Center for Rare Disorders

eHealth interventions are promising treatment options that may increase the availability of support. With the advent of the Internet, a new format for delivery of health care has emerged, and there are reasons to believe that online interventions will be an integral part of health care within the next decade. The present position offers a unique possibility to be part of an exciting project aimed at evaluating and implementing a new online intervention. This position is suitable for candidates with clinical or non-clinical backgrounds.

Centre for Rare Disorders has an active research team, and is currently involved in several larger studies, in collaboration with specialised health services, and national and international universities.  You can find more information about the centre and other ongoing projects on our website www.sjeldnediagnoser.no

A 100 % post-doctoral research fellowship is available at Centre for Rare Disorders, 
Oslo University Hospital, Norway (November 2019 – September 2023). 

Project title: Online psychosocial support for young people distressed by appearance-altering conditions: A randomised control trial (RCT).

Centre for Rare Disorders has received funding from the Research Council of Norway for the testing and evaluation of an online intervention programme (www.ypfaceit.co.uk and www.ungfaceit.no), developed at the Centre for Appearance Research (Bristol, UK). The programme has been designed as a self-help intervention for young people (12-17 years) who struggle with appearance-related challenges due to congenital or acquired conditions affecting their appearance (such as craniofacial conditions, burns, skin conditions, scarring, birth marks, acne, tics, overweight, among many other conditions, in addition to weelchair, hearing aids etc.). Clinical experience and research shows that some adolescents suffer extensive and enduring difficulties such as social anxiety, body image dissatisfaction, low self-esteem and/or teasing/bullying as a result of congenital or acquired medical conditions affecting their appearance. The intervention has been developed to provide young people with specialised advice, teach coping and social skills, hence strengthening psychological adjustment to a visible difference. The programme was developed in close collaboration with young people and clinical experts. Suitability, acceptability, and feasibility has been evaluated in the UK and in Norway. Ongoing projects are also testing the programme’s efficacy in the Netherlands, Australia, and the US.

The main objective of the current study is to evaluate and implement this new eHealth-based treatment method in Norway. The aim is to recruit approximately 160 young people with any appearance-altering condition, injury, or treatment side-effect, who also self-identify as experiencing appearance-related distress, teasing or bullying. Participants will be recruited into the study through health care services, user organisations, and the media.

The research team consists of a PhD candidate at Centre for Rare Disorders, and strong collaborators nationally (University of Oslo and University of Bergen) and internationally (University of the West of England, Centre for Appearance Research). The project leader is Kristin Billaud Feragen (Clinical Psychologist, PhD, Research Coordinator at Centre for Rare Disorders).

Only applications submitted through Webcruiter will be evaluated. The application can be sent in English or Norwegian Language.
Application deadline:
21/08/2019 Employer:
Oslo universitetssykehus HF Town/city:
Oslo
Title:
Post-doctoral Research Fellow Full-time/part-time:
Full-time Employment type:
Contract Percentage of full-time:
100
Webcruiter ID:
4099862590 Positions:
1

Work taskes:

• Management and co-responsibility for everyday project tasks
•  Responsibility for quantitative and qualitative analyses    
• Produce publications and project reports 
• Dissemination of results into local and specialised health care, conferences and other events 
• Co-supervision of PhD candidate
• Contribute to visibility of the project in relevant centralised and local services (hospitals, schools, patient associations) in order to recruit a large and broad sample of  young people, in addition to work with implementation of the intervention at the end of the project period  
  
  

Qualifications

•  PhD or equivalent   
  
• Some background in health and appearance psychology and/or internet-based interventions is preferable, but this should not discourage suitably qualified individuals from applying
•  Knowledge of or experience from health care services and other relevant settings is an advantage
•  The candidate should demonstrate a promising publication record 
•  Good understanding of quantitative and qualitative methods   
•  Proficiency in both written and oral English 
•  Proficiency in written and oral Norwegian is an advantage. However, candidates without Norwegian language skills but with significant experience in the psychology of appearance and/or internet-based interventions are encouraged to apply.                  

Personal qualities

• High motivation and enthusiasm for this specific research project
• Emphasis will be placed on personal suitability  
• Ability to flexibly solve project-related challenges
• Ability to work in a systematic and structured way 
• Ability to work both independently and within a research team 
• Professionally confident and able to take responsibility for the management of project processes, quality, and evaluation
• Efficient and hardworking
  

We can offer

• An interdisciplinary work environment with committed colleagues
• National and international collaborators  
• Salary in accordance with the hospital’s wage policy 
• Flexible working hours 
• Pension scheme membership 
  

Location
Børrestuveien 3, 0373 Oslo, Norway

Contacts

Kristin Billaud Feragen
PhD, Psykolog, forskningskoordinator, tel. 23075340 sjeldnediagnoser@ous-hf.no

Oslo University Hospital is a highly specialized hospital in charge of extensive regional and local hospital assignments. As Scandinavia’s largest hospital, we carry out more than 1.2 million patient treatments each year. The hospital has a nationwide responsibility for a number of national and multi-regional assignments, and has several national centers of competence. Oslo University Hospital is responsible for approximately 50 percent of all medical and health care research conducted at Norwegian hospitals, and is a significant role player within the education of a large variety of health care personnel. 

Read the job description at the university homepage

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Post expires on Wednesday August 21st, 2019