treatment related factors potentially contributing. In addition, patients with RA are more likely to develop other morbidities (e.g. cardiovascular, lung disorders) which may impact on PROs. Many clinical trials include PROs as part of their assessment schedule, and PROs are nowadays considered important outcomes, not only by patients with RA and health professionals, but also by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, UK) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, USA). Given this current interest, it is important for policy makers, health professionals and people with RA to understand precisely how PROs develop over time in RA and what factors are important in determining the severity of these PROs (e.g. treatment response, psychosocial factors, multi-morbidity).
This PhD project will aim to understand the interplay between treatment response, psychosocial factors and multi-morbidity on important PROs in patients with early and established RA. By understanding the independent contribution of these factors on PROs, targeted disease management and thus quality of life can be improved.
The PhD studentship is especially suitable for candidates with an MSc in Psychology, MSc in Epidemiology, MSc applied medical statistics or MSc in Social Science.
http://www.cfe.manchester.ac.uk/
Entry Requirements
Applicants must have obtained or be about to obtain a First or Upper Second class UK honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of science, engineering or technology.
How to Apply
To be considered for this project you MUST submit a formal online application form - full details on how to apply can be found on the MRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) website www.manchester.ac.uk/mrcdtpstudentships
Applicants interested in this project should make direct contact with the Primary Supervisor to arrange to discuss the project further as soon as possible.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities. The full Equality, diversity and inclusion statement can be found on the website https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/research/apply/equality-diversity-inclusion/
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