ST GEORGE’S HOSPITAL MEDICAL SCHOOL
(University of London)
TENURE TRACK RESEARCH SCIENTIST
IN STATISTICS, PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL OR BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCE
(3 years initially, leading to a permanent post)
An opportunity to lead and promote An expanding research group in the
Department of Psychiatry
Applications are invited for a productive Research Scientist in the Department of
Psychiatry. The post would be suitable for a postdoctoral researcher in statistics,
psychological, behavioural or social sciences, (or related disciplines), with an interest
in and experience of managing projects and applications for funds.
The successful candidate will have an established research record in an area relevant
to Mental Health research and experience in the application of rigorous research
methodology. Preference will be given to candidates with the ability to take a lead in
fostering research activity within the Department and in forging links with other
groups and individuals carrying out compatible research in the School. Applications
from researchers with proven experience of attracting and obtaining research funds
are particularly welcome.
Salary will be up to a maximum of Ł32,199 p.a. inclusive on the full-time University
Research 1A/11 scale, according to experience and qualifications.
The appointment will be for an initial period of three years. During the course of the
contract, a decision will be made as to whether a permanent contract should be
offered on the basis of the quality and promise of the postholder and his/her work.
Flexible working hours or a part-time appointment is an option which could be
explored with the successful candidate, if appropriate.
Informal enquiries to Professor Tom Burns, via email: [log in to unmask]
Further information on http://www.sghms.ac.uk/ or from the Personnel Office, St
George’s Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 ORE, 020 8725
5020 (24-hour answerphone) or email: [log in to unmask] Closing date 25
July 2000. Please quote reference 349/00.
The School is an Equal Opportunities Employer
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FURTHER DETAILS :
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ST GEORGE’S HOSPITAL MEDICAL SCHOOL
(University of London)
JOB-DESCRIPTION (Ref No 349-00)
TENURE-TRACK RESEARCH SCIENTIST
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY
This is a full time post to drive the research strategy of the Department of Psychiatry in St
George’s Hospital Medical School. The postholder will be responsible for continuing the
development of the Department’s research activities, in collaboration with senior academic
colleagues. He/she will be directly responsible to the Department’s Director of R&D
(currently Professor Tom Burns) and ultimately responsible to the Chairman (Professor J
Hubert Lacey). Currently the Department has a wide range of research activities, as detailed
below, but increasingly has focused into fewer, externally funded, projects.
There are three main components to the proposed job:
? The major component is working collaboratively with the established research teams,
to refine methodology of proposed studies and to assist with the preparation of
research of proposals and grant applications. Maintaining an up to date database of
current research and funding opportunities will form a small part of this function.
? The second component is to manage ongoing research training for the Department
and Mental Health Trust staff. This will involve running two introductory courses in
research methodology per year and in running a monthly (ninety minutes) research
seminar for staff. The introductory courses comprise eight weeks of structured
lectures/seminars, co-ordinated by the appointee, but drawing widely on local
expertise. They must accommodate the needs of a multi-disciplinary group, often
with limited research or statistical experience.
? The third component of the job is up to three sessions a week of personal research.
The appointee will be encouraged and supported to develop their own research profile
and to seek external funding for projects. It is anticipated that the collaborative and
advisory work with other projects will range from the full authorship to single
consultations.
Apart from this limited research teaching, no other academic or teaching duties (eg for
undergraduate, MSc students) are required. The appointee may specifically seek to extend
their CV and broaden their full involvement and academic life of the institution, by seeking
further teaching, but this is not required. Currently there is one bio-statistician in the
Department.
St George’s Hospital Medical School
The postholder is appointed to the Medical School and works within the Department of
Psychiatry.
The postholder will be responsible to the Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry,
currently Professor J Hubert Lacey.
St George’s Hospital Medical School, in association with St George’s Hospital, is one of five
general combined undergraduate/postgraduate teaching complexes within the Faculty of
Medicine, University of London, with a current total of 32 divisions and departments.
During the 1970s long-term plans to relocate the Medical School and the Teaching Hospital
in Tooting were put into effect. The new Medical School opened in October 1976, admitting
pre-clinical students for the first time. This year it admitted 172 students. The Medical
School rebuilding was completed in 1985 and includes three academic departments of
psychiatry in purpose-built accommodation. There are extensive library facilities.
