Dear All,
Please circulate this opportunity to interested graduates and Masters students. I am happy to answer any informal queries.
Many thanks,
Beth
Project Title: Exploring motivations to participate in medical research
Deadline: 31 January 2013
Supervisors:
Beth Greenhough, Senior Lecturer in Geography, School of Geography
Stefan Priebe, Professor of Social and Community Psychiatry, Wolfson Institute of Preventative Medicine
Email 1st Supervisor: [log in to unmask]
Email 2nd Supervisor: [log in to unmask]
Primary School/Institute: School of Geography
Secondary School/Institute: Wolfson Institute of Preventative Medicine
Queen Mary University of London is making a significant investment in the development of a Life Sciences Institute, which will focus on post-genomic population health. The new Institute will be highly interdisciplinary drawing on expertise from all three of Queen Mary’s faculties. As well as the basic scientific research and translation to clinical use, the Institute will also consider the social and ethical issues associated with the research. We shall bring together researchers and external partners in the fields ranging from the biomedical sciences, bioinformatics, tissue- and bio-engineering, ethics, law, economics and geography.
This new institute intends to be the UK’s leading research facility, aiming to start realising the promise of personalized health care, it will address major public health issues such as obesity and cancer with the long-term aim of improving health outcomes for all.
Project Description:
The project invites applications for one 3 year fully-funded studentship at Queen Mary University of London commencing 22nd September 2014 (or soon after). The scholarship is for a bursary and tuition fees. The student will be joining a lively and active research community based within the School of Geography (ranked joint first in the UK for research) and will also have the opportunity to interact with staff and students at the Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry, the only WHO Collaborating Centre to focus specifically on Mental Health Services Development in the world.
The aim of this project is to explore what motivates people with mental health problems in East London to participate or refuse to participate in medical research. Based within the School of Geography, but working closely with colleagues at the Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry, the project will draw on a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods to explore: (1) The levels of participation in medical research as a percentage of all those who receive an invitation to participate; (2) The key factors which affect people’s decisions to participate or not in medical research; (3) The ways in which this decision is shaped by the context (time, place, circumstances) within which they receive the invitation.
Understanding participants’ motivations to participate in medical research is essential for ensuring that the recruitment process is ethical and that valid informed consent is obtained, but also for serving to engage a wide range of the population in clinical research, especially those groups that may be or feel marginalised from clinical trial participation. Existing debates and research have tended to focus on (i) the underlying principles that shape the use and recruitment of human volunteers and associated codes and procedures, such as ethical review and informed consent; (ii) the challenges of recruitment and retention; and (iii) the wider social, political, and economic conditions that influence a decision to join or refuse participation in a clinical trial. Where questions have been asked about the motivations of individuals to participate in trials, it has been found that motivations for participation are multi-dimensional and complex, and that alternative modes of recruitment such as consumer-led recruitment which involves working closely with local communities, may have advantages over more traditional recruitment approaches. By exploring what motivates people with mental health problems in East London to participate or refuse to participate in medical research, this project will contribute to the development of ethical and inclusive clinical trial recruitment practices, as well as to wider public debates and academic scholarship concerned with the ethics and practice of medical research.
This studentship is part of 12 individual studentships being advertised and funded by the Life Sciences Institute at QMUL. Please note that 6 studentship appointments will be made out of the 12 available studentships. Selection of studentships will be based on candidate quality.
About the Student:
Queen Mary University of London is committed to appointing only the very best candidates to its PhD programmes. To apply you should have a good first degree (BA or BSc Honours or equivalent), at upper second class or equivalent with evidence of some 1st class work, and a Masters qualification (at Merit or above with evidence of some Distinction level work) in a cognate discipline related to the studentship. All applicants will be judged according to the same criteria, namely: record of academic and/or professional achievement; and compatibility with the theme of the studentship.
The Award:
Life Sciences Studentships are open to suitably qualified candidates from the UK & EU only. The Studentship consists of the full cost of tuition fees and £15,786 a year for maintenance for 3 years. Award holders will be expected to be resident in London during the 3 year period of the studentship.
Duration of Studentship: 3 years
How to apply: Candidates are encouraged to discuss their research proposal with a member of academic staff specialising in their research area.
To apply, please visit: http://www.qmul.ac.uk/lifesciences/phd/index.html
Application Deadline: The closing date for applications is 31st January 2014. All short-listed applicants will be interviewed shortly after the closing date (either face-to-face or by telephone).
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