The Role
This role is focused on the deep phenotyping and multimodal data integration of a large cohort of mitochondrial disease patients with the aim of identifying key determinants of mitochondrial disease severity and progression.
The factors identified through this process will then be assessed for suitability as clinical biomarkers of disease progression for use in clinical trials or for clinical prognostication. It is also envisaged that these factors will influence clinical trial design and allow patient stratification in future trials of treatment. You will be supervised in this role by Dr Helen Devine and Prof Robert McFarland.
An integral element of this role is supporting patient recruitment and maintenance of the Mitochondrial Disease Patient Cohort (MitoCohort) database, one of the world's largest, most mature and comprehensive natural history studies on mitochondrial diseases. In addition, you will be expected to complement existing research activities within the Mitochondrial Research Group (MRG) and Newcastle University's Translational and Clinical Research Institute (NUTCRI) including the Mitochondrial and Neuromuscular theme and Rare disease NUCoRE.
The NHS Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Disorders is a nationally commissioned service covering diagnostic and clinical care for patients living with mitochondrial disease within the UK. It comprises three centres: Newcastle, London and Oxford. Prof McFarland, the chief investigator of MitoCohort is also the Director of the Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Disorders.
You will attend specialist clinics, multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings and educational opportunities including acquiring new skill sets such as performance of conchotome muscle biopsies. You will also have the opportunity to liaise with other mitochondrial and neurology/medical specialists and external hospitals in providing advice for acute inpatient care as their experience grows. You will also actively contribute to clinical governance activities such as audits, quality improvement projects and mortality and morbidity meetings.
The candidate is expected to register for a PhD study.
This is a full time, fixed term position available for the duration of 3.5 years.
For all informal enquiries please contact:
Key Accountabilities
1. Assist in the identification, screening, recruitment, and assessment of adults with mitochondrial disease (including from the NHS Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Disorder outpatient clinics and the MitoCohort database)
2. Be responsible for detailed clinical assessments of patients, including history taking, physical examination and diagnostic confirmation
3. Perform bloods and other clinical tests including electrocardiograms
4. Perform specialist procedures such as lumbar punctures, skin biopsies and conchotome muscle biopsy for diagnostic and research purposes (training will be provided)
5. Have responsibility for prescribing medications and responsible for addressing any issues with side effects or adverse events
6. Identify, develop and validate scoring scales, gait analysis, clinician and patient-reported outcome measures and functional tests for a selected patient cohorts with specific mitochondrial diagnoses (POLG and m.3243A>G in particular)
7. Interact with other members of the mitochondrial team, including for example, chief investigator, other co-principal investigators, research unit staff members, pharmacy, associated research assistant/associates, laboratory technicians, post- doctoral scientists and communication and engagement team
8. Attend NHS Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Disorder outpatient clinics, multidisciplinary meetings, Morbidity and Mortality, and governance meetings
9. Participate in the clinical governance activities (e.g. audit, service development) of the NHS Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Disorders
10. In discussion with your supervisors, identify key clinical questions and utilize the resources and expertise (bioinformatic/statistical) available within MRG to address and resolve
11. Help to prepare data and write papers for publication in relevant journals
12. Potential for supervision of appropriate undergraduate research projects
13. Attend and present your work at local / national / international meetings
14. Be prepared to contribute to other clinical/research activities within the MRG
15. Contribute to public engagement of science within and beyond MRG
16. Be prepared to contribute to promoting a positive research culture within and outside of MRG
The Person
Knowledge, Skills and Experience Essential
17. Evidence of an interest in medical research
18. Commitment to a career in adult neurology
19. Core clinical skills, including phlebotomy and lumbar puncture
20. Analytical and problem-solving capability
21. Ability to communicate complex information with clarity, both verbally and in writing
22. Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
23. Excellent IT skills
24. Oral presentations at medical conferences/scientific meetings
25. Experience in neuroimaging and neurophysiological data analysis• Knowledge of mitochondrial diseases (Desirable)
26. Experience in medical statistics or bioinformatics (Desirable).
27. Previous laboratory experience (Desirable)
28. A publication track record (Desirable)
29. Willingness to take on additional responsibilities, e.g. the day-to-day supervision of undergraduate project students (Desirable)
30. The ability to contribute to broader organisational and management processes and to provide leadership including coordinating the work of other staff (Desirable)
31. Willingness to travel within the region as part of the study as well as internationally for conferences/study meetings (Desirable)
Attributes and Behaviour
32. Ambitious and strive for excellence, with a demonstrable drive to succeed and to produce work of the highest quality
33. Conscientious
34. Enthusiastic and curious
35. Ability to work flexibly, and under pressure
Qualifications Essential
36. MBBS or equivalent
37. Full GMC registration with a licence to practice
38. Specialist neurology training
39. Previous research degree (MRes, BSc) or involvement in research publications.(Desirable)
40. Sub-specialty training in Mitochondrial Medicine (Desirable)
Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.
We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.
At Newcastle University we hold a Gold award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.
In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.
Requisition ID: 28857