The Department of Psychiatry is the largest of three departments of psychiatry within the
Medical School. The other two are the Department of Addictive Behaviour and
Psychological Medicine (Professor Ghodse), and the Department of Psychiatry of Learning
Disability (Professor Hollins).
The Department of Psychiatry has five specialist research-themes, as listed below. These are
community psychiatry (Professor Tom Burns); developmental psychiatry (Dr Pat Hughes);
eating-disorders (Professor Hubert Lacey and Dr Bryan Lask); forensic psychiatry (Dr Nigel
Eastman); and personality disorders (Dr Kingsley Norton). The permanently-funded staff of
the Department are as follows: three Professors, 18 senior lecturers, six lecturers and about
16 permanently-tenured research posts.
Research Themes
Community
1999 saw the completion of data collection of the St George’s Intensive Case-Management
Study (part of a four-site Multicentre Trial with Manchester, Maudsley and St Mary’s).
Several papers from this multi-site trial have now appeared. Two research-projects in
conjunction with General Practice (randomised trial of Practice Nurse management of
schizophrenia; assessment of psychotic patients in and out of contact with secondary care)
have also been brought to completion. Work continues on treatment-fidelity assessment
associated with the Intensive Case Management Study.
A cross London study of assertive outreach is just starting and projects on work placement
and a meta-analysis of community care studies nearing completion. The group has
welcomed the appointment of Dr Christine Wright to the post of Consultant Honorary
Lecturer at Tolworth Hospital with five sessions in the Department. Dr Robert Bale left his
lecturer post to take up a consultant post at South West London and St George’s Mental
Health NHS Trust. We have had visitors from Chile, Hong Kong, Sweden and North
America. Professor Burns chaired a working-party of a reprovision of acute inpatient units
and one on community care for the Royal College.
Eating Disorders
Research-themes include aspects of reproductive physiology and eating-disorders
(polycystic-ovarian syndrome, sexual-drive, leptin, pregnancy), medical complications of
anorexia nervosa (osteopenia, skin-disorders), eating-disorders in primary care (patterns of
referral, development of a screening-questionnaire) and treatment approaches (collaboration
with the COST Pan-European Multicentre Study, evaluation of a body-image group,
development of a treatment programme for binge-eating disorder in obesity). These themes
will form the basis of at least three MD theses and one PhD. Additional research has focused
on obligatory exercise and eating-disorder psychopathology, psychosis and eating-disorders,
leucotomy in the treatment of anorexia nervosa, measurement of intra-psychic change in
eating-disorders, seasonal birth variation in bulimia nervosa, the psychosomatics of
hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and psychiatric referrals to casualty.
Forensic
Forensic Psychiatry has developed substantially in its research and educational activities
during the year. Grants were gained from the NHS for the Mentally-Disordered Offender
Policy Research Unit (Dr N Eastman), from the High-Security Psychiatric Services
Commissioning Board for a study (in collaboration with the London School of Economics) of
medium secure inpatient services for women (Dr A Bartlett), from the Department of Health
for a study (in collaboration with the Institute of Psychiatry) of supervised discharge and
guardianship orders (Dr A Bartlett) and from the ESRC for a study (in conjunction with St
Thomas’ Hospital, Department of Obstetrics) on domestic violence in pregnancy (Dr G
Mezey). In postgraduate education, the multi-disciplinary Diploma in Forensic Mental
Health Sciences became fully established and was generally oversubscribed, taking
candidates from across the whole of Southern England.
The research unit at the Henderson Hospital has recently joined the Department under the
direction of Dr Kingsley Norton. It is currently undertaking a major reprovision assessment.
Informal enquiries to Professor Tom Burns, via email: [log in to unmask]
Further information on http://www.sghms.ac.uk/ or from the Personnel Office, St
George’s Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 ORE, 020 8725
5020 (24-hour answerphone) or email: [log in to unmask] Closing date 25
July 2000. Please quote reference 349/00.
The School is an Equal Opportunities Employer
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Ms Hilary C. Watt
[log in to unmask]
St. Georges Hospital Medical School
Opinions expressed those of the author and not the institution
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