Physiotherapists can now apply for a new PhD programme at the University Of Leicester, which has received funding of £7.4 million from the Wellcome Trust.
The Leicestershire Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Doctoral Training Programme (LHIIP) aims to recruit applicants from health care professions, such as physiotherapy, which are currently underrepresented in research fields.
The new doctoral fellowship programme is offering funding opportunities to five research Fellows this year (and 25 Fellows in total over the next five years), to enable applicants from a variety of healthcare professions to have an opportunity to pursue academic research.
Successful applicants will receive funding equivalent to three years’ salary, as well as experimental research costs and training.
CSP member Professor Sally Singh, who is a professor of pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation at the University of Leicester’s Department of Respiratory Science, said:
Allied health professionals often find it difficult to secure opportunities to pursue a PhD, and this is often because opportunities for a research career are not promoted either at the undergraduate or postgraduate level in the workplace.
‘So the aim of this project is to build a cohesive cohort of doctoral fellows that flourish in the environment that the university offers, supporting the university's ambition to become a beacon site for allied health professional research.
‘Five high quality students will be enlisted each year, and the aim is to recruit them from a range of disciplines and backgrounds.’
‘The funding will cover their full salary costs, project costs and a generous training allowance – and the scheme will also be flexible to accommodate different working patterns and family commitments.’
She added that the project will also collect details of applicants' protected characteristics to ensure a balance and representation over the five-year span of the programme.
‘And the project will have a dedicated programme manager to ensure all students are supported to achieve their potential, explore industry placements and support career development and guidance.’
Selected applicants will also benefit from well-established partnerships across the regional and national healthcare system, local government, and industry and community groups.
Apply now for a September 2022 start
LHIIP is a collaborative project between the University of Leicester and Loughborough University; University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust; Leicester City Council and Leicester City CCG and Primary Care Network.
In a joint statement about the programme, the LHIPP partners said:
‘Our vision is to create a vibrant, supportive, interdisciplinary and flexible training programme to attract underrepresented health care professionals and become a beacon site for nurse, midwife and allied health professional led research nationally and internationally.'
Applications to this year’s intake of the programme are now being accepted for a September 2022 start.
The deadline to apply is 8 April 2022.
More information about the programme and details about how you can apply will be available shortly here
And any enquires about the programme can be sent to: lhiip@leicester.ac.uk
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