Two new PhD scholarships at the Health Economics Research Group (HERG)

In the last 10 years researchers at HERG have successfully supervised 16 PhD.  Two students have also won prizes or an international commendation for their PhD.   We are seeking applications from excellent candidates to contribute to our PhD programme, as HERG has recently gained two MRC-funded PhD scholarships and is likely to have further funding for PhD scholarships in the coming year.  Applicants will ideally have a good Master's degree, but those with an excellent Bachelor's will also be considered.  Applications are welcomed from those with degrees in economics and its related applications, statistics, epidemiology, public health and those allied to health services research from other disciplines.  

The two MRC scholarships are open to people who have been living in the UK for a period of 3 years and partial scholarship (i.e. fees only) to those living outside the UK but within the EU for a period of 3 years.  Both scholarships offer a 1+3 year option, with the 1st year providing an opportunity to gain an M.Res. Health Research.  


HERG/MRC Scholarship No 1: "The Value and Structure of Multi-level Modelling for Cost-effectiveness Analysis Alongside RCTs"

Supervisors: Julia Fox-Rushby, Professor of Health Economics; Janet Peacock, Professor of Medical Statistics

This PhD seeks to explain the variation in resource use, costs and cost-effectiveness of at least one intervention and seeks to push the boundaries of health economics in four ways by: developing knowledge of cause of variation in cost and cost-effectiveness; demonstrating the possibilities for further analysis of data on resources use and costs collected alongside trials; exploring to role of centre and individual influences on explaining variation; and considering how individual parameter uncertainty (rather than measurement error) can be incorporated into regression analyses.


HERG/MRC Scholarship No 2: Either "Accounting for 'externalities' in evaluating public health interventions" or "Beyond QALYs?: Outcome Measures for Economic Evaluation of Public Health Interventions"

Supervisors: Martin Buxton, Professor of Health Economics, Director HERG; Julia Fox-Rushby, Professor of Health Economics

This PhD offers the opportunity to review, critique and improve on the measurement of outcomes of public health interventions and programmes.  They would both contribute to wider debates on the efficiency of public sector investments.  

Please contact Professor Martin Buxton, Director of HERG (Tel:  01895 265443; [log in to unmask]) or Professor Julia Fox-Rushby (Tel: 01895 266864 or [log in to unmask]) for an informal discussion.  
                                                                                                                   
Closing date for applications: end February 2006

For further details see: <http://cms.brunel.ac.uk/about/acad/herg/jobs>


HERG Is anticipating further funding for PhD scholarships this year.
If you are interested in pursuing ideas that fit into other areas of interest to HERG,
please contact Professor Julia Fox-Rushby
on [log in to unmask] (Tel: +44 (0)1895 266864)
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Hema Mistry
Research Fellow in Health Economics
Health Economics Research Group
Brunel University
Uxbridge
Middlesex, UB8 3PH, UK

Tel: +44 (0)1895 265447
Fax: +44 (0)1895 269708
Email: [log in to unmask]