PhD Studentship in Depression and Diabetes Multimorbidity in South Asia (PhD2020DiDeM)

The Department of Health Sciences, University of York, is inviting applications for two fully funded PhD studentships, available on a full-time basis to start in October 2020 for 3 years. The successful candidates will be part of the Mental Health and Addiction research group and will be supervised by senior academics from the ‘Diabetes and Depression Multimorbidity (DiaDem)’ research programme. The programme is funded by a NIHR Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation award.

Project details

Proposals should complement the DiaDeM programme, a brief synopsis of which is given below.

Healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries face the rapid growth of mental and physical multimorbidity. People with long-term physical health conditions, such as diabetes, have a 2-3 fold increased risk of depression. Diabetes is rapidly increasing, particularly in South Asia, and depression in type 2 diabetes represents the largest combined mental and non-communicable disease burden. Depression comorbid with diabetes significantly worsens outcomes for both conditions. A joint approach to care is needed using a scalable intervention to recognise and treat depression, integrated with diabetes care. “Behavioural Activation” (BA) is a relatively simple, effective and culturally portable psychological therapy for depression, which can be delivered by non-specialists

The DiaDeM programme

The aim of this 4-year programme is to develop and test a culturally appropriate approach to the recognition and treatment of depression in people with diabetes in Bangladesh and Pakistan, based on BA.

Interviews, literature review, consensus development and co-design will be used to adapt BA for delivery alongside diabetes care in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Decision modelling and value of information analysis will be used to inform the design of a trial of DiaDeM.

A feasibility trial followed by a definitive multi-centre pragmatic randomised controlled trial will be conducted comparing DiaDeM with optimised usual care for people with depression and type 2 diabetes to test clinical and cost-effectiveness. A mixed methods process evaluation will aid understanding of the causal mechanisms, implementation and scale-up. Community and public involvement will be embedded throughout the programme.

We will also build capability in applied multimorbidity research and policymaking through experiential learning, doctoral fellowships, bespoke training and ‘Research-Policy Forums’.

Successful PhD students will have the opportunity, depending on their area of interest, to gain experience in applied health research, including: multimorbidity, intervention development, behaviour change, systematic reviews, qualitative research, economic modelling, community and public involvement and randomised controlled trials. Students will also benefit from being based in a lively and supportive research and learning environment.

Funding

Scholarships are offered on a full-time basis. The studentships provide a tax free stipend per annum in line with RCUK standard rates (£15,285 for 2020/21), plus tuition fees at the UK/EU rate (£4,407), and research expenses of £2,250 over the duration of the PhD.

Essential and desirable requirements

Applicants will need to hold, or expect to gain, at least an upper second class honours (2:1) degree or equivalent. A Masters degree in a health/medical sciences related subjects is highly desirable, or alternatively, research experience in a relevant subject.

Applicants are required to submit a short research proposal (max 500 words) outlining their ideas in an area related to the DiaDeM programme. Applicants will not be considered if a proposal for study is not submitted. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Dr Najma Siddiqi to discuss proposal ideas before applying (contact details under Informal Enquiries below).

For students whose first language is not English there is a minimum requirement of an IELTS score of at least 6.5 in each component of the test and an overall score of at least 7.

Process for Application

Applications should be received no later than 17th April 2020 before 16:00h UTC. Applications will not be considered for the studentship after this date.

Applications should be made using the Department of Health Sciences on-line application process which can be accessed using the following link.
http://www.york.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/courses/apply?course=DRPHSCSHSC3

When completing the electronic form, applicants will need to state that they are applying for the advertised studentship and include ref: PHD2020DiDeM under the ‘How studies will be funded’ section, in order to be considered for the scholarship.

Shortlisting: Shortlisting will take place as soon as possible after the closing date and shortlisted applicants will be notified promptly. Individuals with the strongest academic record, experience, and research proposal ideas will be shortlisted jointly by the University of York and KMU.

Start date: October 2020

Interviews

Individuals with the strongest academic record, experience, and research proposal ideas will be shortlisted and invited to interview in late May/early June 2020. Interviews will be conducted face-to-face or via Skype or similar communication tools, if required.

Informal enquiries

For informal enquiries please contact Dr Najma Siddiqi (najma.siddiqi@york.ac.uk), Chief Investigator for the DiaDeM programme.

Mental Health and Addiction Research Group

The Mental Health and Addiction Research Group (MHARG) is a leading UK centre for large pragmatic trials and related studies. Our work is focused on the care of people with addictions or mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and bipolar illness, as well as on prevention. Studies are designed to inform policy, applying and integrating population, clinical, behavioural, economic and other scientific perspectives. We believe that high quality evidence can and should be used to make a difference to the lives of people affected by these types of problems.

The group is a joint collaborative enterprise between the University of York’s Department of Health Sciences and the Hull York Medical School (HYMS). The key areas of expertise within our group are outlined in key themes, which include mental and physical health multimorbidity.

Department of Health Sciences

The Department of Health Sciences includes over 280 academics, teachers, researchers and support staff engaged in delivering research, professional development, education and training. Our core aim is excellence in research and teaching, while contributing to improving health and healthcare through the application of our research to policy and practice. We are a multidisciplinary department, involving clinicians from a range of health professions including medicine, nursing and midwifery alongside disciplines such as statistics, health economics, health services research, psychology, sociology and epidemiology. In the most recent assessment of research quality in the UK (the 2014 Research Excellence Framework), the Department was ranked equal first nationally for its research environment and all aspects of our research environment was judged to producing research of world-leading quality in terms of vitality and sustainability.

Our research activity is organised around six core themes: mental health and addiction; trials and statistics; public health and society; cancer epidemiology; cardiovascular health; and health services and policy http://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/.

The successful candidate will join a vibrant community of over 200 postgraduate students in our Graduate School, including over 50 PhD students. Our PhD students are embedded in one of our research groups and have the flexibility to tailor their studies to pursue their own research interests, and a bespoke training programme is designed in conjunction with the supervisory team to support the development of essential subject-specific and transferable skills for their future careers.

The University

The University of York is one of the foremost Universities in the UK and a member of the Russell Group of leading UK Universities. It has an outstanding record of research, teaching, and training across a full range of disciplines. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, The University ranked 10th on the impact of our research and 14th overall. The University has a particular strength in health-related research.

The main campus is a 200-acre landscaped park, with colleges and academic buildings within walking distance of each other. Proximity to the historic city of York makes the University a popular choice and provides a pleasant working environment. Transport connections to York are fast and effective.

University of York Graduate Research School