PhD position biostat/epidemiology (childhood asthma)

PhD position biostat/epidemiolog y (childhood asthma) [3y; degree stat, math, med or nat sc; backgrnd appl stat, interest clinical epidemiol or public health; stat progr (R or Matlab), exp standard stat SW such as Stata or SAS; English & either German or French; prediction of onset & persistence of childhood wheezing disorders, using data from large population-based cohort studies; Travel to England 2-3 times per y] / Institute of Social & Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern (funded by Swiss National Science Foundation) / deadline February 15

The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bern is one of five medical faculties in Switzerland. The Faculty’s Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) employs some 100 staff and provides undergraduate and post-graduate education and carries out research in a range of disciplines relevant to Public Health. ISPM offers a lively, interdisciplinary environment with excellent computing and library
facilities. With its mediaeval architecture, the Swiss capital city of Bern is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which offers excellent quality of life in the
proximity of the Alps.

An opening for a PhD position in biostatistics / epidemiology (childhood asthma)
is available from 1st March 2009, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Childhood wheezing disorders (including childhood asthma) are the most common chronic health problem in childhood. Yet, the factors that determine if a child gets asthma, and if it grows out of it or develops chronic disease, are poorly known. This PhD project will focus on the prediction of onset and persistence of childhood wheezing disorders, using data from large population-based cohort studies
(N=10,000; Int J Epidemiol 2007;36:977- 85).

Specifically the applicant will:
* Perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the existing literature on predictors of onset and persistence of wheeze and asthma.
* Explore, apply and compare the performance of the methods (e.g. logistic regression, classification and regression trees, and artificial neural networks) in predicting onset and persistence of asthma in children.
* Develop prognostic tools for use in clinical practice.
* Prepare graphs and tables based on the analysis, write statistical reports and scientific papers.
* Present results at national and international conferences.
* Travel to England 2-3 times per year for meetings with collaborators.
* Participate in general tasks relating to the management of the Leicester cohort studies (database creation and maintenance, logistics of ongoing and future surveys, data cleaning, grant applications).

We are seeking a PhD candidate with a strong background in applied statistics and with an interest in clinical epidemiology or public health. Candidates with a degree in statistics, mathematics, medicine or natural sciences are welcome to apply.
The ideal candidate will be a motivated graduate student (diploma or master degree) with good skills in statistical programming (R or Matlab) combined with an interest in applied health related research.

Experience in the use of standard statistical software such as Stata or SAS, in writing scientific papers and reports and in presenting results would be advantageous. The ability to maintain cleardocumentation is essential. Languages: excellent knowledge of English and either German or French.

The appointment is available from March 2009 for 3 years. The salary of the PhD position is based on the salary scale of the Swiss National Science Foundation. More detailed information on the position can be obtained from Claudia Kuehni.

Please send your applications including curriculum vitae as soon as possible, but not later than February 15, 2009 to: PD Dr. med. Claudia Kuehni, Institut für Sozial- und Präventivmedizin, Finkenhubelweg 11, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland. E-mail: kuehni@ispm. unibe.ch. Universität Bern, Institut für Sozial- und Präventivmedizin, Finkenhubelweg 11, CH-3012 Bern, www.ispm.unibe. ch.

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New Approach Curbs Childhood Deaths in the Developing World (Op-Ed)

 

Dr. Louisdon Pierre is director of pediatric critical care at The Brooklyn Hospital Center and co-founder of the Pediatric Universal Life-Saving Effort (PULSE). He contributed this article to LiveScience’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

In 2012, the World Health Organization reported that worldwide deaths among children under 5 years of age dropped from nearly 12 million in 1990 to about 6.9 million in 2011.

While this news is indicative of progress, mortality rates for the world’s children remain far too high. More than 70 percent of pediatric deaths are caused by the side effects of poverty: diarrhea, malaria, malnutrition, infection, pneumonia, preterm delivery or lack of adequate care for high-risk deliveries.

While Western medicine is often technology-focused, it is possible to save children’s lives using simple, low-tech, low-cost, evidence-based care that relies on manpower more than technology: vaccines, antibiotics, nutritional supplements, better family care and breast-feeding .

I learned this lesson firsthand when I traveled with a group of physicians from

The Brooklyn Hospital Center, among the first medical teams to arrive in Haiti — my birthplace — after the 2010 earthquake. The injuries among children were staggering, and conditions posed tremendous obstacles for even the most experienced physicians. But the difference in outcome — between a child who survived and one who died — was sometimes as simple as having round-the-clock monitoring for a child in crisis.

After Haiti, Dr. Marilyn Kioko — a pediatric critical care fellow at the University of Chicago Medical Center’s Comer Children‘s Hospital — and I co-founded the Pediatric Universal Life Saving Effort (PULSE) to offer physicians, nurses and health care workers in developing countries tools they could use to reduce pediatric mortality .

Our concept is one of sustainability, and it is simple. The goal of PULSE is to create pediatric health hubs in developing countries where physicians, nurses and other health care workers can learn simple, critical-care techniques to reduce pediatric mortality from infections, pneumonia and dehydration. Once local physicians are trained, they can pass the knowledge along thorough local instructors and regional centers.

To date, PULSE has conducted several missions to Haiti, El Salvador, Kenya and Nepal. Most recently, a team of five physicians returned from a third mission to Nepal where we taught a structured course in core, pediatric, critical-care education for physicians from six hospitals.

One major contributor to mortality worldwide is sepsis, which accounts for 60 to 80 percent of all deaths in developing countries. Often known as “blood poisoning,” sepsis kills more than 6 million infants and young children every year.

Sepsis is a constellation of symptoms that occurs when infectious agents, such as bacteria, enter the bloodstream and create an overwhelming immune reaction, leading to shock and fatal organ failure.

In the United States, sepsis is the 10th leading cause of death with an estimated 750,000 cases annually and a nearly 40 percent mortality rate, even though the risk of developing sepsis due to infection is only 1 percent. Compare that to developing countries, where sepsis is the second-most common cause of death, claiming 1 in 5 lives worldwide. Children under age 5 are especially at risk; the World Health Organization reports that across the globe, sepsis causes 60 to 80 percent of lives lost per year in children under 5.

Part of PULSE’s efforts in Nepal and other countries is to teach health care workers to diagnose and treat sepsis by recognizing early changes in age-specific vital signs, such as heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure. Death can be prevented if this threat is detected early and treated quickly — within the crucial first hour — with antibiotics and intravenous fluids.

To date, PULSE has trained more than 400 health care workers in the nations we have visited. We plan to return on a yearly basis and advise Katmandu University Teaching Hospital on its planned pediatric intensive care unit and with ongoing staff training. Our next project will assist in the development of a critical-care society in Lagos, Nigeria.

Reducing pediatric mortality in developing countries has significant challenges. Advanced education and training for local physicians, nurses and health care workers can make a huge difference.