UCL 4 Year Phd Studentships in Cardiovascular Biomedicine

UCL 4 Year PhD Studentships in Cardiovascular Biomedicine

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the world. UCL pursues a multidisciplinary approach to elucidating the causes and treatment of CVD. UniversityCollegeLondon is a world class centre of excellence in cardiovascular epidemiology and public health, as well as in pioneering novel, integrative strategies in preventative and therapeutic cardiovascular medicine. Over 400 cardiovascular epidemiologists, scientists and cardiologists cover basic and clinical sciences with a view to improving our knowledge base and improving prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Training the next generation of cardiovascular researchers is a high priority for us, and with generous funding from the British Heart Foundation we are able to offer a four year PhD programme for first rate students. Project areas cover the entirety of research in this area, from public health and epidemiology to molecules and development. One PhD studentship will be held in the Research Department of Epidemiology and Public Health. /

The programme

The first year will provide post-graduate level tuition in relevant epidemiology, statistics, basic biology (term one) & other life sciences, students attending relevant lectures on the Social Epidemiology MSc in the Department of Epidemiology & Public Health and the M.Res. course run at UCL’s Institute of Child Health. In addition, students will choose from a wide array of advanced courses available at UCL to further underpin their skills in areas of their interest (from public health and statistics to imaging and stem cells). They will visit a number of research groups, departments and laboratories at UCL to obtain an overview of research activity. A major aim of year one is to enable students to make the most informed choice of PhD project, while developing a broad knowledge of cardiovascular biomedicine. Students will undertake two rotation projects with different research groups, selected from a portfolio students will receive early in term 1. These will provide practical skills training. During the first two terms students will meet several prospective PhD supervisors and chose a project for the PhD, which will commence in the summer term.Projects will cover the entire range of activity across the UCL campus and applicants are advised to use our web presence to familiarize themselves with our research: and with links therein.

Progress through year 1 will be monitored by a log of activity. In year 2 students initially register for M.Phil. and progress to PhD following standard UCL upgrade procedure involving a presentation, written report and oral examination. During their PhD students are strongly encouraged to present their work at international meetings and funds will be made available specifically for this purpose.

The research

UCL is ranked fourth in the Times Higher world rankings. A profile of research conducted by prospective supervisors is provided below; titles of potential projects are listed, but new projects regularly come onstream. Students interested might also find it informative to scan websites of UCL’s biomedical departments, divisions and postgraduate institutes to familiarise themselves with the full range of research activities being undertaken.

The Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at UCL has 160 Research staff, plus over 50 PhD students. Research students are well-provided for, with regular peer-led educational meetings and multi-disciplinary supervisory panels complementing formal attachment to one of 13 research groups.

We would be willing, and indeed encourage, students to develop projects along side a supervisor during the first year.

Examples of the 2009-2010 rotation projects are available here.

Applications

Eligibility

It is very important that you read this section carefully to ensure that you meet all the criteria.
Applicants should hold, or expect to receive, a first class or a good upper second class Honours degree from a good university. Shortlisting will take into account any relevant project/work experience to-date and A-level/extension paper/baccalaureate results. Excellent spoken and written English is expected. Competition for the course is intense, and it may not be possible to acknowledge all applications.

Residency requirements

Candidates must be a national of the EEA (European Economic Area) OR, at the discretion of the course organisers:

Candidates for UK based personal awards (e.g. fellowships and PhD studentships) should normally be a national of the EEA (European Economic Area) with relevant connection to the EEA. Relevant connection would be established if an individual has (i) been ordinarily resident in the EEA, and (ii) has an appropriate degree from a university in the EEA, or has worked in a university, hospital or research institution in the EEA for at least the past three years, or did so before taking up an appointment outside the EEA.
Candidates who are not EEA nationals may be eligible to apply if the individual has worked in a university (providing it is not for the sole purpose of full-time education), hospital or research institution in the UK for at least three years, prior to the date of application.

Stipend

The stipend will be at BHF rates, currently £20,191 in the first year.

