Royal College of Surgeons

Job Title: Postdoctoral fellow or Senior Postdoctoral fellow Department: School of Physiotherapy CP-Life Research Centre Reporting to: Dr Ailish Malone Location: 123 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2 Contract/Duration: Specified purpose contract up to 4 years Remuneration: Up to €51,677 (point 1 on the Irish Universities Association experienced postdoctoral researcher (PD2) scale) Closing Date: Sunday, Jan 5th 2025 Summary of Post The postholder will work directly with the PI, Dr Ailish Malone, to manage and conduct the Brain-Restore Youth research programme of mixed methods research and participatory co-design. Throughout, the postholder will work closely with the multidisciplinary project steering group and public and patient involvement panels, and develop relationships with intersectoral stakeholders including clinical, disability, and education services, to ensure a representative and implementable co-designed rehabilitation pathway. Funded by the Health Research Board, the research programme "Enhancing health, function and participation through rehabilitation for children and young people and their families after childhood brain tumour" (the Brain-Restore Youth study) is a collaboration between RCSI, Children's Health Ireland, the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Beaumont Hospital, Brain Tumour Ireland, and people with lived experience of brain tumours in childhood. Brain tumours are among the most common childhood cancers, affecting about 50 children in Ireland every year. Thanks to improved surgical and medical care, survival has improved to more than 80% beyond 10 years after diagnosis. However, the journey after treatment is fraught with difficulties. Many young people live with ongoing problems affecting their mobility, cognition, and ultimately, their participation in school and leisure activities. This has a profound impact on their future adult lives. Research shows that these problems could be improved with rehabilitation. But due to the complexity and variability of brain tumours, rehabilitation needs are often undetected, underestimated, and misunderstood. Many children and young people do not get the specialist rehabilitation they need. If we could detect problems early, and know how to provide rehabilitation to address them, this would benefit both children and their families, and society as a whole, by reducing care needs over the lifespan and enabling children and young adults to thrive. Brain-Restore Youth aims to explore and understand rehabilitation needs after a brain tumour in childhood, determine how these needs should be assessed and monitored after tumour treatment, and use these findings to co-design a pathway for rehabilitation. This programme comprises three interlinked work packages: A qualitative study to explore perspectives and experiences of rehabilitation with three participant groups: children and young people who had a childhood brain tumour; their families, and healthcare professionals; A prospective study of structured objective assessment of rehabilitation need in children and young people in the first year after initial treatment for a brain tumour, to determine feasibility and acceptability of surveillance of need, and to describe the activity limitations and participation restrictions experienced over that time; Co-design a pathway for rehabilitation after childhood brain tumours, integrating the findings from the qualitative and prospective studies involving all stakeholders (children and young people, families, healthcare professionals, policy makers), using participatory action research. Based at RCSI School of Physiotherapy, the mission of the CP-Life Research Centre is to generate and translate evidence into improvements in services and supports for people with CP or other neuro-physical disabilities through high quality research and innovation. The successful candidate will join a dynamic team of committed researchers, clinicians, and public and patient contributors. Specifically, the duties of the post are: Work closely with the PI, project team, multidisciplinary clinical colleagues, and public and patient involvement panel, in all research programme activities Prepare ethical submissions and data management plan Obtain necessary approvals and agreements Manage the day-to-day running of the qualitative, prospective, and co-design studies Conduct and analyse semi-structured interviews Collect and analyse quantitative data on rehabilitation needs within the prospective study Manage public and patient involvement Organise steering group meetings Engage in ongoing dissemination activities under the direction of the PI and project steering group, including scientific papers, conference presentations, public dissemination materials, and policy submissions. Show flexibility to engage and support other related research activities as directed by the PI. Qualifications - (Essential): PhD degree in a healthcare or health services-related discipline Knowledge & Experience - (Essential): Experience of clinical or patient-oriented research Experience of mixed methods (such as quantitative and qualitative data collection, validating, integration, reporting) Strong communication skills (verbal and written) to engage all stakeholders including clinical, patients and the public Comfortable working with a wide range of people such as scientists, clinicians, policy makers, health service managers, children and young people, families, patients and carers Flexible when confronted with evolving goals and requirements Track record of building positive working relationships with relevant stakeholders Strong decision-making and problem-solving skills Experience of writing reports or research publications Experience of speaking at events and / or conferences Excellent administrative skills Strong IT skills Flexibility: can operate flexibly within a busy environment, shift focus when required, and prioritise conflicting demands Experience working with a relevant population, for example, children and young people, families, people with neurological conditions; or experience in rehabilitation, disability, or cancer services Knowledge & Experience (Desirable): Previous post-doctoral research experience Project management experience Involvement in quality improvement initiatives Understanding of GDPR and data protection Understanding and experience of research ethics process Clinical experience Experience in role with budgetary responsibility and financial management experience Experience in participatory action research or co-design We are all too aware that imposter syndrome and the confidence gap can sometimes stop fantastic candidates putting themselves forward, so please do submit an application - we'd love to hear from you. Application Process Please apply online through the RCSI careers portal on the closing date with your CV and cover letter. Informal Enquiries can be directed to Dr Ailish Malone, . Please note we do not accept CVs directly. Employee benefits At RCSI, we help care for our people so they can focus on our mission to educate, nurture, and discover for the benefit of human health. RCSI make sure you have the resources you need to thrive. We offer a wide range of benefits in areas including time away, finance, community, health, and well-being and insuring your financial future. In addition to our city centre campus and world-class facilities, there are a wide range of excellent benefits available to our employees, including: Onsite gym €10 per month Flexible working arrangements Automatic enrolment to a pension scheme for all employees (Willis Towers Watson, pension documents outlined below) RCSI Investment Guide Pension Scheme Guide Benefits Schedule Life assurance/death in service Long term illness/disability income replacement Free advice on health/motor and home insurance Discounted services, including GP Support for parents and carers Taxsaver commuter tickets BiketoWork Free eye test at the National Optometry centre €12/day for parking for all RSCI staff in the St. Stephens green/RCSI car park RCSI's Learning and Development team facilitate and provide training opportunities for all staff Sports and social club Opportunities to volunteer in the community 26.5 days leave - 20 days annual leave plus 6.5 days Privilege days - In addition to your annual leave entitlements and public holidays, RCSI also grants privilege days to our employees (paid time off during Easter and Christmas periods). We also offer a number of leave options to support the working lives of our employees. Paid maternity leave Paid Paternity leave Parental leave