PhD fellowship in Developmental Programming of Adiposity and Associated Dysmetabolic Traits

A PhD fellowship is available at Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen (SDCC), Herlev Hospital and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. The position is open for medical doctors, as well as for others with a relevant biomedical background, who has an interest in clinical research within the area of developmental programming of adiposity and type 2 diabetes. The right candidate is expected to start on May 1st, 2022.

The candidate will become part of the recently Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF) funded LiP-TOP-Fit study comprising follow-up studies on offspring health from three randomized controlled lifestyle intervention trials in pregnant women including The Treatment of Obese Pregnant women (TOP) study, the Lifestyle in Pregnancy (LiP) study and the FitMum study.

The project - Our main aim in the consortia is to explore the long-term effects, as well as putative causal mechanisms, of lifestyle interventions in pregnancy on body composition, adiposity and risk of developing adiposity and/or obesity in the offspring at different ages. The perspective is to generate evidence to pave the way for future more sustainable preventive strategies of adiposity and metabolic diseases. The aim of the specific PhD-project is to determine the extent to which lifestyle intervention during pregnancy in the TOP-study is associated with a healthier body composition and a healthier metabolic profile in childhood.

Extended research questions to be interrogated within the overall study consortia includes the potential sustainability of epigenetic changes measured in cord blood as effect of the interventions, associations between physical activity, diet, metabolic and inflammatory markers, mental health in pregnancy, breastfeeding and obesity and dysmetabolic traits in offspring during childhood and at 12-15 years of age, as well as associations between mental health in mother and offspring at follow-up, (loneliness, stress, self-rated health, perceived stigma) and health literacy (social and cognitive competences to navigate in health.

The job - The PhD student will be employed and primarily based at the Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, within the Translational Type 2 Diabetes Research Group, and will work closely together with the researchers in all of the research groups involved in the LiP-TOP-Fit study in both Århus, Odense, Hillerød and Copenhagen, including first and foremost the Department of Obstetrics at Rigshospitalet being the prime place of employment of the main supervisor and PI of this project, Kristina Renault. The candidate will be responsible for tracing, recruitment as well as clinical examinations of the women previously participating in the TOP-study and their now 12-15-year-old offspring. The candidate will together with the rest of the team take responsibility for the statistical analyses of the extensive clinical dataset generated, as well as for drafting and writing manuscripts aimed for publication in international scientific journals.

Terms - The PhD candidate must have an educational background within medicine (MD), or a topically related educational background and will be offered a full-time position for a period of three years. Documented experience in clinical research will be an advantage. Employment will be in accordance with the relevant collective agreement within the Capital Region of Denmark.      

Contact - For further information please contact: Associate Professor and Consultant Kristina Renault (+45 20250677) and/or Professor Allan Vaag, MD, PhD, DMSc (Mobile: +45 20429660).

About Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen - Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen (SDCC) is an international leading diabetes hospital within The Capital Region of Denmark. The hospital has specialized in diabetes treatment, clinical research, prevention and education. SDCC is the biggest diabetes hospital in Scandinavia treating around 11.000 persons with diabetes including approximately 1000 children. In November 2021 SDCC moved to a new house next to Herlev Hospital. Read more at www.sdcc.dk and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

• Fakta

• Arbejdssted
  Steno Diabetes Center
• Kontaktperson
  Kristina Renault
• Adresse
  Borgmester Ib Juuls Vej 83, 2730 Herlev
• Stillingstype
  Forsker
• Speciale
  Intern medicin: Endokrinologi
• Ansættelsesform
  Tidsbegrænset periode
• Ugentlig arbejdstid
  Fuld tid
• Ansættelsens start
  01-05-2022
• Regionens jobnr.
  238161
• Quick-nr.
  424079
• Indrykningsdato
  17-01-2022
• Ansøgningsfrist
  09-02-2022 (udløbet)