Application process

Your application must include:

A covering letter
CV
The names and addresses of two referees
The name of the university at which you studied and the degree title and pass level you achieved or expect to achieve. Documentary evidence of progress would be an advantage (For overseas universities independent explanations of GPAs or other scoring systems should be provided where available).

and should be sent by email to

Closing Date:
The deadline is:5pm 20 December 2010
Enquiries to Dr. Jennifer Mindell:

British Heart Foundation PhD programmes

Below is a list of prospective supervisors in the Research Department of Epidemiology & Public Health and potential projects for the British Heart Foundation PhD programme:

Professor Martin Bobak / Dr Hynek Pikhart

Prof Harry Hemingway

Prof Aroon Hingorani

Dr Jennifer Mindell

Dr Nicola Jane Shelton

Dr E Stamatakis

Prof Andrew Steptoe

Professor Martin Bobak / Dr Hynek Pikhart

UCL Department: Epidemiology and Public Health (Division of Population Health)
Email: /
Tel: 020 31083021 / 020 76791906
Fax: 020 78130280 / 020 78130280

Research interests:

Health inequalities, Ageing, Health behaviours and CVD, Social and psychosocial inequalities in health, Central and Eastern Europe.

Prospective PhD project:

Nutrition and CVD risk in prospective cohort study in transitional societies

The HAPIEE (Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors in Eastern Europe) study (about 35000 participants aged 45-69 at baseline) has been set up to investigate the effect of classical and non-conventional risk factors for CHD and other non- communicable diseases in several countries of CEE and FSU. Extensive data have been collected using questionnaires, examination and blood samples. In this project, student should focus on the role of dietary data in the high rates of heart disease and diet-related risk factors in Russia, Poland, and the CzechRepublic.

Five relevant publications:

Peasey A, Bobak M, Kubinova R, Malyutina S, Pajak A, Tamosiunas A, Pikhart H, Nicholson A, Marmot M. Determinants of cardiovascular disease and other non-communicable diseases in Central and Eastern Europe: rationale and design of the HAPIEE study. BMC Public Health. 2006 Oct 18;6:255.

Prof Harry Hemingway

Title: Professor of Clinical Epidemiology
UCL Department: Epidemiology and Public Health
Email:
Tel: 020 7679 1691
Fax: 020 7813 0242

Research interests:

Large scale study of the aetiology and prognosis of specific chronic and acute coronary syndromes.

Prospective PhD project:

Genomic approaches to evaluate aetiologic and prognostic biomarkers for stable angina pectoris in large scale studies, distinguishing three properties: causal relevance (i.e. unconfounded associations, with mendelian randomisation approaches), risk prediction / discrimination and response to environmental stimuli (including treatments).

Five relevant publications:

Hemingway H, Crook AM, Feder G, Banerjee S, Dawson JR, Magee P et al. Underuse of coronary revascularization procedures in patients considered appropriate candidates for revascularization. N Engl J Med 2001;344:645-54.

Hemingway H, Shipley M, Britton A, Page M, Macfarlane P, Marmot M.
Prognosis of angina with and without a diagnosis: 11 year follow up in the Whitehall II prospective cohort study. BMJ 2003; 327: 895.

Hemingway H, McCallum A, Shipley M, Manderbacka K, Martikainen P, Keskimäki I. Incidence and Prognostic Implications of Stable Angina Pectoris Among Women and Men in a Large Ambulatory Population; JAMA 2006; 295:1404-1411.

Hemingway H, Chen R, Junghans C, Timmis A, Eldridge S, Black N, Shekelle P, Feder G. Appropriateness criteria for coronary angiography in angina: reliability and validity Ann Intern Med 2008 149(4):221-31.

Hemingway H, Langenberg C, Damant J, Frost C, Pyörälä K, Barrett-Connor E. Prevalence of angina in women versus men: a systematic review and meta-analysis of international variations across 31 countries. Circulation. 2008;117(12):1526-36.

Group web page links:

Prof Aroon Hingorani

Title: Professor of Genetic Epidemiology
UCL Department: Epidemiology and Public Health
Email
Tel: 020 3108 3080

Fax: 020 7813 0242

Research interests:

Genetic basis of common (complex diseases).
Applications of complex disease genetics for disease prediction, causal analysis (using mendelian randomisation) and drug responsiveness (pharmacogenetics)

Prospective PhD project:

Can genetic studies in populations be used as a source of randomised evidence for validation of new drug targets?

