PhD Studentship in Blood pressure profiling in orthostatic hypotension – predicting response to treatment

Number of awards:
1

Start date and duration:
September 2020 for 3 years full time

Overview:
Orthostatic hypotension (OH) affects 1 in 5 older people. It is a disabling condition which makes even simple tasks such as brushing teeth, answering the door or making a cup of tea very challenging. Despite this, the evidence base for treatment is lacking.

OH is diagnosed in the presence of a significant BP reduction on moving from a lying to a standing position. Continuous BP monitoring is becoming common place in falls, syncope and geriatrics clinics. This provides clinicians with a detailed BP profile but has little to no impact on clinical management compared to traditional BP measurement.

It has recently been shown that the morphology of BP drop on standing upright reflects the underlying vascular pathophysiology: 1) small drop fast recovery (arteriolar); 2) medium drop slow recovery (venular); 3) large drop non recovery (mixed). There is potential for a step-change in the management of OH using the orthostatic BP morphology to influence the choice of treatment.

HYPOTHESIS

Postural BP morphology will predict response to treatment in people with OH.

TRAINING

The student will be trained in the measurement and interpretation of detailed neuro-cardiovascular data. They will also receive training in working with older people in research. Training will be provided to analyse and interpret detailed physiological data. The candidate will be expected to take advantage of the Graduate School’s training opportunities and the NIHR Newcastle Training School. The candidate will also apply for Clinical Observer status to become familiar with the clinical context of OH, fostering clinical collaboration .

This PhD is suited to those with an interest in physiology, ageing and/or pharmacology. The candidate would work alongside clinical academics, learning how to collect, analyse and interpret detailed neuro-cardiovascular data.

Ultimately the candidate will determine how we can predict who will respond to which treatments in people with OH. Some knowledge of neuro-cardiovascular physiology is desirable.

Sponsor:
Newcastle University (https://bit.ly/2ZtkMP6)

Name of supervisor(s):
James Frith and Julia Newton

Eligibility Criteria:
The successful applicant will have, or expect to obtain, an upper second class or above in a biomedical or physiological area; a Masters degree (Merit or above), or additional research experience, is desirable but not essential. If your first language is not English you need an overall IELTS score of 7.0 (with at least 6.5 in all sub-skills) or equivalent language qualification.
Non-UK candidates should contact [Email Address Removed] regarding eligibility and fees.

How to apply:
You must apply through the University’s online postgraduate application system (https://bit.ly/3c0zOhW) by creating an account. To do this please select ‘How to Apply’ and choose the ‘Apply now’ button.
All relevant fields should be completed, but fields marked with a red asterisk must to be completed. The following information will help us to process your application. You will need to:
• click on programme of study
• insert 8300F in the programme code section and click search
• select Programme name ‘PhD in the Faculty of Medical Sciences (full time) – Physiology’
• insert PH003 in the studentship/partnership reference field
• attach a covering letter and CV. The covering letter must state the title of the studentship, a brief proposal of your research project including likely methods to be used. Please quote reference code PH003 and state how your interests and experience relate to the project you propose
• attach degree transcripts* and certificates and, if English is not your first language, a copy of your English language qualification.
*You will not be able to submit your application until you have submitted your degree transcript/s.

Contact:
Professor Julia Newton ([Email Address Removed])