Clinical Research Associate

Salary: £31,623 to £53,132 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 24 March 2023

The Role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a doctor with a medical degree and GMC licence to practise to work within the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, which has a long tradition of excellence in research, diagnosis and management of neuromuscular diseases.  The post will be based at the Centre for Life at Newcastle University and is an opportunity to gain experience in clinical trials, paediatrics, neurology and clinical/preclinical research. 

You will support the conduct of clinical trials and natural history studies in patients with genetic muscle diseases run at the centre, mainly focused in Myotonic Dystrophy. The post will give the opportunity to learn about clinical trial design, outcome measures, regulatory requirements and ethical issues in conducting clinical research in rare diseases and to develop knowledge and competence to conduct GCP compliant clinical research. There will also be the chance to gain a postgraduate qualification in Clinical research or develop a self-funded PhD.  In addition, you will be able to participate in a range of different neuromuscular clinics across the northern region and gain exposure to state of the art diagnostic capabilities for genetic diseases, mainly focused in Myotonic Dystrophy. Moreover, you will have an active role in the growing number of research projects active in the center focused on the identification of new outcome measures for patients with myotonic dystrophy and preclinical research conducted in this exciting field.    

This is a full time post, fixed term until 31 October 2025

For further information on the centre https://newcastle-muscle.org/

For any queries, please contact heather.hilsden@ncl.ac.uk or jordi.diaz-manera@ncl.ac.uk

Key Accountabilities
•    Support and conduct clinical trials at JWMDRC: patient identification and selection, consenting, recruitment, interaction with patients and their families, conducting study visits and study procedures, reporting of adverse events etc)  under the supervision of senior members of the clinical research team

•    Participate in specialised clinical and diagnostic activities including the national referral clinics for rare inherited forms of muscular dystrophies and adult and paediatric clinics for local patients with neuromuscular diseases

•    Continuously review the literature and technology relevant to JWMDRC work, ensuring a good understanding of other on-going work in the field

•    Be involved in JWMDRC led clinical research grants, allowing for insight into networking activities and international collaborations

•    Publish and present high level scientific information including writing and presenting reports relevant to the work being carried out as part of translational research

•    Support the submission research proposals to funders where appropriate

•    Regular liaison with the principal investigators and senior members of the research teams to discuss the ongoing research and next possible steps

•    Support the clinical initiatives of the Neuromuscular Team, including internal and audits and meetings

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

•    Understanding of clinical trial methodology and GCP Principles
•    Presentation of work at scientific meetings (desirable)
•    Previous research publications (desirable)

Attributes and Behaviour

•    Enthusiastic and hard working
•    Excellent oral communication and writing skills
•    Team-working skills
•    Excellent information technology and computing skills
•    High level of personal organisation
•    Willingness to undertake work outside of normal working hours
•    Willingness to travel internationally

Qualifications

•    MB BS (Medical Doctor, MD) or equivalent from recognised medical school
•    Fully registered with the GMC with licence to practice
•    Good Clinical Practice Training (Desirable) 
 

Newcastle is an inclusive global University community where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive Global University which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from everybody, regardless of race, sex, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital status/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, as well as being open to flexible working practices.

The University holds a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. The University is also a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Requisition ID: 25205