Longitudinal changes in cognitive impairment for patients with Schizophrenia
Start date: 1st February 2019
Award: 1 fully funded 3 year PhD studentship, sponsored by Takeda
Project:
This project aims to use natural language processing (NLP), data science, and epidemiology techniques to study changes in cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia. This will involve wide consultation with clinical and academic colleagues to identify the ‘clinical record phenotype’ – i.e. information indicative of cognitive impairment which is likely to be recorded as an observation or complaint in the text of the electronic health record (EHR) (e.g. perplexity, memory complaints or observed forgetfulness, inattention, impaired mental capacity). Each construct will be evaluated for operationalisation, and appropriate natural language processing algorithms will be developed to extract recorded information when present. Overlap with other already-defined phenotypic dimensions will be assessed (particularly for negative and disorganisation symptoms), as will associated demographic and clinical correlates.
Longitudinal models will be developed to ascertain the time period over which these symptom domains develop after first presentation, followed by evaluation of clinical outcomes (e.g. hospitalisations, use of services, physical healthcare, intervention receipt and adherence). Data will be sought to investigate social correlates and their development e.g. unemployment, housing difficulties, functional impairment, self- neglect. Medication response will also be investigated. The final task will be to develop a ‘digital signature’ for these constructs and to evaluate this in independent datasets, both in the UK and internationally.
The project will make use of the CRIS case register at the Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), in order to access anonymised information extracted from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) EHR. The student will work closely with the BRC. The student will also collaborate with researchers in HDR UK and the MRC Pathfinder projects.
The project is sponsored by Takeda, and allows for two or more one month visits to a Takeda research establishment during the course of the project.
Supervisors:
Dr Angus Roberts, Prof Richard Dobson, and Prof Robert Stewart
Entry requirements: Applicants should have a Bachelors degree with 2:1 honours. A 2:2 degree may be considered only where applicants also offer a Masters with Merit.
Award types and eligibility: Fully funded for three years, Home/EU tuition fees, annual stipend.
This studentship is available to Home/EU students only.
How to apply:
Applicants must complete and submit an online admissions application, via the admissions portal by midnight (23:59 GMT), Monday 3rd December 2018.
On the ‘Choosing a programme’ page, please select ‘Research degrees’ and enter the keyword Biostatistics and Computing Research MPhil/PhD (Full-time).
In your application, you will be asked to include:
- Academic Transcripts – where applicable, academic transcripts must be submitted with the online admissions application
- Details of your qualifications (you will need to attach copies)
- Details of previous employment
- A personal statement describing your interests and why you wish to apply for this project. Please include this as an attachment rather than using the text box.
- Academic References – all admissions applications require two supporting references. If the applicant is relying on his/her referees to submit references directly to the College after he/she has submitted his/her admissions application, then the applicant must ensure that their chosen referees are made aware of the funding deadline.
In the Funding section, please tick box 5 and include the following reference: AR-TAKEDA-2019
Please note there is no need to complete the Research Proposal section in your application as the project has already been set.
You are welcome to email angus.roberts@kcl.ac.uk (supervisor) for more information regarding the project and studentship.
If you have any queries regarding the application process, please contact Lauren Soules, Postgraduate Research Administrative Assistant.
References must be received by the deadline for the applicant to be eligible.
Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
Application deadline: Monday 3rd December 2018 (11:59 GMT)
Interviews: TBC
Further information:
About the IoPPN
Studying at the IoPPN
Research degrees at the IoPPN
KCL Researcher Development Programme
Maudsley BRC
Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics
Department of Psychological Medicine
Takeda