News

The Medical Research Foundation have recently launched a funding opportunity focused on Viral Hepatitis research. Due to overwhelming demand the deadline has been extended for applications to Friday 10th November 2017.

This funding is aimed at Mid-Career researchers, who are making the transition to independence, and will support research that will increase the understanding of the disease mechanisms underlying viral hepatitis.

This competition is open to all UK researchers at eligible institutions (UK HEIs, Research Council research institutes, hospitals, and other independent research organisations). Applicants must hold a PhD, DPhil or MD and be in the process of, or be ready for, transition to research independence.

There is up to £1.6 million available in this competition and applicants may apply for up to £300,000 to support their research, over a maximum of a three year period.

The application process is now open and the deadline has been extended to Friday 10th November 2017.

More information can be found on the Medical Research Foundation website > here.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is looking to appoint a number of people with the necessary experience and skills to fulfill the following roles:

• Health service representative – up to 3 people
• Lay member – 2 people

The appeal panel is responsible for hearing appeals against our draft final recommendations in the technology appraisal (new drugs and other technologies used in the NHS) and highly specialised technologies (the evaluation of technologies for treating patients with very rare diseases and very complex healthcare needs) programmes.

When an appeal is submitted an appeal panel comprising five members is drawn from those appointed to hear NICE appeals.

The health service representative must hold an active registration with the appropriate professional body (including for doctors, a licence to practise).

The lay representative must be a patient or carer, or a member of an organisation that represents patients or carers.

Appointees will need to have an ability to draw out and articulate a balanced view on the issues arising from an appeal that are relevant to patients, carers and/or members of the public, and an ability to critique and weigh up competing arguments and make decisions (sometimes difficult ones) in meetings that are open to the public. Appeal panels are established infrequently and appointees may only need to sit on a panel two to three times a year.

NICE welcome applicants from all interested parties. For further information on the role and how apply please refer to the NICE website: https://www.nice.org.uk/Get-Involved/join-a-committee . Alternatively you can contact Maria Pitan, Project Manager – Corporate Office by email maria.pitan@nice.org.uk .

Deadline for applications is midnight on Monday 2 October 2017.

Please find below the news release that has gone out today to coincide with the publication of PHE Liver Disease Atlas.

BASL has been involved in helping put this together.

Download Liver disease atlas press release v11 13092017.pdf

Fixed Term posts of 12 months

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) opened on 1 April 2017 with the aim of using cutting edge experimental medicine to accelerate access to, and adoption of, drugs, devices and diagnostics tests for patients living with chronic inflammatory diseases. The NIHR Birmingham BRC brings together the expertise of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) and the University of Birmingham, both members of Birmingham Health Partners (BHP), and is one of 20 NHS and University partnerships across England that have been awarded funding through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

We are seeking two highly motivated Clinical Research Fellows to undertake research into chronic inflammatory disease. The post-holders willbe based in the Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy at the University of Birmingham in the Institute for Biomedical Research. One post will involve the delivery of the Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis–Inflammatory Bowel Disease research programme of the BRC, reporting to Professor Gideon Hirschfield. The second post will involve undertaking clinical trials and other studies in patients with chronic inflammatory disease including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and autoimmune liver disease, and will report to Professor Philip Newsome.

BRIEF PERSON SPEC
We are looking for clinicians with MRCP or equivalent, a potential ability to conduct and publish their own research, strong communication skills and an ability and eagerness to work in a multi-disciplinary team. The successful candidates will have an enthusiasm to learn and will be expected to register for a higher degree.

The positions are available for 12 months with potential and expectation to extend for a higher degree and submission of a fellowship application. Salary will be at the appropriate point on the appropriate clinical scale, with placement according to qualifications and experience.

Closing date: 21st September Reference: POST NUMBERS 57808 and 57809

To apply for these jobs please visit the University of Birmingham vacancies website.

Read an article by Professor Mark Thursz in the Huffington Post > here.

Professor Mark Thursz is professor of hepatology at Imperial College and consultant in hepatology at St Mary's Hospital, London. Professor Thursz is also the current Chair of the Hepatitis C Coalition.