Re-advertisement for ESRC funded PhD studentship
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
One studentship is available in the Health Services Research Unit
within the Department of Public Health & Policy. This studentship covers
a 3-year doctoral (PhD) programme in this internationally renowned,
research-based institution starting October, 2009
THE PHD PROJECT
'Methods to reduce selection bias in health economic evaluation'
Economic evaluations often use observational data where the major
concern is selection bias. Traditional methods for dealing with this
bias suffer from important limitations, and can lead to misleading
inferences for policy-making. The project will examine a novel
non-parametric technique (Genetic Matching) that makes more appropriate
assumptions. While Genetic Matching has been tested on a single dataset
in labour economics, this research will further examine the technique
using a series of high profile health economic evaluations. The case
studies are from a developed country context (mainly the UK, and US) and
include evaluations of clinical and public health interventions. This
context offers an excellent opportunity to compare estimates from
high-quality observational studies with those from pragmatic RCTs. This
research will provide rigorous evidence on the technique's merits, which
can ultimately help evaluations provide a stronger basis for
policy-making. The PhD thesis will be undertaken within a larger project
funded by ESRC/NIHR which involves collaboration with colleagues at
Universities of California, Harvard and MRC Biostatistics Unit,
Cambridge.
SUPERVISOR AND ENVIRONMENT
The project will be supervised by Dr Richard Grieve (senior lecturer in
health economics). The successful applicant will join a team of
researchers and PhD students working on different statistical issues
facing health economic evaluation. The PhD student will be able to draw
on expert guidance from senior colleagues with expertise in statistics
(Dr James Carpenter) and econometrics (Prof Jas Sekhon, University of
California, Berkeley). As part of the studentship, the applicant will
receive advanced training in statistics or health economics, for example
by taking study modules from the highly regarded Master course in
Medical Statistics, at LSHTM. LSHTM provides a highly supportive
environment for Research Degree study, and has a strong tradition for
providing training for PhD students and junior health economists.
AWARD
The studentship will cover full tuition fees at Home/EU level as well
as an annual maintenance grant for three years (£18,290 for 2009-10
inclusive of London Weighting).
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must have been ordinarily resident in the UKthroughout the
3-year period immediately preceding the date of the award. Full award is
available to UKresidents only; other EU nationals may receive awards
which cover tuition fees only. Please check your eligibility
requirements on the ESRC website
http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/Images/Postgraduate
Funding Guide - January 2009_tcm6-12067.pdf (
http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/Images/Postgraduate%20Funding%20Guide%20-%20January%202009_tcm6-12067.pdf
)before applying.
The ideal candidate will have a Masters degree with a substantial
component in statistics, health economics, or econometrics; excellent
quantitative and writing skills, and a strong interest in improving
methods in economic evaluation.
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants should submit a complete application for Research degree
(MPhil/PhD) study by completing the appropriate application forms.
Please ensure that you indicate on your application form that you wish
to be considered for this award and enclose an outline of the proposed
PhD topic of up to 3 pages.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
The deadline for receipt of complete applications under this scheme is
Wednesday 15th April, 2009.
FURTHER DETAILS
Informal enquiries regarding the project can be made directly to Dr
Richard Grieve ([log in to unmask]). Further guidance on making
an application can be found by visiting the How to Apply pages of the
School's website http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/prospectus/howto/, or by
e-mailing Registry ([log in to unmask])
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