Exploring Health Determinants, Biomarkers, and Healthcare Resource Utilisation Across the Life Course Using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink
About the Project
This PhD project is a collaboration between Aston University and Amgen and will use Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) data to investigate health inequalities in the UK. The research will examine how demographic, socioeconomic and biological factors are associated with biomarker distributions, health outcomes and healthcare utilisation. The successful candidate will receive academic and industry supervision and gain experience in pharmacoepidemiology, data analytics and the analysis of…
routinely collected healthcare data.
Project details
This three-year PhD project will investigate health inequalities in the UK using anonymised electronic health records from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). The research addresses the need to better understand disparities in healthcare outcomes and resource utilisation among underrepresented populations to support more inclusive research and healthcare decision-making.
The project will be undertaken in three phases. The first phase will involve protocol development, literature review, data access approvals, and cohort definition. The second phase will focus on analysing the associations between demographic, socioeconomic and geographic factors, biological biomarkers, treatment patterns, healthcare resource utilisation, and health outcomes to better understand health inequalities using CPRD data. The final phase will synthesise findings, disseminate results through publications and conference presentations, and complete the doctoral thesis.
The project is a collaboration between Aston University and Amgen. The student will be jointly supervised by academic and industry researchers and will spend periods at Amgen to access secure research infrastructure, CPRD data (subject to approval), and relevant industry expertise
PhD overview
PhD programmes are for those who are seeking to develop greater in-depth knowledge in a specific area. Completing this level of study is about making an original contribution to knowledge, making new discoveries and developing lifelong skills.
At Aston University, our Engineering and Physical Sciences PhD programmes will provide all the support and facilities you will need to develop into a leading researcher in your chosen field. You will be welcomed into a supportive community with a shared enthusiasm for original research, where diversity and multidisciplinary is championed.
Supervisory team details
Supervisor: Dr. Adrienne Chan
Associate Supervisor: Professor Ian Wong, Vaiva Gerasimaviciute and David Neasham
For formal enquiries about this project contact Dr. Adrienne Chan at chany2@aston.ac.uk.
Person specification
Candidates should have been awarded, or expect to achieve, EITHER:
- A Bachelors degree in a relevant subject with an award of First Class or 2.1.
- OR
- A Bachelors degree in a relevant subject with an award of First Class or 2.1, and a Masters degree in a relevant subject with an award of Merit or higher.
Qualifications from other countries which are considered by Aston University to be equivalent to that described above will be eligible to apply.
Essential skills:
- A degree in a relevant discipline, such as epidemiology, public health, pharmacy, pharmacology, medicine, biostatistics, health data science, statistics, biomedical sciences, or a related quantitative subject.
- Knowledge of epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology, public health, or health services research.
- Experience of quantitative data analysis and statistical methods.
- Experience using at least one statistical programming package (e.g. R, Stata, SAS or Python).
- Ability to interpret and communicate scientific findings effectively, both verbally and in writing.
- Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
- Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a multidisciplinary academic and industry team.
- Willingness to work with secure electronic health record data and spend periods at Amgen as part of the collaborative project.
Desirable experience:
- Experience of analysing routinely collected healthcare data or electronic health records.
- Knowledge of the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) or other UK healthcare databases.
- Familiarity with pharmacoepidemiology, real-world evidence, or causal inference methods.
- Experience of longitudinal data analysis, survival analysis, or advanced statistical modelling.
- Knowledge of cardiovascular disease, maternal health, pregnancy pharmacoepidemiology, or health inequalities research.
- Experience of conducting literature reviews and scientific writing, including preparation of reports or publications.
- Experience of presenting research findings to academic or professional audiences.
Submitting an application
We can only consider applications that are complete and have all supporting documents. Applications that do not provide all the relevant documents will be automatically rejected. Your application must include:
- English language copies of the transcripts and certificates for all your higher education degrees, including any Bachelor degrees.
- A Research Statement detailing your understanding of the research area, how you would approach the project, and a brief review of relevant literature. Be sure to use the title of the research project you are applying for. There is no set format or word count.
- A personal statement which outlines any further information which you think is relevant to your application, such as your personal suitability for research, career aspirations, possible future research interests, and further description of relevant employment experience.
- Two academic referees who can discuss your suitability for independent research. References must be on headed paper, signed and dated no more than 2 years old. At least one reference should be from your most recent University. You can submit your references at a later date if necessary.
- Evidence that you meet the English Language requirements. If you do not currently meet the language requirements, you can submit this at a later stage.
- A copy of your passport. Where relevant, include evidence of settled or pre-settled status.
Interviews
Interviews will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. If you are shortlisted, you will be contacted directly with details of the interview.
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