This studentship will identify factors underlying inequalities in breast cancer patient outcomes across the care pathway. It builds on previous research that has found a lack of evidence for socioeconomic (SES) differences in outcomes arising from factors operating before diagnosis (i.e. delays in help-seeking), by focusing on what happens to women post breast cancer diagnosis. The Candidacy Framework will underpin the research, as it helps understand the process by which people access (and re-access) healthcare. It can be applied to understand how SES differences may be generated at the person (e.g. difficulty articulating need) or healthcare (e.g. being offered/taking up different treatments) level. Using a sequential staged design comprising three related phases, the primary objectives of the proposed project are to:
- Quantify socioeconomic differences in the experiences of women diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK (e.g. experiences of information provision, follow-up support) using existing data, including data from the Cancer Patient Experience Survey and a literature review (Phase 1).
- Provide an in depth understanding of factors operating after diagnosis (by applying qualitative methods in a group of women with breast cancer, n~30) that may give rise to socioeconomic inequalities (Phase 2).
- Synthesise the results from the Studies 1 and 2 to understand where findings from each method agree (convergence) or appear to contradict each other (dissonance) to provide a comprehensive understanding of underlying mechanisms, drawing on a broad range of data (Phase 3).
Supervisory team:
Dr Whitaker Health Sciences, University of Surrey
Professor Ream Health Sciences, University of Surrey
Dr Marcu Health Sciences, University of Surrey
This is a three year project, commencing in July 2021.
Entry requirements
Applicants are expected to hold a good honours degree (upper second) in an appropriate discipline (e.g. Nursing, Psychology, Public Health, Social Science). Ideally applicants will also hold an MSc level qualification.
How to apply
Applicant should apply through the PhD Health Sciences course page.
Please submit copies of educational qualifications, your CV and a short research proposal for this project (not more than 5 pages) including the following sections: rationale, research question and objectives, study design and methodology.
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