Five relevant publications:

Shah T, Casas JP, Cooper JA, Tzoulaki I, Sofat R, McCormack V, Smeeth L, Deanfield JE, Lowe GD, Rumley A, Fowkes FG, Humphries SE, Hingorani AD. Critical appraisal of CRP measurement for the prediction of coronary heart disease events: new data and systematic review of 31 prospective cohorts. Int J Epidemiol. 2008 Oct 17. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 18930961 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Verzilli C, Shah T, Casas JP, Chapman J, Sandhu M, Debenham SL, Boekholdt MS, Khaw KT, Wareham NJ, Judson R, Benjamin EJ, Kathiresan S, Larson MG, Rong J, Sofat R, Humphries SE, Smeeth L, Cavalleri G, Whittaker JC, Hingorani AD. Bayesian meta-analysis of genetic association studies with different sets of markers. Am J Hum Genet. 2008 Apr;82(4):859-72. PMID: 18394581 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Bellamy L, Casas JP, Hingorani AD, Williams DJ. Pre-eclampsia and risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer in later life: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2007 Nov 10;335(7627):974. Epub 2007 Nov 1. Review. PMID: 17975258 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Bautista LE, Smeeth L, Hingorani AD, Casas JP. Estimation of bias in nongenetic observational studies using "mendelian triangulation". Ann Epidemiol. 2006 Sep;16(9):675-80. Epub 2006 Apr 18. PMID: 16621596 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Casas JP, Bautista LE, Smeeth L, Sharma P, Hingorani AD. Homocysteine and stroke: evidence on a causal link from mendelian randomisation. Lancet. 2005 Jan 15-21;365(9455):224-32. PMID: 15652605 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Lab web page links: Genetic epidemiology web page is under construction

Dr Jennifer Mindell

Title: Clinical senior lecturer
UCL Department: Epidemiology & Public Health
Email:
Tel: 020 7679 1269
Fax: 020 7813 0242

Research interests:

Current research: health examination surveys, particularly linkage to outcome data (mortality, hospital use, cancer registration).

Other interests: Health Impact Assessment; policies that affect determinants of health and inequalities, eg transport , tobacco control.

Prospective PhD project:

The impact of reporting blood pressure to participants &/or GPs, using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and Health Survey for England data.

The effect of passive smoking (using objective biomarker - cotinine levels) on heart attack and stroke deaths and hospitalization.

Five relevant publications:

Stamatakis E, Zaninotto P, Falaschetti E, Mindell J, Head J. Time trends in childhood and adolescent obesity in England from 1995 to 2007 and projections of prevalence to 2015. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2010;64:167-74.

Ferie JE, Singh-Manoux A, Kivimäki M, Mindell J, Breeze E, Davey Smith G, Shipley MJ. Cardiovascular risk factors as predictors of 40-year mortality in women and men.Heart. 2009;95:1250-7

Jarvis MJ, Fidler J, Mindell J, Feyerabend M, West R. Assessing smoking status in children, adolescents and adults: cotinine cutpoints revisited. Addiction. 2008;103:1553-61.

Zaninotto P, Mindell J, Hirani V. Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among ethnic groups: results from the Health Surveys for England. Atherosclerosis. 2007;195:e48-e57.

Joffe M, Mindell J. Complex causal process diagrams for analyzing the health impacts of policy interventions. Am J Public Health. 2006;96:473-9.

Web page links:
Department:
Research group:
Health Survey for England:
Personal web page:

Total cholesterol levels in men in 1998, 2003, and 2006 by cardiovascular risk group

Dr Nicola Jane Shelton

Title: Senior Lecturer
UCL Department: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health
Email:
Tel: 02076795648
Fax: 020 7813 0280

Research interests:

Health geography, public health and epidemiology, inequalities and their determinants. temporo-spatial factors in disease prevalence

Prospective PhD project:

Changes over time in the regional risk factors for CVD in England and Scotland: comparing the relative influence of risk factors over time, and taking into account changes within and between socio-economic groups as and the changing proportions of the population within these groups.

