Academic Foundation Programme Job Description
Programme 1 – Stroke/Elderly Care – based at BSMS/RSCH
Reference: 2024BSMS/01
| Type of programme: Research – The candidates have an opportunity to work in a research active environment with excellent infrastructure provided by the Clinical Research Unit of the hospital and a 50-bed stroke unit in Brighton and Haywards Heath. The focus is on stroke research and the cardiovascular system. | |
| Employing trust: University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust Academic placement based at: Royal Sussex County Hospital | |
| Brief outline of department Professor C Rajkumar is the Charles Hunnisett Foundation Chair of Geriatrics and Stroke Medicine. His research areas are around cardiovascular laboratory-based research into ageing process of arteries and epidemiology research into hypertension and study of risk factors in stroke and post TIA. The potential projects will investigate non-invasive ways of measuring cardiovascular risk factors in patients with stroke, diabetes, renal disease and peripheral vascular disease. These include a number of novel methods for assessing arterial stiffness, the role of sympathetic nervous system activity using 24-hour Holter, various methods for measuring arterial stiffness and ambulatory BP monitoring. The unit is well equipped to handle data and has a track record of publications in high impact journals. It also has a number of international collaborations. Academic trainees have published and presented at international conferences on a number of occasions. | |
| The unit runs several clinical trials in Stroke Medicine as part of the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Stroke research network. The candidates will have the opportunity to be part of these multi-centre trials. The unit is part of the Kent, Surrey and Sussex local comprehensive research network, (LCRN – part of NIHR) for Stroke Research. Professor Rajkumar is the academic lead for the cardiovascular division and stroke in Kent, Surrey and Sussex. The unit is part of a number of multi-centre clinical studies which are on the NIHR portfolio. | |
| Structure of academic project/what expected In the past few years, candidates who have held this post have ended up publishing in internationals journals, presenting at national and international meetings and have also been successful in obtaining positions for future careers in academic medicine. In addition to the potential to participate in various projects, the candidates have an opportunity to work in a research active environment with excellent infrastructure provided by the Clinical Research Unit of the hospital and a 30-bed stroke unit. The candidates also have the opportunity to be trained in various research techniques to run clinical trials. Training in good clinical practice guidelines, use of statistical packages including SPSS, training in the use of Endnote and other research packages are also part of the process. | |
| Departmental academic teaching programme The unit is also part of the undergraduate training programme and Professor C Rajkumar is the lead for Stroke Medicine module. The feedback from students for this module has been excellent and the academic trainee will have ample opportunity to be involved in this training module. There will also be opportunities to be involved in undergraduate exams and also various teaching programmes. Clinical teaching mainly during the above ward rounds to 3rd year medical students and teaching in 2 clinics per month. | |
| Academic Lead: Professor C Rajkumar 01273 523360 Raj.Rajkumar@nhs.net https://www.bsms.ac.uk/about/contact-us/staff/professor-chakravarthi-rajkumar.aspx |