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PhD studentship in Community Health Sciences An opportunity is available for a 3-year PhD studentship based in the Public Health Sciences section of the Division of Community Health Sciences of Edinburgh University, in collaboration with researchers in the Department of Critical Care, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and the Effective Use of Blood Group of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service. The aim of the project is to develop a national system, using Scottish routinely-collected health service data, to track blood transfusions received by critically ill patients in Scottish hospitals, and to examine outcome for these patients. There will be the opportunity for the student to contribute to the final outline of the project, which may include other related pieces of original research, such as exploring aspects such as the factors associated with higher blood use, and/or the impact of transfusions on patient outcomes such as long-term survival. This studentship offers the opportunity to join an active and growing multidisciplinary clinical-academic research group in Critical Care, including two MSc students, three PhD students and a post-doc. The proposed PhD research builds on several recent projects by this group: for example, national audit work comparing transfusion practice in Intensive Care with evidence-based guidelines; a national project to link SMR data with transfusion records (TEP - Scottish Transfusion Epidemiology - database) to generate data regarding blood and blood product use for the Scottish population; and the ongoing Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit, which collects data for all patients admitted to Intensive Care Units in Scotland. Community Health Sciences, which hosts the Centre for Public Health and Primary Care Research, provides an excellent multi-disciplinary environment for research training and PhD study (41 PhD students currently registered). The supervisory team will include senior members of Public Health Sciences, Edinburgh University (Pam Warner and Helen Brown), the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (Dr Brian McClelland), and Royal Infirmary Edinburgh Critical Care (Dr Tim Walsh). The studentship covers PhD fees at the ‘home student’ rate, plus subsistence, so would suit applicants qualifying for home fees. Initial enquiries please to: Sarah McAllister, Community Health Sciences PG Administrator [log in to unmask] Applications (accompanied by a CV, and brief ‘statement of interest’) should be submitted to Ms McAllister by Thursday 28th September 2006. Interviews will take place in mid-October.