Two Job Vacancies at ScHARR - Research Assistants

We are currently advertising for two Research Assistants to join the Health Economics and Decision Science (HEDS) Section as part of the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group (SARG).

** Closing date Monday 27th June **

ScHARR, Regent Court

Are you interested in working for a world top 100 University?

We have an exciting opportunity in the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) to join the Health Economics and Decision Science (HEDS) Section as part of the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group (SARG). You will work as part of a multidisciplinary team providing support to health economics/decision modelling research staff on a range of applied policy and methodological research with a particular focus on the effects of alcohol and of tobacco.

The post is funded as part of the UK Prevention Research programme:- Shaping public health policies to reduce inequalities and harm (SPECTRUM). The projects involve designing and undertaking health economic, statistical, and epidemiological modelling-based analyses for policy appraisal.

Analysis of complex datasets and design of health economic models are key activities, as is methodological development to support the policy appraisal process. You will also contribute to writing research and consultancy tenders, and contribute to the Section’s teaching responsibilities by delivering tutorials.

You will have a graduate qualification in a numerate subject (e.g. statistics, economics, operational research, mathematics, or quantitative applied sciences or social sciences). A post-graduate qualification or equivalent experience is desirable.

This post is designed to undertake project work half-time and at the same time undertake parttime education on our Masters in Health Economics and Decision Modelling (with an option for a candidate who is already fully qualified to take the role part-time without undertaking the MSc). 

Reference Number: UOS033256

Contract Type: Fixed-term for 2 years, 26 September 2022 - 25 September 2024

Working Pattern: Part-time: working 17.5 hours per week, working pattern to be agreed.

Faculty: Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health

Department: School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR)

Salary: Grade 6

Closing Date: Monday 27 June 2022

The vacancy and ATJ can be found here.

Job vacancy @ ScHARR - Research Associate / Fellow (Sheffield Alcohol Research Group)

 

Sheffield Alcohol Research Group (SARG) is seeking to appoint a highly motivated Research Associate (G7) or Research Fellow (G8). SARG is an internationally leading centre for alcohol policy, epidemiological and health economic research, bringing together disciplines including public health, operational research, psychology, sociology, engineering, and economics. The group carries out innovative research relating to the prevention of physical and mental ill health caused by alcohol consumption, and more recently smoking. Founded in 2008, SARG is supported by a large number of grants from funders including the MRC, ESRC, NIHR and Wellcome.

The University of Sheffield has provided strategic funding for SARG to invest in developing its research programme. We are therefore seeking an experienced researcher to work closely with SARG’s senior management team to develop a number of research grant applications over an 18 month period. This will include a large consortium or programme grant.

As a Research Associate, you should have experience of leading or collaborating on research grant applications. As a Research Fellow, you should possess a sound understanding of all aspects of generating academic funding bids and have experience of successful grant applications and of submitting a large grant application as a lead or co-investigator (e.g. with a budget over £300k). At both levels, you should have experience of conducting rapid literature reviews, preparatory data exploration and analysis, and stakeholder engagement or co-production.

You should possess strong spoken and written communication skills for liaising with multiple partners and external bodies. Excellent interpersonal skills are essential. You should be able to independently plan and deliver work with minimal supervision and direction.

This role provides excellent opportunities to develop your career and shape your own future research programme. You will also engage routinely with policy stakeholders and participate in generating research impact within a supportive, flexible and friendly environment.

The post would suit a public health researcher with a strong grounding in epidemiology, health economics or related disciplines. An appreciation of wider public health policy and political considerations is desirable.

We are committed to exploring flexible working opportunities which benefit the individual and University.

We’re one of the best not-for-profit organisations to work for in the UK. The University’s Total Reward Package includes a competitive salary, a generous Pension Scheme and annual leave entitlement, as well as access to a range of learning and development courses to support your personal and professional development.

We build teams of people from different heritages and lifestyles from across the world, whose talent and contributions complement each other to greatest effect. We believe diversity in all its forms delivers greater impact through research, teaching and student experience.

