Research Fellowship in Cardiology

The Heartbeat Trust is a charity established in 2004 in the east coast of Ireland to support specialist clinical services and research in heart failure and heart failure prevention. The Heartbeat Trust’s activities are based in St. Vincent’s Hospital, Dubli, St Michael’s Hospital, Dun Laoghaire and the School of Medicine and Medical Science in University College Dublin.

Employing a multidiscisplinary team of more than 20 medical, nursing, allied-healthcare, and basic science researchers, the research and clinical activities of the group focus on 3 patient groups:

• Multidisciplinary disease management programme for people with established heart failure;
• Early diagnosis for people with suspected heart failure in the community;
• Prevention of heart failure based on the St Vincents Screening TO Prevent (STOP-HF) model, for community dwelling patients at risk of developing heart failure;

As part of ongoing research, the Trust is sponsoring a phase II investigation of the role of sacubitril/valsartan for the prevention of diastolic abnormalities in asymptomatic patients in the STOP-HF cohort. The STOP-HF prevention model has been incorporated into North American  and Canadian guidelines. The Prospective comparison of ARni with ArB in patients with natriuretic peptide eLEvation (PARABLE) study is a randomised, prospective, double blind, double dummy, evaluation of the impact of sacubitril/valsartan versus valsartan on cardiac MRI determined LAVI over 18 months (EudraCT 2015-002928-53).

The Trust is seeking applications from prospective Cardiology Research Fellows to participate in the research work of the PARABLE study and to support the other research projects in the group. The position is available to suitably qualified cardiology trained people for an initial six month period with potential to extend to 24 months.

The position will be full-time Monday to Friday with no on-call commitment. There is an option to become involved in general on-call cardiology rota at Registrar level if the candidate so wishes but not a requirement. There will be a morning clinic commitment to support the PARABLE study and the work of the chronic ambulatory heart failure care facility Monday to Friday. Afternoons will be dedicated to unit research activities.

There is an additional option to participate in one session of undergraduate teaching per week in the UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science and/or for the work to include support for post-graduate degree. Finally, there is an option to include sub-specialty interest as part of the work.

Remuneration will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. For application please submit a curriculum vitae with covering letter outlining research interests to Colette Forde (colette@heartbeat–trust.ie). For more information please contact Professor Ken McDonald kenneth.mcdonald@ucd.ie.