Graduate Funding Opportunities
- Factors Affecting Healthy Volunteers’ Long-Term Participation in Clinical Trials” Applications are now being accepted to fill a postdoctoral fellowship as part of an NIH-funded study investigating the participation of healthy volunteers in pharmaceutical Phase I clinical trials. The position is part of a new five-year longitudinal study to investigate healthy volunteers’ patterns of participation in clinical trials. The research will focus on the relationship over time between healthy volunteers’ perceptions of the risks and benefits of trial participation and their behaviors and decision-making surrounding enrollment in those studies. The principal investigator on the project is Jill Fisher. This will be a one-year position beginning no later than July 1, 2013, with the possibility of annual renewal for four additional years. This fellowship is made possible through a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, one of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Requirements: Applicants must possess a Ph.D. in a relevant social science field (e.g., sociology, science and technology studies, anthropology, or communication). Applicants must have advanced methodological expertise in interviewing and qualitative data analysis, excellent writing skills, and motivation to take initiative to ensure the success of the project. Preference will be given to candidates who exhibit evidence of research interests and demonstrated knowledge in social studies of the pharmaceutical industry, clinical trials (especially Phase I studies), health disparities, and social inequalities. Additionally, Spanish language skills are highly desirable. The postdoctoral fellow will take the lead on collecting and analyzing data, writing articles and reports, and presenting findings at conferences. Periodic out-of-state travel will be required for data collection. The fellow will be expected to be in residence in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for the duration of the position and be an active colleague in the UNC Center for Bioethics and Department of Social Medicine. Applicants should submit a CV, a letter describing suitability for the fellowship, one writing sample, and the names of three references to: Jill A. Fisher, PhD UNC Center for Bioethics, 333 MacNider Hall, Campus Box 7240 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 333 S. Columbia Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7240
