Research Associate, International Observatory on End of Life Care,
Division of Health Research
EURO IMPACT project
Salary: Grade 6
BACKGROUND
The University
Lancaster University was founded in 1964 and in its relatively short life it has established a reputation for innovation in education and quality in research. Examples of the former are the highly flexible undergraduate degree structure and distinctive taught postgraduate programmes. Testimony to the latter is the sustained performance of the University in the Higher Education Funding Council Research Assessment Exercises; in 2008 taking into account the high proportion of staff submitted, the University was placed in the top 10 of UK universities. Lancaster is particularly strong in research in Management, Sociology and Applied Social Sciences, Biomedicine, Art and Design, and Physics (all rated in the top 5 for their disciplines based on the Grade Point Average).
The University has around 8600 FTE of undergraduate and 2200 FTE of postgraduate students and is sited on a pleasant, green, out-of-town campus. It combines a strong regional commitment including involvement with local higher and further education institutions, with an international outlook as witnessed by the number of undergraduate and, increasingly postgraduate exchange programmes. Some 25% of students are non-UK and 21% are mature.
As well as providing accommodation and academic facilities, the campus has eating places, a newsagent, supermarket, bakery, bookshop, Student’s Union, hairdresser, gift shop, travel agent, a Post Office, two banks, an NHS dental surgery, Health Centre and pharmacy. In addition Lancaster city centre is a ten minute journey from campus with excellent travel links.
Located in an area of great natural beauty close to the sea, the English Lake District and the North Yorkshire Moors, Lancaster offers its staff an exceptional quality of life with outstanding schools and easy air access to the world’s major cities.
The School
Officially-launched in August 2008, the School of Health and Medicine (SHM) under the Deanship of Professor Tony Gatrell brings together three existing units: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Health Research and Medicine. The School’s strategy supports a strong commitment to working across disciplinary boundaries with significant opportunities for growth in research and teaching, and providing a clear University focus for collaborations with the NHS and other national and international health agencies.
Health Research
The Division of Health Research was founded in 1996 and conducts studies across a range of health-related issues. It undertakes consultancy and ‘third mission’ activities and offers several programmes of postgraduate study, by taught course and by research. Currently, the Division comprises 14 full-time members of academic staff, together with 16 Research Associates and Post-doctoral Fellows. It has some 30 research students registered for postgraduate study (either full-time or part-time), together with a further 62 students registered full-time for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
Staff and students working in Health Research come from a variety of social science disciplines, including: sociology; human geography; clinical psychology. Substantial research funding has been received in recent years from the Department of Health, from ESRC, and from a variety of charities and other organizations. In addition to the Centre for Organizational Health and Well Being, the Division is host to the International Observatory on End of Life Care and the Spectrum Centre for Evidence-based Mental Health Research. Other research foci include: public health; intellectual disabilities; disability studies; rural health; social studies of health and medicine.
Biomedical and Life Sciences
The Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences currently has 15 members of academic staff whose research interests include neurodegenerative disorders, carcinogenesis, leukaemogenesis, eye disease, biochemical toxicology and molecular parasitology as well as fundamental cellular and physiological processes underlying human disease. There are also links with the Lancaster Environment Centre focussing on the relationship between disease and the environment. Postdoctoral researchers and PhD students complete a lively research atmosphere. Research excellence also underpins the provision of two Masters programmes, an MSc in Biomedicine (taught plus project) and an MSc in Biomedical Sciences (by Research).
Medicine
The Division of Medicine contains the Centre for Medical Education, which is responsible for the delivery of the University of Liverpool’s undergraduate medical programme to an annual intake of 50 students, and CHICAS (Combining Health Information, Computation and Statistics), which provides the focus for statistical and epidemiological research. Academic staff in Medicine also have close research links with colleagues in Health Research and in Biomedical and Life Sciences.
CETAD
Established in 1990, CETAD is a specialist work based learning centre providing part-time accredited courses in a range of subject areas at all levels. They offer: work-based Masters Degrees, Postgraduate Certificates including Medical Leadership and Organisational Change, Management and leadership development, short courses in Professional and Personal Development, programmes for those who support the learning and development of others (trainers, mentors, supervisors, assessors, guidance workers) and programmes for those who work with children and young people.
THE ROLE
We are seeking two dynamic and committed people to join the International Observatory on End of Life Care, in School of Health and Medicine at Lancaster University, to work with the Director, Professor Sheila Payne and other staff members. The two people appointed will take a role in contributing to a consortium which has just been awarded European Commission funding under Marie Curie Actions of Framework Programme 7. The consortium will be developing an Initial Training Network (EURO IMPACT) within palliative care which will enable early stage researchers to improve their research skills, join established research teams and enhance their career prospects. The EURO IMPACT training network consists of 6 European universities and aims to develop a multi-disciplinary, multi-professional and intersectorial education and research training network which will improve palliative care in Europe. EURO IMPACT will be launched on the 1st December 2010 and will run for four years.
Applications are invited from enthusiastic individuals with excellent research skills and who have the drive and innovation to be able to undertake a PhD in palliative and end of life care.
Candidates should have a Master’s degree in health or social science. Some experience of palliative and end of life care settings would be desirable. The candidate should also have some knowledge of research methods, be comfortable liaising with staff across disciplines and be prepared to undertake some travel across Europe. There are eligibility criteria based on country of residence prior to taking up the appointment.
