Exercise Physiologist/Research Associate

Salary Range:

£33,002.00 - £38,784.00

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, creating a community where colleagues feel respected and valued. We aim to reflect the diversity of our students and communities, and to strengthen our university through collaboration and diverse perspectives, across all roles at the University.

This post provides an opportunity to help conduct and manage an implementation feasibility trial in a Yorkshire Cancer Research funded study: CanBenefit3: Implementation of tailored wellbeing advice as standard care among people diagnosed with lung cancer.

Cancer outcomes are poorer in Yorkshire than in England as a whole. This project continues on from the TRANSFORMing Cancer Outcomes in Yorkshire programme - or ‘TRANSFORM’- which aimed to tackle these cancer inequalities and ultimately improve health outcomes across our region. TRANSFORM brought together researchers from the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre, the Cancer Awareness, Screening and Diagnostic Pathways Research Group, the Methods Hub and the Cancer Research Group, who are part of the Hull York Medical School, within the Faculty of Health Sciences at University of Hull, based on the University of Hull campus.

The CanBenefit3 study

Our previous study CanBenefit2, examined feasibility and acceptability of delivering nutrition and activity counselling to older adults with lung cancer undergoing systemic anti-cancer therapy. Like similar research, we found potential benefits for overall wellbeing but also highlighted significant trial recruitment issues with patient-level, individual randomised design leading to small and unrepresentative samples. Patient pathways made it difficult to know when to approach for research consent and many declined due to being overwhelmed; many that may have benefitted.

The CanBenefit3 implementation feasibility study, aims to understand how best to embed a new service (referral to exercise physiologist and tailored rehabilitation programme), based on the CanBenefit2 programme into the care pathway, to evaluate local impact of this service, and to explore the optimal design of a future large-scale evaluation. We will embed the service at hospital trusts for adults diagnosed with lung cancer. Importantly, we will examine characteristics of those referred or not, those engaging with the referral, and those who participate in the service. This information will help us understand potential health inequalities and compare important outcomes like health service usage and treatment completion and survival rates. Additionally, we will conduct a concurrent process evaluation that will focus on addressing the following implementation outcomes: acceptability and appropriateness of referral pathway to staff and patients; adoption; feasibility and unintended consequences.

Please note this post requires a DBS and a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science/Exercise Physiology or closely related subject.

The full job description can be viewed here.

For any informal queries, please contact Dr Cindy Forbes (Senior Lecturer in Physical Activity). [email protected]

Applications close at 00:01am of the closing date listed. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications. If you are interested in this role, please submit your application as early as possible.