Clinical Research Fellow

at  Imperial College London

About the role We are seeking a bright and enthusiastic junior clinical research fellow (post-FY2 and above) to support a novel and innovative study investigating beta-blocker symptoms in heart failure, to inform patients’ decision making and improve patient care. The study (ENABLE-HF: pErsonalised Nocebo Assessment of Beta-blockEr symptoms in Heart Failure) has been awarded a prestigious project grant by the British Heart Foundation. We will study people who previously tried taking beta-blocker tablets for heart failure, but stopped them because of symptoms that they and/or their doctor thought were due to the tablets. These people are currently missing out on the life-prolonging benefit of beta-blockers.
In this study we will develop, for the first time, an individualised system to inform patients whether symptoms that stopped them taking beta-blockers are due to the beta-blocker itself or another reason such as heart failure, random chance, or the psychological expectation that they will have a side-effect (’the nocebo effect’). To find out this personalised information, each participant will go through an individual protocol consisting of weeks of taking beta-blocker tablets, blank (placebo) tablets, and no tablets. They will tell us how they feel every day using an app or by telephone. At the end, we will show them their personalised results so that they can decide whether to continue taking beta-blocker tablets.
This study is paramount in not only helping patients make an informed decision about their medications, but also in developing this protocol as a potential intervention to help patients with other chronic conditions take life-saving tablets. Accordingly, this post will be well-suited to individuals with interest/experience in heart failure, chronic disease management, psychology, tele-medicine and digital health. What you would be doing You will join a dynamic and enthusiastic team of clinical researchers in heart failure, as part of a larger well-developed research group at the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London with a track record of publishing innovative and high impact studies. You will also have an honorary contract with our twinned NHS Trust (Imperial College Healthcare), which will be the primary clinical site for this study.
You will lead the day-to-day administration of the study. Typical duties include (but not limited to): Research/academic activities Identifying and screening potential participants. Conducting enrolment consultations including measuring blood pressure, heart rate, 12 lead ECG etc. Attending the weekly heart failure multi-disciplinary team meeting.
Helping patients download and set up the study app on a smart-device. Retrieving data from the app server and managing the study database. Filling in data gaps by telephoning patients to get their daily symptom data. Staffing a telephone line for study queries from participants.
General study administration including liaising with the drug/placebo provider, joint research office and other stakeholders. Attending meetings and complying with governance. Performing and reporting periodic study audit. Supporting manuscript preparation and presentation.
Clinical activities Additionally, you will be the day-to-day clinical point of contact for this cohort of patients as they go through the study protocol. This may include fielding telephone calls, emails, and other communication from patient/carers about general medical issues, with appropriate triage, clinician decision-making commensurate with your level of training, and escalation as needed. You will gain extensive experience in managing chronic heart failure, with the research participants constituting your own list of outpatients, with supervision from the study leads. You will have the opportunity to join the Imperial staff bank and sign up for a wide range of readily available locum shifts both within and outside Cardiology to supplement your clinical experience and income.
You will have the opportunity to observe practice at a busy tertiary Cardiology/cardiothoracic service at a teaching hospital. We will support you to map your experiences to relevant curriculum competences with workplace-based assessments and/or applications for specialist training programmes (including academic clinical fellowships). The successful candidate will receive training to perform the above activities. You will report to the clinical study lead (Dr.
Sameer Zaman) who will provide day-to-day supervision, and the chief investigator (Dr. Graham Cole). Outside of the above activities, the successful candidate will receive personal mentorship from the study leads, including the opportunity for professional development and to get involved with a wide range of clinical and research activity being conducted in our unit. What we are looking for Applicants must be a qualified medical doctor with valid GMC registration and have completed UK foundation training (or equivalent) Knowledge of good clinical practice and proven clinical or management experience is desirable.
Have the ability to work efficiently both independently and as part of a team. Candidates should be highly motivated, proactive, and ambitious. Applicants should possess effective organisational and communication skills. Applicants should possess effective IT skills including MS office and data basing.
Experience with computer programming for biomedical statistics (e.g. Python, R)/web design/app design/graphic design is desirable but not mandatory. Experience in clinical research including data collection, curation, literature review, manuscript writing and presentation are highly desirable. Previous experience managing heart failure patients (acutely and/or in the community) is highly desirable.
Previous experience managing general medical/general cardiology patients is highly desirable. What we can offer you The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 39 days off a year) Further information This position is flexible (0.5-1.0 WTE) and fixed term (until August 2025 based at Hammersmith Campus in East Acton). The typical working hours for 1.0 WTE would be 0900-1700, Monday to Friday (other patterns of working can be discussed). There is the possibility of a hybrid working model (in-person and remote), depending on the needs of the candidate and the study.
Should you require any further details about the role, please contact Dr. Graham Cole (graham.cole3@nhs.net) and Dr. Sameer Zaman (sameer.zaman1@nhs.net) For technical issues when applying online please email sjobs@ic.ac.uk Please complete an online application to be considered

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