The prevalence, impact and support needs of families and children with long-term otitis media with effusion and hearing loss

Applications are invited from ambitious, self-motivated candidates to undertake a PhD in the field of child development and to develop quantitative and qualitative research skills. The candidate will join the active research groups of Dr Amanda Hall, Dr Helen Pryce and Dr Rachel Shaw. This opportunity is open to UK and EU students who have at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree (2.1) or equivalent in Audiology, Psychology or a related subject.

Otitis media with effusion (OME, also known as glue ear) is one of the most common conditions of childhood. It is typically a self-resolving, temporary condition, but where accompanied by hearing loss may be treated clinically with grommets and require no further treatment. For some children, OME is not temporary, and becomes a longer-term condition, which may involve repeated grommet treatment, long-term use of hearing aids or ongoing fluctuating hearing loss and can last several years or more. It is not known how common long-term OME and hearing loss is in typically developing children, nor whether there are lasting effects. One of the challenges for clinicians and parents is the uncertainty around whether a child’s OME is likely to be short-term or whether it will develop into a long-term condition, and if so, at what point that transition occurs. The needs of children and families with long-term OME and hearing loss are likely to be different to those where it is short-term and self-resolving or successfully treated, but it is not known how and when they differ.

The successful candidate will analyse existing longitudinal data from a large cohort study to determine the prevalence of long term otitis media and hearing loss in childhood and the impact on a range of developmental outcomes; they will also use qualitative methods, taking a multi-perspective approach to understand the views of families and children about managing long-term OME. The student will use a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods and the research may involve clinical settings.

Aston University was ranked 5th out of 94 UK Higher Education Institutions for research in Allied Health Professions (REF 2014) and was ranked 1st for research environment. Additional information about research in the School can be found at http://www.aston.ac.uk/lhs/research/. Informal enquiries can be made to Dr Amanda Hall at: [Email Address Removed].

Financial Support:

The studentship is open to Home/EU students only and comprises of a tax-free stipend at the 2017/18 RCUK rate of £14,553 per annum and payment of Home/EU tuition fees only. The studentship is available for three years, subject to satisfactory progress review at the end of the first year, with an anticipated registration of 1st January 2018.

Application Requirements:

● Eligible Applicants should hold at least a Bachelor (Hons.) Degree of either 1st Class/ 2.1 or MSc/MRes in a relevant subject.
● EU Applicants will need to demonstrate adequate proficiency in English Language skills, with a minimum overall score of 93 (Internet Based) (with a minimum score in each section of: R: 18, W: 23, L: 19 and S: 19) in TOEFL or IELTS with minimum marks of 6.0 in each section and an overall band of 6.5.
● To apply, please complete the on-line application form at:
http://www1.aston.ac.uk/lhs/research/postgraduate-research/apply/ , choosing Research Full-time Health Sciences January 2018. Please quote Reference: ‘PhD Jan 2018_Hall’ on your application.
● The Closing Date for all Applications is: Sunday, 3rd December 2017.

Audiology, Hearing, Child Development & Psychology