Imperial College School of Medicine

Division of Primary Care and Population Health Sciences

RESEARCH ASSISTANT, STATISTICS (RA1B/RA1A)

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with an MSc or PhD in statistics
to work in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health on analysis of
maternity and perinatal data from the UK, and data from studies of Finnish
Birth Cohorts. The Department’s web site is at:
http://www.med.ic.ac.uk/df/dfhm/index.htm.

Appointment will be for one year in the first instance on the RA1B/RA1A
scale, in the range £17,869 to 23,001 per annum, inclusive of London
Allowance, with a probationary review at six months.

Applications: please send CV with covering letter to Simon Sheffield
([log in to unmask]) Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, ICSM,
Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG (fax: 0171 402 2150). Closing date: 29th
October 1999. The College is striving towards equal opportunities.
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JOB DESCRIPTION

We are looking for someone with an MSc or PhD in statistics to work on
analysis of maternity and perinatal data from the UK [the Maternal and Child
Health Information System (MACHIS)/St Mary’s Maternity Information System
(SMMIS) projects], and data from studies of Finnish Birth Cohorts. This post
will be based in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health.

MACHIS Project

The aim is ultimately to improve the quality and comparability of maternity
and child health information in the North and South Thames region. More
specifically the project aims to perform a linkage of routine data from all
maternity systems, a pilot linkage of child health and maternity data in
Parkside Health NHS trust and, with other initiatives across the country,
arrive at a consensus common minimum data set for maternal and child health.

SMMIS Project

This is a clinical database used by most of the maternity units in the North
West of the Thames Region. SMMIS collects data on women from the time they
book at a maternity unit, throughout the antenatal period, labour and
delivery, and up to 28 days postnatally. The database now includes 400,868
births from the years 1988 to 1997.

It is one of the most widely used maternity systems in England and Wales,
being used by over twenty units, and has been installed in all of the
maternity units in the former N.W. Thames Health Authority since 1988.

The database is being used for a number of innovative epidemiological and
clinical studies on birth outcomes.

Lifecourse Influences on Health and Well-being: Research in the Northern
Finland Birth
Cohorts 1966 and 1985-86

The Northern Finland Birth Cohort Studies, started in 1960, are unique since
the data have
been collected prospectively since the antenatal period. The aim is to study
well-being and evolution of disease/disability /symptom risk over the life
course from the prenatal period through birth, childhood, and adulthood.

The study population comprises two birth cohorts, one for 1966 (12231
children and their parents) and
the other for the latter part of 1985 and the first half of 1986 (9472
children and their parents), in total
about 55 000 subjects.

The Department

The Department has around sixty staff working under the departmental head,
Professor Paul Elliott, and has an excellent track record of securing high
levels of programme and research grant funding across its three main areas
of work. These are Environmental Epidemiology & Small-Area Health Statistics
(including SAHSU), Reproductive Epidemiology & Sexual Health, and
Cardiovascular Epidemiology.

The Department is located in refurbished offices in South Wharf Road on the
St. Mary’s (Paddington) site, and has a computing facility networked to
Imperial College.

The Department’s web site is at: http://www.med.ic.ac.uk/df/dfhm/index.htm.

Person Specification

· MSc or PhD in statistics or related discipline
· ability to prioritise jobs and organise work effectively
· a proactive, self-starter with the ability to learn new skills quickly
· able to work with a minimum of supervision
· good, proven inter-personal communications skills
· able to work effectively with staff of all grades
· appropriate computing/technical skills
· experience of using SAS, Stata and/or SPSS would be an advantage.

 Duties

 Time will be allocated approximately 50%/50% between the MACHIS/SMMIS and
Finnish birth cohort studies.

· statistical analysis of data from MACHIS/SMMIS and the Finnish birth
cohort studies
· contribute to writing papers arising from these studies.

 Other duties may include:

· teaching of statistics to undergraduate medical students
· presentation of the results of research
· any other duties as may be required by the Head of Department

Accountability:

The successful applicant will be accountable overall to Professor Paul
Elliott, with day-to-day responsibility to lead investigators as follows:

· MACHIS/SMMIS: Professor Paul Elliott, Professor Philip Steer, Professor
Patrick Royston, Dr Jean Chapple. Typically, a day per week may be worked at
the School of Medicine’s Chelsea and Westminster campus to liaise with
Professor Steer. The post-holder will also work closely with Ms Zoe Charles,
Research Assistant on MACHIS.

· Finnish Birth Cohorts: Dr Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin and Professor Paul
Elliott.

Terms and Conditions: the appointment will be on the RA1B/RA1A scale
according to experience and qualifications, salary in the range £18,420 to
23,731 per annum, inclusive of London Allowance. The appointment will be
for one year in the first instance, with a probationary review at six
months.

Closing date: 29 October 1999.





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