RESEARCH TOPICS OF THE OXFORD PHD COLLEGE
Subjects for research:
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Disease leads to desire to study medical research
A rare genetic disease has been the guiding force in Rachel Morgan’s high school career. The 18-year-old senior has climbed to the top of her graduating class despite painful struggles with a disease that resembles severe arthritis in the back, knees, ankles and joints. Morgan's mother, grandfather and other members of her family have suffered from the disorder, and Morgan says she started experiencing symptoms during her sophomore year. Stiffness and swelling pain in her knees and ankles crippled her for weeks, forcing her to use a wheelchair temporarily during the day to makeover around school. She was also forced to abandon marching band and show choir because of her difficulty walking. Known as psoriatic spondylitis, the autoimmune disease is a form of arthritis that eats away at the cells around joints and inflames tissue and lining, she said. Soft tissue hardens and painfully traps nerves, Morgan said. The exact cause of the disease is not known, and medicine can be used to treat it. Morgan says she has known since she was 6 years old she wanted to find a cure for the disease that has plagued her family. “Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to help people so nobody would have to go through the pain I saw them going through,” she said of family members. “It’s certainly made me determined and very focused on where I wanted to go.” Morgan plans to start at IUPUI in the fall to study biology and chemistry. She hopes eventually to earn a medical degree and doctorate in medical research. “If I can get into a lab working on inflammation and the immune system, I could get the focus and help people with all kinds of autoimmune diseases,” she said. Her dream of studying medical research matches her interest in science, she says. “I’ve always loved science and liked to explore and figure things out. I’ve loved experimenting in biology and chemistry,” she said. While the disease pushed her away from some activities in high school, Morgan has pushed forward with other activities and accomplishments. She is a member of the high school’s academic, English and science teams and choir, National Honor Society and Bible Club and a volunteer with Samaritan Services and at Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis. Morgan also has donated time to Greenwood United Methodist Church, serving in the choir and youth group, and works eight hours a week at the Greenwood Public Library in the audiovisual department. “I’m very involved and like to do everything possible,” she said. “But I had to learn to set priorities and keep doing the things I really wanted to do.”
Morgan started taking Enbrel, a new, experimental medicine in December after experiencing a flare-up in her symptoms and said she’s noticed significant changes in her condition. She has gone back to tap-dancing classes that she had been involved in and is also looking forward to wandering around a college campus without pain. “It’s wonderful and has given me my life back,” she said of the drug. “It’s almost like having another life.” New Medical Research Centre 'To Use Fewer Animals' By Neville Dean, PA News Plans for a new national centre dedicated to reducing the number of animals used in medical experiments were expected to be announced by the Government today. The new centre will seek to reduce the number of experiments carried out on animals and raise standards of welfare by promoting best practice in animal testing.
The aim of the initiative will be to encourage research into the so-called “three Rs” – the replacement, reduction and refinement of the use of animals in experiments. It will build upon the Medical Research Council’s existing centre for best practice. Its research is expected to focus on exploring alternatives to animal testing, such as experiments on cultured cells or computer simulations. The plans were expected to be unveiled this morning by the science and innovation minister Lord Sainsbury. The move follows the scrapping of plans earlier this year for a controversial laboratory using monkeys for testing. Proposals for the multi-million pound Cambridge University research centre in Girton village, on the outskirts of the city, were axed because the project faced escalating costs. But campaigners had argued that the Primate Research Centre would have made Cambridge University into the “monkey torture capital of Europe“. The Research Prosthetist will play a key role in conducting prosthetic research activities associated with the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Improved Technology Access for Landmine Survivors. The Research Prosthetist will work closely with, and report to, the Director of Research and the Director of Engineering Research for the following RERC activities:
Assist in developing and evaluating prosthetic devices and fabrication processes (e.g. investigation of new direct lamination materials, adjustable socket, SACH foot characteristics and alignment) that will be used in landmine affected regions.
Assist in developing and conducting clinical and field trials for products and fabrication techniques developed under the RERC
Assist in developing educational materials describing the fabrication and/or use of new devices and techniques developed under the RERC
Assist in conducting training workshops related to the fabrication and/or use of new products and techniques developed under the RERC.
Qualification:
The applicant must have a college degree and be certified by either the American Board, or the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) and have a minimum of 3-5 years of international experience in prosthetics. In addition, 3-5 years of experience in prosthetic research and training, and experience in orthotics are desired. Candidates must have demonstrated ability to work independently and have good problem solving skills. Candidates must be well organized, attentive to detail and able to function under pressure. The successful candidate must also demonstrate strong writing and editing skills. International travel will be expected. Preference will be given to applicants fluent in written and spoken English and Spanish.