To find out what makes the University of Sheffield a remarkable place to work, watch this short film: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LblLk18zmo, and follow @sheffielduni and @ShefUniJobs on Twitter for more information.

To apply, click here

Early Career Alcohol Research Symposium - 7-8 July 2020

In a time where many other research interactions have been halted, the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group is pleased to host a new annual symposium: the “Early Career Alcohol Research Symposium”.

This two day symposium is aimed at UK-based early career researchers working in the field of alcohol research from both public health and social perspectives.  We define early career researchers as up to five years post-doctoral or no more than seven years in alcohol research (excluding Bachelors and Masters degrees). Please contact the Organising Committee if you are unsure whether you meet this definition.

More information here https://ecars2020.org/

SARG ECARS 2020

The programme will feature early career researchers presenting and discussing each other’s research, as well as a career development session.

The programme will also include social activities to encourage networking, foster collaboration and build a community among the next generation of alcohol researchers in the UK.

The meeting will be held online through the Blackboard Collaborate platform at the University of Sheffield, which is accessible through web browsers without downloading any new software.

Deadlines

Call for abstracts	4 May
Abstract submission deadline	1 June
Notification of abstract acceptance	8 June
Registration and biography deadline	21 June
Programme circulated	22 June
Presentation submission	5 July

There is no charge for attending the conference but delegate numbers are limited to facilitate free-flowing discussion.

We look forward to welcoming you to ECARS 2020!

The Organising Committee:

Dr Ines Henriques Cadby
Professor John Holmes
Jane Hughes
Dr Inge Kersbergen

Colin Angus to present at the Health Economics & Evidence Synthesis (HEES) Group Seminar Series

Colin Angus is delivering the next Health Economics & Evidence Synthesis (HEES) Group Seminar Series. His talk is on 'Modelling the impact on health, healthcare costs and health inequalities of Screening and Brief Intervention programmes'. Further details are below.

Drinking responsibly is bad news for the alcohol industry – here's why - HEDS Colin Angus writes for The Coversation

Colin Angus

HEDS Colin Angus has written an article for The Conversation titled: Drinking responsibly is bad news for the alcohol industry – here's why. We have republished the piece via Creative Commons.

Colin Angus, University of Sheffield

Alcohol producers and retailers have long argued that their goal is a world where everyone drinks responsibly and heavy drinking is a thing of the past. As a result, the alcohol industry claims to be part of the solution to the UK’s drink problem rather than part of the problem. In our latest research, published in Addiction, we examine the credibility of this claim. We used data from two major national surveys, the Health Survey for England and the Living Costs and Food Survey. Taken together these surveys give us an insight into the drinking and alcohol buying habits of almost 27,000 people.

Sobering figures

ID1974/Shutterstock.com

Using this data, we calculated that over 77% of all alcohol sold in England in 2013-14 was drunk by the 25% of adults who exceeded the UK drinking guidelines of 14 units per week (roughly six pints of beer or one and a half bottles of wine). Crucially for the alcohol industry, these heavy drinkers also account for 68% of revenue from alcohol sales.
If we focus on the heaviest drinkers – men drinking over 50 units a week and women drinking more than 35 units – then things look even worse. The 4% of adults drinking at this level accounted for almost a quarter (23%) of alcohol industry revenue.
Not all parts of the alcohol industry are equally reliant on the revenue from heavy drinkers. A greater proportion of beer revenue comes from those drinking above the guidelines than spirits (67% compared with 50%). Similarly, a much larger proportion of sales revenue for supermarkets and off-licences comes from heavy drinkers than revenue in pubs, clubs and restaurants (81% compared with 60%). This suggests that the industry’s reliance on heavy drinkers may have increased over time as alcohol consumption has shifted from drinking in the pub to drinking at home.

