OVERVIEW
Dunhill Medical Trust: Medicines in an ageing society – an interdisciplinary research programme (MED-AGE) This studentship covers tuition fees, stipend, research costs and conference attendance. Please note that this is a competitive award – there are 5 advertised projects for 1 studentship award. This project is part of a doctoral training programme (MED-AGE) supported by the Dunhill Medical Trust. The interdisciplinary research conducted under this programme will further understanding of the importance of medicines in the lives of older people. The successful candidate will be a member of the cohort of Dunhill students funded under this programme and will be exposed to outstanding training and development opportunities. The use of medications by older adults is acknowledged to be the most common form of medical intervention for many acute and chronic conditions and prescribing amongst the older population (those aged 65 years and over) continues to increase due to increasing multimorbidity. Older adults have been reported to be the largest consumers of non-prescription medications. However, most recent research on medication burden in older adults focuses on prescribed medications; less is known about current non-prescription medication use among older adults. This interdisciplinary project will use a mixed methods approach to generate current evidence in this area: to establish the extent of non-prescription medication use amongst older adults, explore motivations for and consequences of using these medications, and develop strategies to improve data sources on non-prescription medication use for healthcare professionals. The successful candidate will develop skills in both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, which are widely used in health services research.
A personalised training programme will be developed for the successful candidate based on their needs and those of the project. The successful candidate will receive training in relevant quantitative and qualitative methodologies and other generic research skills, such as delivering presentations, scientific writing/writing for publication, and time management. In addition, the successful candidate will also be able to avail of a cohort training programme for Dunhill students to develop and nurture their interest in ageing research. This will include regular meetings with other cohort members to present their work and discuss key literature. The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to spend time at a leading centre for social gerontology in the United States and attend the ICAT Summer School to receive training in core research methods, dissemination, scientific writing and patient and public involvement.
This project will provide a clearer and more up-to-date understanding of the use of non-prescription medications by older adults and will seek to develop novel solutions to improve collection of data about use of these medications. Findings from this work will be used to optimise medicines use for older adults, to positively impact patient outcomes and quality of life.
Funding Information
Dunhill Medical Trust: Medicines in an ageing society – an interdisciplinary research programme (MED-AGE)
Postgraduate Research applicants must have applied to Queen’s, via the Direct Applications Portal.
https://dap.qub.ac.uk/portal/user/u_login.php
Applicants must include a personal statement (1 page max) in which they should describe their interest, experience, and commitment to ageing research. You should attach this when prompted to upload a proposal.
The successful ROI/UK/EU Settlement Scheme citizen candidate, will receive a fully-funded scholarship, which covers all university tuition fees, an annual stipend for 3 years, research costs, and budget to attend conferences and training for further development
COURSE CONTENT
Research Information
Associated Research
School of Pharmacy works closely with both local and global pharmaceutical companies. This ensures a successful pipeline for the development of novel emerging healthcare technologies, designed specifically to deliver patient benefit.
Research Themes
NANOMEDICINE AND BIOTHERAPEUTICS
Research in this theme is focused on the development of novel technologies and targeted therapies for advanced healthcare solutions. Activities are concentrated on the development of unique genetic therapies and delivery systems that can be applied for the detection and treatment of various disease condition, design and commercial translation of novel nanomedicines with a focus on cancer treatment, the detection, characterisation and inhibition of proteases implicated in chronic diseases, the isolation and characterisation of bioactive peptides for potential therapeutic use and computational biology for drug design and molecular modelling.
ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
Graduate
The minimum academic requirement for admission to a research degree programme is normally an Upper Second Class Honours degree from a UK or ROI HE provider, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University.
International Students
For information on international qualification equivalents, please check the specific information for your country.
English Language Requirements
HOW TO APPLY
Apply using our online Postgraduate Applications Portal and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply.
Find a supervisor
If you’re interested in a particular project, we suggest you contact the relevant academic before you apply, to introduce yourself and ask questions.
To find a potential supervisor aligned with your area of interest, or if you are unsure of who to contact, look through the staff profiles linked here.
You might be asked to provide a short outline of your proposal to help us identify potential supervisors.
