Enhancing Health Policy through Behavioural Science and Trials Methodology Research
Applications are invited for a fully-funded PhD opportunity as part of the prestigious SPHeRE PhD Programme. The successful applicant will receive high quality structured research training and will be supervised by Dr Elaine Toomey (University of Galway), Prof Molly Byrne (University of Galway) and Prof Shaun Treweek (University of Aberdeen). The project would suit anyone with an interest in behavioural science, knowledge translation (ie getting research into policy/practice), trials methodology and/or health policy.
The full-time 4 year structured PhD Programme includes:
· Annual stipend of €25,000, plus laptop computer, plus PhD fees
· 6 taught modules completed in the first year of the Programme
· A workshop programme which runs over four years
· 8-week specialist rotation in Irish health related agencies in the first year
· Placement with a prestigious overseas agency to further PhD project development in the second or third years
Project summary – Using behavioural science to improve recruitment and retention of health policymakers in trials of knowledge translation (KT) interventions.
The use of research evidence by health policymakers is crucial to ensure safe and effective healthcare. Knowledge translation (KT) is used to describe the processes and strategies needed to enhance the use of research evidence. This PhD aims to apply a behaviour change approach to explore how public health policymakers (and their organisations) can be recruited to, and retained as participants of, trials of KT interventions. The downstream impact of this work is to improve the use of research in health policy and thus improve health and service-level outcomes for patients and members of the public.
For more details on the project and the SPHeRE application process, please visit https://www.sphereprogramme.ie/using-behavioural-science-to-improve-recruitment-and-retention-of-health-policymakers-in-trials-of-knowledge-translation-kt-interventions/. The deadline for applications is Monday April 22nd at 12pm, so if you are interested in this project or would like to chat further about it, please contact me asap on elaine.toomey@universityofgalway.ie
