Download NUFFIELD DEPARTMENT OF CLINICAL MEDICINE/TROPICAL

NUFFIELD DEPARTMENT OF
CLINICAL MEDICINE/TROPICAL MEDICINE
Job Description
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Job Title:
Oak Foundation Scientific Leadership Fellow
Salary Grade:
University Grade 9 : £42,351-£49,096 per annum
Location:
Thailand or Kenya
Responsible to:
Director of the Overseas Unit
Tenure:
Three year fixed term contract
Background
The Nuffield Department of Medicine (NDM) is a large multi-disciplinary Department that links
high quality basic biological science with medical application, led by Professor Peter Ratcliffe
FRS. Its current annual research and research support expenditure is over £100m. In addition
to its Oxford base, the Department support a number of researchers based at major overseas
programmes in tropical medicine, with research units in Thailand, Vietnam and Kenya
supporting activities at numerous sites in SE Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa
(www.tropicalmedicine.ox.ac.uk).
Thailand
The Mahidol Oxford Clinical Research Unit (MORU) conducts research on tropical infectious
diseases affecting populations in the rural tropics. Drug-resistant pathogens commonly evolve in
the region and spread across the world so our research is of vital significance to populations
worldwide as well as the local region. Our research efforts are focussed on the following public
health problems: malaria, melioidosis, leptospirosis, cryptococcal meningitis, pneumococcal
disease, enteric fever, rickettsial diseases, beriberi, diagnosis of unexplained fever and
septicaemia, and counterfeit anti-infective drugs.
MORU has its logistic and laboratory base in Bangkok and operates in Ubon Ratchathani, Udon
Thani (both in rural areas), Mae Sot (on the NW border with Myanmar), Vientiane in the Lao
PDR, and Siem Reap in Cambodia.
Kenya
The KEMRI Oxford Wellcome Trust Collaborative Research Programme is internationally
recognised for its research on the major causes of morbidity and mortality in Africa. Our facilities
include state of the art immunology and molecular biology laboratories and a BSL3 containment
suite for pathogen studies. We also run a large Clinical Trials Centre and Demographic
Surveillance Unit.
The Programme is based at the KEMRI centre in the Kilifi District north of Mombasa and
supports a wide-ranging programme of health research throughout Kenya and the East African
region. The Programme has an expanding collaboration with a number of regional centres,
including the development of a programme of laboratory research at Muhimbili University of
Health Sciences in Dar es Salaam.
Scientific Fields offered
Pharmacology & Tropical Medicine
Clinical Pharmacology underpins rational drug use yet it has been under-funded in the field of tropical
medicine. The Leadership Fellow in Pharmacology & Tropical Medicine will conduct research on
pharmacology of existing and new anti-infective drugs. Most treatment regimens for these diseases have
been developed based on studies in Western countries in non-pregnant adults. A large proportion of
preventable death from infectious diseases is in childhood. Pregnant women often have significantly
different drug concentration profiles to other adults. There is also considerable variation between
populations in drug metabolism. Put simply, some of the currently recommended drug regimens could be
wrong, providing too little or too much drug.
The Leadership Fellow will also conduct research on the quality of these drugs in the market place.
Counterfeit, substandard or deteriorated drugs are extremely common in tropical areas and are a major
threat to health. There are no published data that allow an objective estimate of the quality of the drug
supply in any country. Poor quality drugs have far reaching consequences for society, resulting in
increased mortality and sickness, loss of confidence in efficacious medicines and health facilities, and
more rapid emergence and spread of resistance.
Medical Informatics
One of the most exciting unexploited opportunities in international health is the application of novel
information technology to clinical decision making and medical research. Medical Informatics and
Decision Support (MIDS) uses clinical information in real time to provide a health worker with suggested
diagnoses and treatment strategies, a process that can improve decision making and reduce errors. It is
an area that offers potentially huge advantages in the world’s poorest countries because a relatively small
number of diseases cause the majority of sickness and mortality and the majority of cases are treated by
non-specialist health workers in remote rural settings. As many low-income countries (including Kenya)
have extremely high coverage with mobile phones and are already embarking on the provision of national
fibre-optic networks to be linked to international networks there are already opportunities for exploiting
this infrastructure to improve health.
A Leadership Fellow in MIDS will drive the development of a multidisciplinary research programme to
develop new approaches to using modern IT technology to deliver better health care in low-income
settings.
