The Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) at University of Bern
performs research in a range of disciplines relevant to public health
(www.ispm.ch). Groups cut across divisions, facilitating an interdisciplinary
approa ch to research in the fields of clinical epidemiology, social and
behavio ral health, biostatistics, and international and environmental health.
The Paediatric Epidemiology Research Group conducts population-based and
clinical studies in child health, focusing on respiratory disorders and cancer.
We are looking for a highly motivated
Asthma and chronic cough are common in childhood. While most children have transient
problems, others develop chronic disease continuing into adulthood. Currently it is difficult to
predict which children are at risk of a chronic course. In a collaborative project with the
Children’s hospitals in Aarau, Basel, Bern, Chur, Luzern, St.Gallen, and Zurich we created a
national clinical prospective cohort including now more than 1000 children seen in respiratory
outpatient clinics: the Swiss Paediatric Airway Cohort (SPAC).
In your PhD, you will help to set up the SPAC study in two additional centres in Switzerland:
Lausanne and Geneva. Children visiting outpatient clinics in these hospitals will complete a
questionnaire and, with the help of Master students, will collect results from medical
investigations (such as lung function and allergy tests). You will have an active role in managing
the study by communicating with paediatricians and patients, organising the mailing and
supervising research assistants.
You will have the opportunity to use this unique database to answer relevant research questions
on childhood asthma and cough .In a team of epidemiologists, clinicians, statisticians and other
PhD students, you will learn different statistical approaches to distinguish disease phenotypes,
and predict disease course. You will present your results at international meetings and publish
them in peer-reviewed journals.
The job is an ideal preparation for a research career in a clinical setting (paediatric teaching
hospital), in a University or in a public health institution ,and counts as medical training in
Paediatrics or Public Health. Teaching is organised via the graduate schools of the University of
Bern (www.gcb.unibe.ch and www.ghs.unibe.ch).
Applicants should have a university degree (MD, MSc or equivalent) in medicine or a related field
(biology, statistics, public health etc.) and astrong interest in child health and epidemiology .
Previous experience in paediatric pulmonology is of advantage. You should be keen to learn
statistical methods. The position requires fluency in both French and English, knowledge of
German would be an asset.
The position is available immediately .PhD salary rates of the Swiss National Science Foundation
apply. If you look for an exciting PhD position in a highly motivated team, please send your CV
with motivation letter to Prof. Dr. med. Claudia Kuehni (claudia.kuehni@ispm.unibe.ch) and Dr.
Cristina Ardura-Garcia (cristina.ardura@ispm.unibe.ch). For further information please contact
us by e-mail. Please send your application as soon as possible, ideally by March 29th, 2019.