Impact of Intravenous Iron (Ferinject) on Musculoskeletal Function Profiles in Older Adults with Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA)
The School of Health and Sport Sciences at is fully committed to excellence in teaching and to delivering research of the highest quality. The School is rapidly developing its research profile and has an ambitious agenda for the future. The School has a thriving research culture benefiting from a broad range of high-quality research facilities across a variety of disciplines to support a broad range of multidisciplinary research projects.
The School of Health and Sport Sciences is now looking to recruit two exceptional PhD students to a specific multidimensional clinical project with a focus on musculoskeletal health and function.
Project scope
Anaemia is considered a risk factor for functional decline and frailty-associated adverse outcomes in older adults including decreased physical performance and muscle strength, increased hospitalisation risk and mortality, falls, and poorer recovery from activity of daily living disability. Key mechanisms underlying these associations are still to be determined. Despite a major gap in human studies, research in animals has demonstrated a relationship between iron deficiency anaemia and deteriorated functional capacity and physical performance.
A very limited number of human studies have attempted to explore the link between iron deficiency anaemia and decreased skeletal muscle performance and diminished functional/exercise capacity.
The age-related decline in the skeletal muscle mass and quality (sarcopenia) and associated frailty, has rapidly become a major health concern in the older adults particularly when accompanied by other chronic diseases and conditions such as iron deficiency anaemia. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in exploring the role of iron as a factor in the development of age-related frailty.
These PhD studentships will utilise an array of physiological and functional measurements to characterise the impact of a standardised intravenous iron therapy on musculoskeletal health and function in older patients with IDA.
Research supervisors
This PhD studentship will be conducted in the School of Health and Sport Sciences. Professor Omid Khaiyat, Associate Dean of the School, will be the lead supervisor of the project, though at least one other supervisor will join the supervisory team.
The successful applicant will also have:
- A Master’s degree with Distinction from a UK university (or EU equivalent) OR; a Master’s degree with Merit from a UK university including a Distinction grade for the Dissertation in a relevant subject area
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Team working skills and desire/ability to work well as part of a research team.
The candidate/s will need to demonstrate the potential to successfully complete a PhD in a multidimensional clinical project involving older patients. Previous experience in clinical or sport & exercise science environments in relation to performing wide-ranging musculoskeletal health assessments by means of physiological, functional, and basic biomechanical measurements will be desirable.
Having a clinical background and good understanding of clinical and physiological research methods and statistical analysis will be advantageous. The successful candidate will be expected to facilitate the recruitment of eligible patients from collaborating local hospital/s and offer flexible working hours in order to conduct required laboratory assessments.
Eligible applicants should apply via the online application system, a written sample of no more than 3,000 words will be required to demonstrate the applicant’s skills as a researcher and/or shows skills in organising and presenting research findings.
Expression of Interest is a formal stage of the online application. Applicants are advised to do this at the earliest opportunity as the full application form is not released until this stage of application process is complete.
Applicants will be able to upload copies of official academic achievements in undergraduate degree classification and master degree award, plus copies of official transcripts of all degree subjects taken. Please refer to postgraduate degrees explained for guidelines.
The deadline for full applications is midnight on Sunday 19th June 2022. When completing online application form, please insert ‘PhD Studentship: Impact of Intravenous Iron (Ferinject) into Research Topic (‘outline your proposed research topic’) section.
On the closing of the specified deadline for online application submission, all applications will be reviewed and scrutinised by a panel and interviews will be accordingly scheduled in September 2022 for those shortlisted.
For further information, please contact the Director of Studies for this project, Professor Omid Khaiyat (alizado@hope.ac.uk).
The studentships are available on a full-time basis and will cover UK tuitions fees and an annual stipend of £16,000 for a duration of 3 years, with enrolment in October 2022 or January 2023.
International applicants will receive a fee waiver at the home fee rate and will be required to self-fund the remaining fees. Successful candidates may also have the opportunity to undertake paid activities through providing support for learning and teaching.
Further details on application procedure
Further details can also be obtained by contacting Professor Omid Khaiyat (alizado@hope.ac.uk) or Chair of Research Degrees Sub-Committee Professor Atulya Nagar (atulya.nagar@hope.ac.uk) quoting ‘PhD Studentship: Impact of Intravenous Iron (Ferinject) in the subject line.