Tropical Environmental Health
Public health in developing countries today is characterized by high childhood mortality rates and a
dominance of infectious diseases. Experience from Europe and the USA at the end of the 19th Century,
before the era of effective antibiotics and vaccines, suggests broad health gains are possible by focusing
on clean water, food hygiene and improved air quality and housing. Present day medicine is focused on
high-tech diagnostics and high-cost curative solutions most of which require a complexity of hospital care
that simply does not exist in most developing countries. Tropical health research on the evaluation of
things that we all take for granted – water, air, food, shelter – has great potential to improve health in the
next 40 years.
Initial research results from Asia are promising, but environmental health research is rare in the tropics
today. The field needs a leader to research and publish environmental interventions that deliver an
effective way to reduce disease and death in the world’s poorest countries.
The Role
The Leadership Fellow will pursue an independent research programme in one of the fields
above, which complements existing strengths at the Units. He/She will work towards building a
thriving research team to deliver the research objectives. The post holder will directly support
the relevant Unit Head / Director with scientific management, and will influence strategic policy
setting within the overall framework of the relevant Units remit.
Responsibilities and duties of the post-holder
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To execute and evaluate new and existing research projects that will have relevance
within the Department’s research framework, and to build and lead an independent team
to achieve this.
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To maintain, employ and implement (i) a thorough knowledge of an area of expertise
relevant to the overseas programme and (ii) an awareness of the latest technology
pertinent in the field.
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To collaborate with other scientists to achieve the above. This will include fostering
appropriate clinical links.
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To prepare the results of the group’s work for presentation as publications in
international journals and at national and international conferences, representing the
overseas programme locally, nationally and internationally. This is viewed as a key
performance indicator by the Department.
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To submit applications and obtain grant funding for posts in the group either
independently or in collaboration. This is viewed as a key performance indicator by the
Department.
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To provide effective people management by motivating, supervising and communicating
with all members of the team. To include overall responsibility for laboratory
management and compliance with good laboratory practice. On occasion mentoring
more junior staff.
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In the first instance to act as co-Supervisor of a new student working within the new
research group. In the future, to act as the primary supervisor for doctoral students
ensuring intellectual stimulus and access to resources necessary for a successful period
of study in the Department. In addition, to identify and help win external sources of
funding for doctoral students in the Department.
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To adhere to the values of the Department and University policies and practices,
ensuring that all members of the team are fully aware of them and abide by them.
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To interact and collaborate with University technology transfer agents, ISIS and
commercial partners with regard to any discoveries that may be potentially exploitable.
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To participate in internal seminars and training courses run by the overseas programme.
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To be responsible for ensuring compliance, within the team, with departmental,
University and national regulations on safety and ethics that are relevant to the research
programme.
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To be responsible to the relevant Unit Head / Director and Head of Department with
respect to safety policy, rules and regulations, returns required by external organisations
and disciplinary matters.
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To undertake such administrative and managerial duties as could be reasonably
expected of a Leadership Fellow, as delegated by the relevant Unit Head / Director and
Head of Department.
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To participate in and assist with the wider activities of the Department and University,
such as fundraising, PR, regional capacity building, etc.
Summary of Appointment Details:
Leadership Fellows are expected to take a senior role in the Department through running an
effective, productive research group, supervising post graduate research workers and
mentoring graduate students. Key performance indicators for this position are the publication of
research discoveries in world class peer reviewed journals, presentation of work at national and
international conferences and the application for and award of external funding to augment the
research programme.
Leadership Fellows are independent investigators who build competitive research teams to
establish their scientific career.
Essential Criteria
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A PhD in a relevant field or equivalent experience at a high academic level;
A strong publication record in a relevant field;
Strong diplomatic skills and the ability to work with scientists from a range of cultural
backgrounds;
Experience of conducting collaborative research with external groups;
Strong writing skills and the ability to write a compelling case for funding;
The ability to lead a programme activity.
Desirable Criteria
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Experience of supervising graduate students and/or junior research staff;
Experience of working in a developing country;
A track record of contributing to successful grant applications.
Application Process
Completed applications should be sent to the Senior Personnel and Finance Officer,
CCVTM, Churchill Hospital, Old Road, Oxford OX3 7LJ or e-mail to
[email protected] Please quote the reference HB-09-054-CM.The
closing date for applications is Friday 10 July.