Monash University - PhD Scholarship in Sexual Health - Melbourne Sexual Health Centre

Duration: 3-year fixed-term appointment

Remuneration:  The successful applicant will receive a tax-free stipend, at current value of $29,000 per annum 2020 full-time rate, as per the Monash Research Training Program (RTP) Stipend https://www.monash.edu/study/fees-scholarships/scholarships/find-a-scholarship/research-training-program-scholarship#scholarship-details

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  • Drive your own learning at one of the world’s top 80 universities
  • Take your career in exciting, rewarding directions

Everyone needs a platform to launch a satisfying career. At Monash, we give you the space and support to take your career in all kinds of exciting new directions. You’ll have access to quality research, infrastructure and learning facilities, opportunities to collaborate internationally, as well as the grants you’ll need to publish your work. We’re a university full of energetic and enthusiastic minds, driven to challenge what’s expected, expand what we know, and learn from other inspiring, empowering thinkers. Discover more at www.monash.edu

The Opportunity:

The Melbourne Sexual Health Centre at Alfred Hospital and Monash University offers a fully funded PhD scholarship in Sexual Health. We are looking for talented students with a strong interest in novel intervention to prevent and control sexually transmitted infections.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a major threat to public health and result in an extensive global burden of disease, including in Australia. The World Health Organisation estimates that there are about 1 million new diagnoses of curable STIs every day. Syphilis has been prevalent among gay and bisexual men who have sex with men (MSM) in Australia. Digital anal examination has been recommended for anal cancer screening among people living with HIV aged 50 years or above. It is hypothesised that digital anal examination may also be useful for early detection of anal symptoms related to STI, particularly syphilis. The PhD student will lead a series of clinical studies and trials to evaluate the effectiveness of digital anal examination for syphilis prevention.

Supervisory team:

Associate Professor Eric Chow, Central Clinical School, Monash University

Professor Christopher Fairley, Central Clinical School, Monash University

Associate Professor Jason Ong, Central Clinical School, Monash University

About Monash and Melbourne Sexual Health Centre

The Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, is the largest faculty at Monash University, and offers the most comprehensive suite of professional health training in Victoria. We consistently rank in the top 40 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.

The Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) is the leading clinic for the testing and treatment of sexually transmissible infections in Victoria. The doctors and nurses at MSHC are experienced specialists in all aspects of sexual health, so clients visiting MSHC can be assured of high quality professional and non-judgmental care. Melbourne Sexual Health Centre also provides support to community based health professionals via online resources and on-site education and training opportunities.

Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, within Monash University’s Central Clinical School, has a very active research team working collaboratively with the clinical team. It is one of the strongest academic sexual health centres in the world. The team includes the most published STI researchers in the world.  MSHC publishes about 100 research articles each year (https://www.monash.edu/medicine/ccs/sexual-health/research/publications) in journals that include the Lancet and JAMA. Research at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre is underpinned by good clinical research practice (GCP) which is an ethical and scientific standard by which research is designed, implemented and reported, ensuring the data are credible and the rights, integrity and confidentiality of participants are safeguarded.

Medical research is supported and undertaken with the goal that research findings maximize clinical practice and policy, improve patient care and outcomes, service delivery and efficiency. Appropriately trained and qualified individuals supervise all research.

Selection criteria:

Applications are invited from outstanding and enthusiastic graduates with relevant backgrounds (medicine, public health, sexual health or equivalent).

Students will be of a high scholarly calibre and will have:

  • A First-Class Honours degree, Masters degree or equivalent in relevant discipline  
  • Analytical thinking, data analysis and critical problem-solving skills
  • Excellent time management skills and ability to work independently
  • Applicants with peer-reviewed publications will be highly regarded
  • Fluency in written and oral English

Interested applicants should refer to the entry requirements for Doctoral Degree (PhD) as per Monash’s requirements https://www.monash.edu/graduate-research/future-students/apply 

How to apply

For general instructions on how to apply for roles at Monash, please refer to "How to apply for Monash Jobs".

Enquiries

Associate Professor Eric Chow, Central Clinical School, eric.chow@monash.edu

Submit an Expression of Interest

Interested candidates should send an expression of interest to Associate Professor Eric Chow eric.chow@monash.edu prior to application submission. Please state “EOI PhD scholarship in Sexual Health – [First name, last name]” in the subject heading of the email. 

Candidates should include the following when submitting the expression of interest:

  • A cover letter that includes a brief statement of the applicant’s suitability
  • A curriculum vitae, including a list of any peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and relevant work and/or research experience
  • Scanned copies of academic transcripts
  • A brief statement not exceeding 500-words in length that explains why you are interested in this research project/area
  • Contact details of two academic referees

Those candidates who pass the expression of interest stage will be invited to submit a full scholarship application before the closing date.

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed (over Zoom/Skype if necessary). The interviews will be conducted in English.