Overview

Keele's School of Medicine hosts three faculty research themes:

• Musculoskeletal health - to design, produce and implement world leading interdisciplinary research and evidence, which improves the prevention, identification, diagnosis and management (self-management, treatments and models of care) of musculoskeletal health.  
• Mental health and wellbeing - spanning a range of topics from common mental health problems (anxiety and depression) to severe mental illness and dementia across UK and global healthcare contexts.
• Health professional education - developing, implementing and evaluating innovations in health care education research into practice. 

These are underpinned by methodological strengths including biostatistics (including big data analytics using medical record databases, clinical trials, and prognostic modelling and risk prediction), mixed methods research, and systematic reviews and evidence synthesis.

Our key memberships include: 

• NIHR National School for Primary Care Research  
• NIHR Collaborations for Applied Health Research and Care West Midlands  
• Versus Arthritis Primary Care Centre of Excellence 
• NIHR Incubator for Clinical Education 

We also host students in key doctoral training partnerships including: 

• Wellcome Trust PhD Programme for Primary Care Clinicians 
• ESRC The North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership
• NIHR Integrated Academic Training Programme 

Please note that this is a research degree and has no mandatory taught components. You will be assessed via progression reviews and interim progress reviews. This research degree is available for international applicants.

Research interests

• Applied statistical methods and prognosis research
• Global health
• Healthcare professional education and training 
• Musculoskeletal health
• Mental health and wellbeing
• Primary care

Our expertise and facilities

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences offers a full range of clinical undergraduate, postgraduate and CPD courses. The quality of teaching in our academic schools is reflected in subject league table positions and in feedback from the professional bodies responsible for validating degree courses. 

You will benefit from the latest technology and facilities, as well as partnerships with NHS organisations across Staffordshire and Shropshire, including University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, one of the largest acute hospitals in the country. 

Funding

For more information on doctoral loans and studentships, visit our Postgraduate Research funding opportunities pages.