Doesn’t add up

These figures don’t look good for the alcohol industry. How can such a reliance on heavy drinkers for their revenue be compatible with a desire to see everyone drinking responsibly? It turns out that the industry has an answer for this: they will encourage us all to “drink less, but drink better”.
If we all drink fewer drinks but pay more for each one, would everyone win? Our analysis suggests that the answer is an emphatic no.
We looked at a scenario where every drinker who exceeds the UK guidelines reduced their drinking to 14 units per week and calculated how much the price of alcohol would have to increase to sustain industry sales revenue at its current level. For drinkers, the answers don’t make for happy reading. The average price of a pint in a pub would have to jump from £3.51 to £6.15, while the average cost of a bottle of wine in your local shop or supermarket would rocket from £5.50 to £9.86.
It may be the case that some sectors of the alcohol market, such as small producers of craft beers or spirits, could sustain such price rises, but it seems unlikely that they could be achieved across the entire market.

The drinks industry relies on heavy drinkers for the bulk of its revenue. Dmytro Zinkevych/Shutterstock.com

Responsible deal?

One of the few alcohol policies of any note to come out of Westminster in the past eight years was the so-called “responsibility deal”, in which over 100 alcohol makers and sellers committed to “foster a culture of responsible drinking, which will help people to drink within the guidelines”.
Later research showed that this commitment led to little in the way of meaningful change and is unlikely to have achieved these goals.

In highlighting the implausibility of the alcohol industry’s argument that it wants a world where everyone drinks moderately, our analysis suggests that this approach was doomed from the outset. Large sections of the industry would not survive if this were to happen, calling into question whether it is appropriate to include them in decisions about future alcohol policy.

Colin Angus, Research Fellow in the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group, University of Sheffield

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

HEDS contributes to new report on liver disease and alcohol consumption

A new report published by the Foundation for Liver Research and endorsed by the Lancet Commission on Liver Disease includes new estimates from the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group (SARG) (which contains members of HEDS) of the burden that alcohol places on the NHS and society. The report was featured on the front page of the Guardian newspaper on Monday 24th July, 2017.

The figures used in the report come from the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model, a complex behavioural and epidemiological simulation model which combines data on patterns of alcohol consumption and purchasing, current rates of harm for 43 different alcohol-related health conditions, evidence on the relationship between prices and purchasing, and epidemiological evidence on the links between drinking at different levels and risks of harm.

The numbers show that alcohol is estimated to cause 35 deaths and 2.300 hospital admissions a day in England, and over the next 5 years this will cost the NHS almost £17billion at a time when healthcare resources and budgets are already being stretched. This research also highlights the potential for policies such as a Minimum Unit Price for alcohol to reduce this burden.

Estimated deaths attributable to alcohol over next 5 years

This report comes out just as the UK Supreme Court is hearing the final stage in a lengthy court battle between the Scottish Government and the Scotch Whisky Association about the legality of Scotland's efforts to introduce a Minimum Unit Price for alcohol.

Evidence from SARG and the Sheffield Model has formed an integral part of the court case, highlighting that the policy would effectively target the heaviest drinkers and have a positive effect on socioeconomic inequalities in health. The court's judgement is expected to be delivered in the Autumn, with a host of other countries, including Wales and Ireland, looking on. Both countries have announced their intention to introduce a Minimum Unit price, supported by SARG modelling, however this seems certain to be conditional on the Supreme Court ruling that the policy is not in breach of EU law.

The report can be viewed here

Guardian article featuring SARG's work.

Sheffield Alcohol Research Group Attend Parliamentary Event on Research Impact

ScHARR’s Colin Angus and Robin Purshouse from the Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering attended an event hosted by the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST). The researchers were invited to exhibit posters and talk about their work as part of the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group (SARG). 

Robin Purshouse (left) and Colin Angus (right) at the
Research Impact and Parliament exhibition at Portcullis House.

The event held at Portcullis House, Westminster was part of POST’s work on Research Impact and Parliament. It aimed to help highlight the ways academics can get involved with Parliament and have an impact with their research.

More on the story can be read on the ScHARR News Page