The following job advertisement will appear in the Guardian
shortly:

* * * * * *
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL MEDICINE
Lecturer in Medical Anthropology/Sociology
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Applications are invited for this position within the
Department of Social Medicine, where research interests are
in the broad areas of health services research,
aetiological epidemiology and public health. This
appointment is designed particularly to strengthen those
aspects of the research programme which could benefit from
greater understanding of the social and cultural aspects of
illness and health care. The successful candidate will
contribute to the existing research programme, and continue
to develop their own research programme in collaboration
with members of the Department. The post holder will also
teach undergraduate medical students and contribute to the
MSc in Health Research Methods.

The successful candidate will have completed postgraduate
research training at PhD level. The post is offered for
five years in the first instance.

Further details are available from the Personnel Office,
University of Bristol, Senate House, Bristol BS8 1TH (tel
0117 925 6450)

Closing date: Tuesday 12th May 1998.

[further details below]
_______________________________________________

 UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL MEDICINE

Lecturer in Medical Anthropology/Sociology

JOB DESCRIPTION

The University of Bristol Department of Social Medicine
conducts teaching and research in health services research,
aetiological epidemiology, and public health medicine. The
skills of a variety of health care researchers including
statisticians, epidemiologists, sociologists,
psychologists, anthropologists, health economists, public
health physicians and nurses, are all available and
contribute to the excellent working environment in which to
undertake interdisciplinary research and teaching. The
Department comprises some 80 staff. The Department has its
own library and good computer facilities, and has been
selected to host the main centre of the Medical Research
Council’s Health Services Research Collaboration. There
are extensive collaborations with many clinical and other
departments in the University of Bristol, throughout the UK
and internationally.

Research is informed by the principle that the pattern of
disease in populations and the benefits of health care can
best be understood through interdisciplinary enquiry
combining an interest in biological mechanisms, the
epidemiological/statistical investigation of population
distributions, an understanding of the social and cultural
aspects of illness experience and health care utilisation,
investigation of the effectiveness of treatment, and a
concern with resources and policy.

Constructs of ill health, perceptions and experiences of
symptoms and treatment-seeking strategies show social and
cultural variations, and the successful candidate will be
expected to contribute to the work of the Department in
developing a more detailed understanding of the ways in
which sociocultural context may influence health status and
access to and utilization of health services. The
development of a more nuanced understanding of the
relationships between health status and life experiences
will also be assisted by the contribution of
anthropological/sociological insights. It is therefore
envisaged that the successful candidate will contribute to
the development of the major research programmes of the
Department through providing additional insights and
contributing to the methodological approaches used.
Multidisciplinary working is particularly encouraged.

The existing programme is concerned with two broad areas,
though most senior academics contribute to both:

Health Services Research, which may be defined as research
into all aspects of health care technology and the delivery
of health care, is becoming increasingly important in
providing reliable information on which to base decisions on
the allocation of limited resources, decisions which may
well have an ethical component. A priority is to develop
trial methodology to assess the effectiveness of
treatments, incorporating the perceptions of patients.
Evaluative studies include patients’ experiences and the
acceptability of interventions, as well as effectiveness
and cost. This programme is expanding with the
establishment of the new MRC Health Services Research
Collaboration.

Aetiological Epidemiology, in particular lifecourse
epidemiology - the ways in which exposures at different
stages interact to produce patterns of chronic disease.
Until recently studies of this sort have been almost
exclusively concerned with the effect of factors acting in
adult life but attention has recently turned to the long
term influences of factors operating in the intra-uterine
and early post-natal period. This research is based upon
the study of a series of major cohorts, and several more
are currently being constructed. Research into the
lifecourse approach to disease aetiology will be
strengthened by an approach which does not attempt to
abstract individual lifecourses from their social context
and sees what are often regarded as “exposures” as
themselves outcomes of social processes which can be
subject to investigation.

The post holder will have completed postgraduate research
training at PhD level, have experience of designing and
conducting their own research, achieving publications from
such studies, and ideally experience of securing research
funding.

Departmental teaching includes a major commitment to
undergraduate medical education, with a key role in
developing a new medical curriculum where social sciences,
including anthropology and sociology, are coming to
increasing prominence. In addition, the Department is
developing a new MSc in Health Research Methods, with a
considerable qualitative component, as a part of the
commitments under the MRC HSR Collaboration. The post
holder will also be expected to contribute to relevant
short courses run by the Department for postgraduate
students, research staff and public health medicine
trainees, and to contribute to advice given to researchers
within and outside the Department on research methodologies
relevant to their expertise.

As well as contributing to ongoing studies, the post holder
will be encouraged to continue developing their own
research programme in collaboration with members of the
Department. A commitment to teaching is essential. The post
holder will be expected to supervise doctoral students.

All new lecturing staff joining the University attend a
part-time Teaching and Learning Programme. This provides,
on a modular basis, a practical introduction to teaching in
Higher Education. The course is formally accredited by the
University’s School of Education. Although further details
will be provided on appointment, informal enquiries about
the programme are welcome: please contact Staff
Development.

The appointment will be on the Lecturer A/B scale and is
offered for five years in the first instance. Professional
and managerial accountability will be to the Head of
Department. The terms and conditions of employment will be
those for the Academic Staff of the University, and include
the Standing Orders of Council Governing the Appointment of
Members of the Non-Professorial Academic Staff.

The University does not issue application forms.
Applications should be made by letter, stating special
academic and research interests, and include the names,
addresses and, if possible, telephone numbers of three
referees. The letter should be accompanied by a curriculum
vitae, setting out date of birth and, in chronological
order, details of university and subsequent career with
qualifications, previous appointments and publications.
Applications should be sent to the Personnel Office (EO),
University of Bristol, Senate House, Bristol BS8 1TH,
quoting reference number 4698, by the closing date of
Tuesday 12th May 1998.

Prospective candidates are encouraged to discuss the post
with Professor Stephen Frankel on 0117 928 7203 (email
[log in to unmask]).

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