PhD Studentship (3 years)
Reference
PhDAK070416
Closing Date
20 May 2016
Department
Academic Orthopaedics, Trauma and Sports Medicine
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences – Academic Orthopaedics, Trauma and
Sports Medicine
PhD Studentship (3 years)
The Evidence for Effective Care in the Treatment of Hand Fractures
Supervisors: Dr Alexia Karantana, Clinical Associate Professor in Hand Surgery; Prof
Lelia Duley, Director of the Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit.
Funded by: University of Nottingham
Project will be based in: The Centre for Evidence Based Hand Surgery (CEBHS),
Academic Orthopaedics, Trauma and Sports Medicine, School of Medicine, University of
Nottingham
Project details:
Hand fractures are the most common fractures in the body; they affect all ages and have
a significant impact on patients and health care resources. Despite this, there is no
consensus on the optimal treatment of many common hand fractures. The diversity of
hand injuries treated by different treatment modalities, as well the lack of consistency in
outcome reporting and methodological standards make existing evidence difficult to
interpret and apply to clinical practice. High level evidence on the treatment of common
hand fractures is often lacking.
To produce impactful research on a topic, one must first be fully aware of the existing
evidence, understand its strengths and limitations, identify areas with little or no
research, as well those where enough research has already been done. The objectives
of this work will be: to highlight and understand current uncertainties in the treatment
of hand fractures; bring together and evaluate existing evidence for hand fracture
treatments to enhance the use of evidence in clinical decision making and to help plan
future research.
The project will involve the development and validation of a database of randomised
controlled trials of the treatment of hand fractures, trial epidemiology work, conducting
systematic reviews and investigating outcome measures in clinical trials of common hand
fractures.
This project should give the successful applicant the opportunity to learn skills in:
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Systematic searching of a range of bibliographic databases and other sources
Developing and validating an evidence database for open use
Design of randomised controlled trials
Designing and conducting systematic reviews of randomised trials
Priority setting for research
Patient and public involvement in research
Qualitative work
As this project will involve mixed methods the successful candidate could come from a
wide variety of backgrounds. They should be enthusiastic about the topic, resilient, selfmotivated and a team player who is willing to work hard.
The studentship is for 3 years and would start in April 2017 or later. The studentship will
include the payment of tuition fees at the Home/EU rate and a tax free stipend of
£14,000 per annum for the duration. International students are welcome, but they
would have to self-fund the difference between the Home/EU and international fee.
Applicants must have at a minimum of a UK 2.1 degree (or equivalent) in a relevant
discipline. A relevant Master’s degree and/or relevant work experience would be an
advantage (not essential).
The University of Nottingham is in the top 1% of global universities and is ranked eighth
in the UK on a measure of ‘research power’, with more than 80% of research rated as
world-leading or internationally excellent. The University of Nottingham also offers a
world-class research training environment for postgraduate students, including an
excellent range of support and services.
General information about the Department(s)/Institution(s) can be found at:
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CEBHS: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/cebhs/index.aspx
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Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/nctu/home.aspx
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Academic Orthopaedics, Trauma and Sports Medicine:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/medicine/about/rod/index.aspx
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School of Medicine: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/medicine/index.aspx
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University of Nottingham: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk
Informal enquiries can be addressed to Alexia Karantana:
(Alexia.Karantana@nottingham.ac.uk )
To apply, students should send a covering letter explaining why they would like the
opportunity to study for this PhD and include a CV, an academic transcript and the
names and addresses of two academic referees to Alexia.Karantana@nottingham.ac.uk
Interviews will take place on Monday, 6 June 2016
Please quote the following reference when applying: PhDAK070416.