About the role

Background to the role

We have an exciting opportunity for a Research and Dissemination Coordinator to join the Health Behaviour and Implementation Science Research Group to work on the 64-month NIHR-funded IMAB-Qi Programme Grant for Applied Research. The funding is to help address the problem of one in two people not adhering to their prescribed medicine regime:

“Improving adherence may well result in better health outcomes than making available new technologies.” World Health Organisation 2003

Medication non-adherence leads to suboptimal treatment of health conditions and adverse outcomes including morbidity and mortality. The Identification of Medication Adherence Barriers Questionnaire (IMAB-Q) is a behavioural-science underpinned questionnaire (available here) developed by Professor Debi Bhattacharya which has been validated to accurately diagnose a person’s barriers to taking their medicines as prescribed (medication adherence)(1). The IMAB-Q facilitates primary care healthcare professionals such as GPs, pharmacists and nurses, to work with patients to identify the patient’s main barriers to taking their medicines as prescribed. Each barrier to medication adherence identified by the IMAB-Q is linked to 2-3 theory and evidence-based Behaviour Change Techniques from which a healthcare professional and their patient can select according to what is a best fit for them. The IMAB-Q combined with the Behaviour Change Techniques is the ‘IMAB-Q intervention’ or ‘IMAB-Qi’.

We have secured NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research funding (2024-2029) to implement and evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the IMAB-Qi delivered routinely in existing primary care medication reviews. The research programme is led by Professor Debi Bhattacharya and Dr Sion Scott at the University of Leicester and hosted by NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board. Collaborating organisations are Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Universities of York, East Anglia, Nottingham and Oxford. You can find out more about the IMAB-Qi research programme and the team at www.IMAB-Qi.org.

Role Purpose

The post holder will provide efficient, confidential and proactive general administrative and coordination support for the research programme. Additionally, they will coordinate effective dissemination of messages to the IMAB-Qi research programme’s target audiences in a timely manner e.g. by the programmes website and social media. The role holder needs to be enthusiastic, flexible and ideally have experience in working with research teams. They will also be expected to be proactive and highly organised.

About you

You will be highly motivated and self-driven with significant administrative experience and the creative skills to develop materials to facilitate dissemination to stakeholders. You will have excellent interpersonal skills and work successfully alongside a multi-institutional team to deliver the research aims. Experience of working in a university, NHS and/or research environment is also desirable.

Additional information

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be made to Dr Sion Scott on [email protected].

Applications for job share will be considered.

As part of the University’s ongoing commitment to professional development, this role will also be considered on a seconded basis for existing staff members. Please ensure this is discussed with your line manager prior to applying. More information regarding secondments can be found here.

The University of Leicester has been changing the world, and changing people’s lives, for 100 years. When you join us, you’ll become part of a community of Citizens of Change, which includes not only our staff and our current students but also thousands of Leicester graduates around the world.

As a diverse and forward-thinking employer, we embed the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion into everything we do. That includes not just our core missions of teaching and research, but also our support for staff, students and our local community through our values of Inspiring, Impactful and Inclusive.

We’re committed to the wellbeing of all our staff and to the sustainability of our environment, on our campus and beyond. We offer a competitive salary package, excellent pension scheme and a generous annual leave allowance, along with opportunities to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.