Improving lung health in South America

About the Project

We are seeking a talented, motivated student with a passion for research to complete a PhD which focuses on strengthening primary healthcare in three South American countries (Argentina, Brazil and Peru) to improve lung health in the region.

About the project

Breathe Well South America seeks to address the problem of poor and inequitable access to quality primary healthcare for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in South America.

COPD is the 4th leading cause of death, with high hospital healthcare & societal burden, disproportionately affecting the poor, but >75% remain undiagnosed, therefore untreated. Good quality, affordable & accessible primary care services for COPD patients are lacking. Diversity of risk factors and health systems with limited human and financial resources require local adaptation of international guidance and implementation using task-sharing within multi-disciplinary teams.

Despite the high burden, COPD patients in South America remain largely undetected and untreated, without specific primary care pathways. We are building on our previous work in Brazil, Peru and the UK on the screening and management of COPD in primary care, the development and improvement of electronic health records in primary care in Brazil and our implementation research in Argentina and Peru on the role of community/lay health workers in NCD assessment and management.

We aim to develop primary care research capacity in South America and deliver locally relevant research to improve the early identification and management of COPD. This will be achieved by an equitable and sustainable partnership, with research co-designed with local communities.

PhD Opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity for a self-motivated and independent student eager to gain expertise in community interventions, health systems strengthening and participatory research methods. The research team is based at University of Birmingham within an experienced ecosystem delivering successful research in low and middle-income countries and supporting doctoral students.

We are seeking PhD students to contribute to this project and the broader topic of lung health . We are looking for PhD students with their own relevant research interests including but not limited to research questions related to digital health technology and AI, community health workers and participatory methods. Students will be required as part of their project to complete a systematic review, data collection and analysis focused on one or more of the three study countries (Argentina, Brazil and Peru).

Funding notes:

Applicants should have a first or upper second-class degree in a relevant scientific discipline, and who are self-funded or have typically applied for, or secured funding for their studies from their government, employer or associated charitable organisations. Applicants who are willing to apply for funding by themselves will be supported, e.g., government funding or industry funding.

Those interested should send a CV, personal statement (outlining how their relevant experience would make them a strong candidate for the project), transcripts, evidence of your proficiency in the English language (if applicable) and contact details of two referees to Dr. Onaedo Ilozumba u.ilozumba@bham.ac.uk and Prof Rachel Jordan r.e.jordan@bham.ac.uk.