Call for applications for a fully financed PhD fellowship.
Patients with liver cirrhosis have an expected survival time of less than 4 years. There are many reasons for their high mortality, among them a high risk of infections and fractures. These events are preventable, and the purpose of this project is to describe the use and the effects of interventions to reduce the risk of hospitalization for pneumococcal disease (with pneumococcal vaccine) and fractures (with bisphosphonates) among patients with cirrhosis. These preventive interventions are typically given by the general practitioner (GP).
The PhD project will be based on data from population-based healthcare registers in Denmark and England or Wales. Peter Jepsen will be main supervisor, and co-supervisors will include Joe West or Colin Crooks, both of whom are consultant hepatologists at the University of Nottingham (England) and experts in epidemiology. Peter Jepsen is an Honorary Professor at the University of Nottingham.
Study 1: GP visits
This study aims to describe clinical practice with respect to visits to the GP and/or to the hospital outpatient clinic. Also, it will contrast GP contacts between the cirrhosis patients and matched comparators from the general population.
Study 2: Infections and vaccinations
This study examines the incidence of community-acquired infections requiring hospitalization among patients with cirrhosis, and it will describe the use of vaccinations among patients with cirrhosis and matched comparators from the general population.
Study 3: Fractures and bisphosphonates
This study describes the use of DEXA scans in the patients with cirrhosis and their matched comparators, and it contrasts the prevalence of being on bisphosphonates for patients with cirrhosis vs. comparators. This study will also evaluate the hypothesis that bisphosphonates reduce the risk fractures among patients with cirrhosis and osteoporosis.
Findings from this PhD project will contribute to better care for patients with cirrhosis, focusing on the importance of shared care between hospitals and general practice. Better care and better organization of care for this stigmatized patient group are necessary to improve their dismal prognosis.
This PhD project is about shared care for patients with cirrhosis in the Danish healthcare system. Therefore, the candidate MUST have worked in a Danish hospital department specialized in the clinical management of patients with cirrhosis AND in a Danish general practice clinic.
Please submit your application via this link. Application deadline is 2 December 2024 23:59 CET. Preferred starting date is 1 January.
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.
Please contact Clinical Professor Peter Jepsen, pj@clin.au.dk, for more information.
All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.