Five relevant publications:

Craig, R and Shelton N. (2008) Eds The Health Survey for England 2007London: TSO

Stafford, M., Duke-Williams,O., Shelton,N. (2008). Area inequalities in health: are we underestimating them? Social Science and Medicine 67, 891-899. ISSN: 0277-9536

Shelton, N., Birkin, M. Dorling, D. (2007) ‘Where not to live: geographic inequalities in mortality in Britain, 1981-2000’ Health and Place 12(4): 557-569

Shelton, N. (2006) ‘Conclusion: Infant mortality a continuing social problem’ Chapter 13 in Garrett, E. Galley, C. Shelton, N. and Woods, R. (eds.) Infant mortality a continuing social problem?Aldershot: Ashgate

Bromley, C. Sproston, K. Shelton, N. (eds) (2005) The Scottish Health Survey 2003Edinburgh: Scottish Executive

Lab web page links:

Department:
Research group:
Health Survey for England:
Personal web page:

Dr E Stamatakis

Title:Senior Research Associate / National Institute for Health Research Fellow, UCL
UCL Department: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health
Email:
Tel: 0207 679 1721
Fax: 0207 813 0280

Research interests:

Epidemiology and health effects of physical activity/sedentary behaviour, cardiovascular disease, childhood obesity, health behaviours, health inequalities.

Prospective PhD project:

The epidemiology and health effects of physical activity and sedentary behaviour: cardiovascular mortality, morbidity, and biomarkers.

Five relevant publications:

Stamatakis E, Hirani V, Rennie K. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary behaviours in relation to multiple adiposity indices. British Journal of Nutrition 2009; 101:765-773.

Stamatakis E, Hillsdon M, Mishra G, Hamer M, Marmot M. Television viewing and other screen-based entertainment in relation to multiple socioeconomic status indicators and area deprivation: The Scottish Health Survey 2003. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. (In Press).

Stamatakis E, Hamer M, Lawlor DA. Physical activity, mortality and cardiovascular disease: Is domestic physical activity beneficial? The Scottish Health Survey 1995, 1998 and 2003. American Journal of Epidemiology 2009. 169: 1191-1200

Hamer M, Stamatakis E. Physical activity and risk of CVD Events: inflammatory and metabolic mechanisms. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 2009; 41:1206-1211

Stamatakis E, Hamer M, Primatesta P. Cardiovascular medication, physical activity and mortality: cross-sectional population study with ongoing mortality follow up. Heart 2009; 95: 448-453.

Lab web page links:

Department:
Research group:
Personal web page: /

Prof Andrew Steptoe

Title: British Heart Foundation Professor of Psychology
UCL Department: Epidemiology and Public Health
Email:
Tel: 0207 679 1804
Fax: 0207 916 8542

Research interests:

Studies of the biological pathways linking psychosocial risk factors with cardiovascular disease. Emotional responses and quality of life in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Stress and inflammatory and vascular responses

Prospective PhD project:

Study of the impact of psychological stress on vascular inflammatory processes relevant to coronary heart disease and diabetes. This will involve psychophysiological testing of healthy volunteers and patients with coronary heart disease, measuring cytokine and chemokine responses, and gene expression of inflammatory markers. The project will suit students with a background in biological psychology or human physiology.

Five relevant publications:

Brydon L, Wright CE, O’Donnell K, Zachary I, Wardle J, Steptoe A. (2008). Stress-induced cytokine responses and central adiposity in young women. Int J Obesity, 32, 443-450.

Ellins E, Halcox J, Donald A, Field B, Brydon L, Deanfield J, Steptoe A. (2008). Arterial stiffness and inflammatory response to psychophysiological stress. Brain Behav Immun, 22, 941-8.

Steptoe A, Shamaei-Tousi A, Gylfe Å, Henderson B, Bergström S, Marmot M. (2007). Socioeconomic status, pathogen burden, and cardiovascular disease risk. Heart, 93, 1567-70.

Steptoe A, Brydon L. (2009). Emotional triggering of cardiac events.Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 33. 63-70.

Strike PC, Magid K, Whitehead DL, Brydon L, Bhattacharyya M, Steptoe A. (2006). Psychophysiological processes underlying emotional triggering of acute coronary syndromes. PNAS, 103, 4322-4327.

Lab web page links:

For information about prospective supervisors in other departments and potential projects for the British Heart Foundation PhD programme, visit