MATCH - MULTIDISCIPLINARY ASSESSMENT OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
PhD STUDENTSHIP
Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, (Birmingham University)
SUBJECT AREA
We are looking for an enthusiastic post-graduate student to develop a
programme of work relating to the above EPSRC and industry funded project.
The MATCH project is a collaboration between 5 universities (Birmingham,
Brunel, KCL, Nottingham and Ulster) and is concerned with the development of
medical devices in an increasingly sophisticated purchasing environment.
The
overall aim is to ensure that devices are developed in such a way as to meet
real
human needs and present cost effective solutions. Within MATCH there are 5
sub-projects across the whole spectrum of device development from production
planning to value modelling and the incorporation of user needs. To this
end, we
in Birmingham are working on payback and value of information models.
Many of these models will require estimation of the utilities that inform
the trade-
offs that patients make between different benefits and harms. Also, they
require
measurements of beliefs about the plausibility of various treatment effects
- that
is to say, the elicitation of Bayesian prior distributions for
model-parameters
where direct evidence is lacking.
The successful candidate will work with Alan Girling ([log in to unmask]
)
and Professor Richard Lilford ([log in to unmask]) on the development of
mathematical models, but with special reference to:
1. Obtaining the utilities (values/preferences) from members of the general
public
and patients.
2. Eliciting prior beliefs from experts.
The project represents a state of the art collaboration between
mathematicians
and statisticians on the one hand and those concerned with behavioural
sciences, and the elicitation of human beliefs and preferences on the other.
Person specification:
At least a 2:1 degree
Numeracy, and some mathematical statistical skills would be ideal
An interest in talking to people about their views and opinions.
This will be
necessary to elicit values, preferences and prior beliefs.
The successful candidate could be someone trained in psychology or
sociology,
or the health sciences, but with a numerical bent; alternatively, someone
trained
in mathematics, statistics or engineering, but with an interest in
psychology.
Richard J Lilford, PhD., FRCOG., FRCP., FFPH
Professor of Clinical Epidemiology
Department of Public Health and Epidemiology
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham B15 2TT
Tel: 0121 414 2226
Fax: 0121 414 2752
Alan J. Girling
Senior Research Fellow
Multidisciplinary Assessment of Technology Centre for Health (MATCH)
Department of Public Health and Epidemiology
The University of Birmingham
Birmingham B15 2TT
Tel: +44 (0)121 4147495
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