The Section of General Practice, Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen is offering a three-year PhD fellowship in Family Medicine. The PhD fellowship is financed by the Velux foundation.

The fellowship is available from 1 September 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Project description

Institutionalized older persons with neuropsychiatric symptoms are at high risk of confusion, dizziness and falls, and this risk is further increased by the inappropriate use of medication. This study aims to achieve a more appropriate prescription of medication in treating neuropsychiatric symptoms and thereby reduce the risk of falls, hip fractures and hospitalizations.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in frail older persons are common, with up to 90% of older persons with dementia experiencing at least one symptom during the course of the disease. Examples of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia include anxiety, agitation, hallucinations, depression, and apathy. Especially psychotic and behavioral symptoms can be distressing for the patient, his or her relatives and other caretakers, but affective symptoms are also common and burdensome. Psychotropic drugs, such as antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics, hypnotics, anticonvulsants and anti-dementia drugs, as well as analgesics, are often used to treat neuropsychiatric symptoms in frail older persons. However, best practice guidelines primarily recommend non-pharmacological instead of pharmacological treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms, since pharmacological treatment has proven to be ineffective and even harmful in these persons.

The aim of this project is to reduce the use of antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics, hypnotics, anticonvulsants and anti-dementia drugs, as well as analgesics, where benefits do not outweigh harms, in long-term institutionalized older persons aged (72 years or above) with and without dementia through a multifaceted intervention based in general practice. We hypothesize that the number of medications will be reduced in the intervention arm as compared to the control arm, while the change in severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms will be similar in the intervention group compared to the control group.

The project is planned to have three phases:

Phase 1: Development and tailoring of a multifaceted intervention using a literature study and qualitative methods.

Phase 2: A cluster-randomized controlled trial based in general practice

Phase 3: Phase 3: Process evaluation of organizational consequences using qualitative methods

The phD-student will be responsible for phase 1 and 2 and involved in phase 3.

Supervisors

Principal supervisor is Maarten Rozing, Associate Professor in General Medicine, the Section of General Practice, Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen. E-mail: [email protected].

Primary co-supervisors are Anne Holm, Post doc, Ph.D., and Gritt Overbeck, Post doc, Ph.D., the Research Unit for General Practice and the Section of General Practice, Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen

Required qualifications

As an applicant you must have:

• Obtained a Master degree in Medicine or a related area prior to the starting date.
• Fluency in English and excellent communication skills.

Preferred qualifications

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a medical background or subject area related to this project. Previous practical experience within general practice will be considered a strong asset for the candidate. The study is a complex intervention nested in general practice and involves cross sectoral collaboration, it will also be an asset if the candidate is able to establish and maintain professional network throughout the study; be the driving force in day-to-day work on the project and able to navigate securely in a complex intervention. Broad knowledge of (psycho)pharmacotherapy and its adverse effects as well as experience with quantitative and/or qualitative research will be an advantage. Moreover, genuine affinity with the care for older people with neuropsychiatric symptoms will be considered a major asset. A supervisor team will be connected to the PhD project, but the candidate is expected to be able to work independently on the project and contribute with ideas to the project and to the research plan.

Job description

Your key tasks as a PhD fellow at the departments are to:

• Conduct an independent research project under supervision.
• Write scientific articles and the PhD thesis on the grounds of your research project.
• Complete PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding.
• Gain teaching experience and other types of dissemination related to your PhD project.
• Participate in national and international congresses and scientific meetings.
• Stay at an external research institution for a few months, preferably abroad.

Key criteria for the assessment of applicants

• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD program.
• Relevant work experience.
• Previous publications.
• Other professional activities.
• The successful applicant is also required to be enterprising and to possess good interpersonal skills.

Formal requirements

The position is available for a 3-year period for applicants holding a relevant Master’s degree.

The successful applicant will be requested to formally apply for enrolment as a PhD student at the Faculty of Public Health according to the rules stipulated in the Ministerial order on the PhD program at the universities (PhD order) from the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Higher Education and the guidelines for the PhD program at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.

Terms of employment

The position as a PhD fellow is available for a 3-year period. Employment place will be at the department of general practice, University of Copenhagen.

Salary and other terms and conditions of appointment are set in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) or other relevant professional organizations. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary begins around DKK 27,135 (approx. 3,600 EUR) (taxable) plus pension. The position is covered by the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (2013).

Questions

For further information, applicants may contact Principal supervisor Maarten Rozing (see contact details above), or Co-supervisor Gritt Overbeck on + 45 31 66 47 18 or [email protected]

For more information on working and living in Denmark visit http://ism.ku.dk (International staff mobility) and https://www.workindenmark.dk.

Application procedure

The application, in English or Danish, must be submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Your application must include:

• Cover letter: Letter stating the interest in and qualifications for the project (max. one page).
• Full CV.
• Diploma and transcripts of records: Master’s degree diploma (including grade transcripts for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees). Applicants with a Master’s degree from abroad should also enclose a short description of the grading scale used.
• Publication list (if applicable).
• Other information to consider: Possible references and recommendations.

The deadline for applications is 30 June 2019.

Applications received later than this date will not be considered.

Please note that only online applications will be accepted.

The further process

Shortlist: After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorised recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Appointment Committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an expert assessment committee. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the committee and each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself. You can read about the recruitment process at http://employment.ku.dk.

Assessment: The selected applications will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities and the University of Copenhagen’s guidelines 2013. The Assessment Committee makes a non-prioritized assessment of the academic qualifications and experience with respect to the mentioned area of research, techniques, skills and other requirements listed in the advertisement.

Please note that the applicant will be contacted if the assessment committee requires further documentation.

An answer as to the granting of the fellowship can be expected approx. 4 weeks after application deadline.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Kilde: Jobnet.dk