Research into the psychological impact of illness has highlighted the importance of resilience, which has driven an interest in developing interventions to support this. Rare diseases usually affect less than 1 in 2,000, but combined the incidence is 1 in 17. This means that approximately 3.5 million people in the UK will have a rare disease, representing a substantial number of patients and families trying to cope with this illness experience. Little is known about what enhances resilience in this group or even how best to measure it, making it difficult to assess whether interventions in this group have had a beneficial outcome. This PhD will seek to understand the mechanisms affecting resilience in rare diseases, in order to develop a measure of resilience for this group. This will be achieved by conducting a systematic review, in depth interviews with patients and their families and working alongside leaders in the field of genetic counselling, rare diseases and measurement construction. There is scope for the PhD student to shape many aspects of this PhD to fit with their interests.
Entry Requirements
Candidates are expected to hold (or be about to obtain) a minimum upper second class honours degree (or equivalent) in a related area/subject. Candidates with previous laboratory experience, particularly in cell culture and molecular biology, are particularly encouraged to apply.
For information on how to apply for this project, please visit the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health Doctoral Academy website How To Apply(https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/research/apply/). Informal enquiries may be made directly to the primary supervisor. On the online application form select PhD Genetics
For international students, we also offer a unique 4 year PhD programme that gives you the opportunity to undertake an accredited Teaching Certificate whilst carrying out an independent research project across a range of biological, medical and health sciences.
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/”
For international students we also offer a unique 4 year PhD programme that gives you the opportunity to undertake an accredited Teaching Certificate whilst carrying out an independent research project across a range of biological, medical and health sciences. For more information please visit www.internationalphd.manchester.ac.uk