High-risk medicines in older people living with frailty

Do you want to do cutting-edge research with interdisciplinary supervisors and develop a career in medicines safety and patient safety? If so, this studentship opportunity will appeal to you.<br /> <br /> One full scholarship is available in the School of Healthcare in 2023. This fully funded PhD place provides an exciting opportunity to pursue postgraduate research in medicines safety with a strong emphasis on the use of big data to understand the impact of prescribing high-risk medicines for a vulnerable population.<br /> <br /> The School of Healthcare invites applications from prospective postgraduate researchers who wish to commence study for a PhD in the academic year 2023/24 for an NIHR Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC) Scholarship.<br /> <br /> The award is open to full-time or part-time candidates (UK only) who meet the eligibility for a place on a PhD degree at the School of Healthcare. We especially welcome applications that connect to the School's core research areas, which includes medicines optimisation, patient safety, and ageing.

<p>Older people living with frailty are often prescribed multiple medicines (polypharmacy). Whilst medicines can provide significant benefit to these people, they also have the potential to cause harm from side-effects. Older people living with frailty are at particular risk of, and from, side-effects of medicines and ensuring risks are minimised is important. This PhD studentship will involve literature reviewing (for example, systematic review) and quantitative methods using use large prescribing datasets to explore the relationships between high-risk medicines (for example, anticholinergics, opioids and/or anticoagulants) and adverse outcomes for older people living with frailty. The studentship will also investigate the relationships between patient characteristics such as deprivation and ethnicity which may intersect and predict worse outcomes in this population. Depending on the final direction and focus of the project, it may also involve other methods, such as qualitative research and intervention development.</p> <p>Working with Professor David Alldred (Pharmacist and Chair of Medicines Use and Safety), Dr Oliver Todd (Geriatrician and NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer), Dr Hannah Hartley (Senior Research Fellow) at the University of Leeds, and Dr Muhammad Faisal (Assistant Professor in Biostatistics) at the University of Bradford, holders of our prestigious PhD studentships will work within the dynamic research teams at YH PSRC, which is at the forefront of patient safety research providing nationally and internationally important patient safety research.</p> <h4>Environment</h4> <p>The studentship will be based across the <a href="https://medicinehealth.leeds.ac.uk/healthcare">School of Healthcare</a> and <a href="https://medicinehealth.leeds.ac.uk/psychology">School of Psychology</a>, both at the University of Leeds, the <a href="https://www.bradfordresearch.nhs.uk/">Bradford Institute for Health Research</a> and the Faculty of Health, University of Bradford. YH PSRC PhD students will become NIHR trainees and you will benefit from a range of training support and resources to develop your knowledge and health research skills. You will also be embedded within the <a href="https://yqsr.org/">Yorkshire Quality and Safety Research Group</a>,&nbsp;which is a friendly and dynamic group of researchers conducting high-quality, rigorous and applied research to develop and evaluate innovative solutions to patient safety problems.</p> <p><a href="https://yhpsrc.org/">YH PSRC</a> is a collaboration between the Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust and the Universities of Leeds and Bradford. Our mission is to deliver research to make healthcare safer. We are one of six NIHR Patient Safety Research Collaborations in England. Our work draws on the knowledge and expertise of well-established networks of researchers, patients, carers, clinicians and industry partners to develop ideas that address patient safety problems. &nbsp;</p> <p>Our research focusses on four themes: Safer systems, culture and practice; De-cluttering (safely) for safety; Supporting safe care in the home; and Rethinking safety intelligence for improvement.</p> <h4>Other conditions:</h4> <p>&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Applicants must not have already been awarded or be currently studying for a doctoral degree.<br /> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Awards must be taken up by 1st October 2023.<br /> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Applicants must live within a reasonable distance of the University of Leeds whilst in receipt of this scholarship.</p>

<p>To apply for this scholarship opportunity applicants should complete an <a href="https://biologicalsciences.leeds.ac.uk/research-degrees/doc/how-to-apply">online application form</a> and attach the following documentation to support their application.&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>a full academic CV</li> <li>degree certificate and transcripts of marks</li> <li>Evidence that you meet the University&#39;s minimum English language requirements (if applicable)</li> </ul> <p>To help us identify that you are applying for this scholarship project please ensure you provide the following information on your application form;</p> <ul> <li>Select PhD in Healthcare as your programme of study</li> <li>Give the full project title and name the supervisors listed in this advert</li> <li>For source of funding please state you are applying for an NIHR Scholarship</li> </ul> <p>If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence that you meet the University&#39;s minimum English language requirements (below).</p> <p><em>As an international research-intensive university, we welcome students from all walks of life and from across the world. We foster an inclusive environment where all can flourish and prosper, and we are proud of our strong commitment to student education. Across all Faculties we are dedicated to diversifying our community and we welcome the unique contributions that individuals can bring, and particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to Black, Asian, people who belong to a minority ethnic community, people who identify as LGBT+ and people with disabilities. Applicants will always be selected based on merit and ability.</em></p>

Applicants to this scholarship in the School of Healthcare should normally have an Undergraduate degree of 2:1 or above (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject area such as a health-related subject (e.g. pharmacy, nursing etc.), psychology or social science. A Master&rsquo;s degree is desirable, but not essential. Applicants who are uncertain about the requirements for a particular research degree are advised to contact the School or Admissions Team prior to making an application.

Applicants whose first language is not English must provide evidence that their English language is sufficient to meet the specific demands of their study. The Faculty of Medicine and Health minimum requirements in IELTS and TOEFL tests for PhD, MSc, MPhil, MD are: &bull; British Council IELTS - score of 6.5 overall, with no element less than 6.0 &bull; TOEFL iBT - overall score of 92 with the listening and reading element no less than 21, writing element no less than 22 and the speaking element no less than 23.

<p>This opportunity is funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR). The scholarship will attract an annual tax-free stipend of &pound;17,668 for year one, and this will increase each year for up to 3 years subject to satisfactory progress. Academic fees will also be paid at the UK fee rate. Due to limited funding we can only consider applicants for this position who are eligible for UK fee status.</p>

<p>For informal enquiries regarding this project please contact Professor David Alldred:</p> <p>e: <a href="mailto:d.p.alldred@leeds.ac.uk">d.p.alldred@leeds.ac.uk</a></p> <p>For further information about the application process please contact the Admissions team<br /> e:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:fmhpgradmissions@leeds.ac.uk">fmhpgradmissions@leeds.ac.uk</a></p>