The post is available for 3 years from 1st April 2011
Informal enquiries to Professor Sheila Payne, Director, International Observatory on End of Life Care (+44 (0) 1524 593701) or Dr Sarah Brearley, Lecturer, (+44 (0) 1524 592574).
Closing date: 7th January, 2011
International Observatory on End of Life Care
The aim of the International Observatory on End of Life Care is to undertake high quality research, clinical studies, evaluation, education, advocacy and consultancy to improve palliative and end of life care for patients and family carers. The Observatory works closely with the local health and social care community in the North West, as well as nationally and internationally. We offer a range of methodological and theoretical expertise drawn from clinical and social science perspectives. Our aims are to improve palliative and end of life care for patients and carers, and they include:
· to provide research-based evidence on end of life care provision - locally, nationally and internationally - through primary research studies and reviews;
· to disseminate results in order to make a practical and academic impact;
· to provide appropriate programmes of education and training, as well as consultancy services;
· to work in partnership with key organisations and individuals as a ‘community of effort’ for the global improvement of end of life care.
Our research focuses upon the following areas:
· Clinical studies, particularly on the management of pain and other symptoms;
· Understanding the needs of family and carers and planning interventions to support them ;
· Addressing the needs older people including those with dementia and improving the provision of end of care in residential and nursing homes;
· Public education and awareness of end of life issues;
· Research across the lifespan in chronic illness and end of life care, from childhood to old age.
Established in 2003, the International Observatory on End of Life Care is now a globally recognised centre of excellence for research in palliative and end of life care. Since the early days the range of work undertaken at the Observatory has expanded dramatically and the numbers of staff, students, honorary members and associates have increased commensurately. We currently have 14 staff and 27 postgraduate research students undertaking PhDs listed on our website.
EURO IMPACT
EURO IMPACT aims to develop a multi-disciplinary, multi-professional and intersectorial educational and research training framework in Europe, aimed at monitoring and improving the quality of palliative care in Europe. The consortium of EURO IMPACT involves 10 partners from 6 European countries, representing a number of disciplines and professions, and will train 12 early stage researchers in scientific and complementary skills. The End-of-Life Care Research Group of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Brussels, Belgium, directed by Prof. dr. Luc Deliens, coordinates the project.
General Job Description • conducting research in the field of palliative and end-of-life care in a European context • writing papers for peer reviewed journals • making a doctoral dissertation • working with existing databases and/or within existing European research projects • collaborating with other researchers across Europe •
Condition of mobility • Researchers should be prepared to be based in another country than the country of residence and to travel across Europe •
General Job Profile and required Skills • MSc or MA in psychology, sociology, health sciences, medicine, nursing, anthropology, philosophy, epidemiology or other related discipline or an equivalent degree which formally entitles someone to embark on a doctorate • less than 4 years of full-time research experience • fluent in written and oral English • team player • able to work independently • basic computer skills • research knowledge and skills • commitment to palliative care •
What we offer • full time research position for 3 years in Belgium, the Netherlands, UK (London), UK (Lancaster), Norway or Italy, starting in 2011 • a research training programme (on-the-job training, structured training courses, networkwide training) provided by institutes at the forefront of palliative care research, focusing on scientific and complementary skills training such as societal dissemination to a wider international audience • monthly living and mobility allowances (salary with full social security coverage, and an additional €500/month), annual travel allowances, €2000 career exploratory allowance, training and research budget •
There are two topic areas for research:
Describing palliative care provision in Europe
Work site: Lancaster University, International Observatory on End-of-Life Care, Lancaster, UK (and expected to travel to the VU University Medical Center and EMGO Institute in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, for 6 months)
Research project: Aim is to provide a comprehensive description of the structure of palliative care in Europe in terms of epidemiological and demographical characteristics, socio-economical and cultural aspects, relevant legislation and regulations, organisation and accessibility of care, and descriptions of specialist multi-disciplinary and generalist community palliative care services. The researcher will be responsible for collecting necessary data from different databases that have been gathered across Europe and from other researchers in the project, and for collating all materials in reports/publications on palliative care in Europe.
Evaluating palliative sedation at the end of life
Work site: Lancaster University, International Observatory on End-of-Life Care, Lancaster, UK (and expected to travel to the End-of-Life Care Research Group in Brussels, Belgium, for 6 months)
Research project: Aim is to evaluate the practice of palliative sedation until death, also called terminal sedation when food and fluid are forgone, in different European countries. Recent studies have shown that the prevalence of this end-of-life decision has grown substantially in the past decades, in contrast to the empirical information about it. Research into how, why, where and by whom it is practiced is high on the agenda of palliative care research. The researcher will use several retrospective and prospective quantitative and qualitative data sets that have been or are being gathered across Europe eg. questionnaires from and interviews with physicians and nurses, studies in the nursing home setting.
Recruitment information and employment details
The deadline for applications is 7th January, 2011.
Interviews are planned to be held on 28th January 2011 and short-listed candidates should be available to attend on this date, via videoconference or in person.
Candidates should include detailed research profiles and full curriculum vitae. Candidates are also asked to provide letters of reference from current and past employers or Master’s supervisors. You may reserve the right not to supply references ahead of short listing, if you wish, by indicating your decision on the University application form. You should state clearly when you would prefer to commence employment.