PhD Candidate: DONOR-PROTECT

Descrizione

PhD Candidate: DONOR-PROTECT Sintesi in italiano (traduzione automatica): L'organizzazione Sanquin Research e Amsterdam UMC cercano un candidato per un dottorato di ricerca nel programma DONOR-PROTECT, focalizzato sulla protezione della salute dei donatori di sangue e plasma. Il progetto, finanziato dall'ERC, mira a sviluppare strategie personalizzate per la salute dei donatori, affrontando le implicazioni etiche, legali e sociali. Il candidato condurrà ricerche qualitative e comparative, inclusi revisioni sistematiche e interviste con vari stakeholder. È richiesta una laurea in discipline affini, come Scienze della salute o Etica. Il progetto durerà 4 anni e si svolgerà in un contesto internazionale, collaborando con istituzioni in tutta Europa. Are you interested in the societal implications of personalized healthcare, data-driven decision making, and donor protection? We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate to join DONOR-PROTECT , an ambitious ERC-funded research program that aims to develop and evaluate personalized donor health protection strategies for blood and plasma donors. As demand for plasma-derived medicinal products continues to rise worldwide, blood establishments face the challenge of increasing plasma collection while safeguarding donor health. DONOR-PROTECT brings together epidemiology, transfusion medicine, data science, genetics, immunology, and social sciences to develop evidence-based, personalized donation strategies. Within this multidisciplinary project, you will play a central role in the work package focusing on the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) of personalized donor health protection. Project Background Organization : Sanquin Research & Amsterdam UMC, in close collaboration with Etablissement Français du Sang and the University of Rennes Duration : 4 years (full-time) Project: ERC Consolidator Grant DONOR-PROTECT Current donor policies largely apply the same donation intervals and eligibility criteria to all donors. However, growing evidence suggests that donors differ substantially in how they respond to blood and plasma donation. DONOR-PROTECT aims to move from a "one-size-fits-all" approach towards personalized donor health protection strategies that take individual characteristics into account, such as biomarkers, genetics, dietary patterns, sex, and reproductive factors. While such personalization may improve donor health and optimize blood and plasma collection, it also raises important ethical, legal and societal questions: Which personal data may ethically be used in donor management? How do donors perceive personalized donation recommendations? Could personalization unintentionally increase inequalities? How can donor autonomy and trust be safeguarded? What are the legal requirements for implementing such strategies across Europe? How can personalized donor management be implemented responsibly in different cultural and healthcare contexts? These questions form the core of your PhD project. Your Research You will investigate the ethical, legal and social dimensions of personalized donor health protection through a combination of qualitative and comparative research methods. The project includes three major components: 1. Systematic Review You will conduct a comprehensive review of the scientific and policy literature addressing ethical, legal and social considerations surrounding personalized donor management, donor health protection, health data use, and algorithm-supported decision making. 2. Stakeholder Perspectives Using focus groups and semi-structured interviews, you will explore perspectives of: Blood and plasma donors; Donor physicians and collection staff; Researchers and data scientists; Policymakers and blood establishment leaders; Patient representatives. You will investigate opportunities, concerns, expectations and barriers regarding personalized donor health protection strategies. 3. Cross-Cultural and International Analysis DONOR-PROTECT involves collaborators across Europe and beyond. You will compare ethical and societal perspectives, legal frameworks, and implementation challenges across different countries and blood collection systems. The ultimate goal is to develop practical recommendations and implementation guidance that support responsible adoption of personalized donor health protection strategies throughout Europe. What You Will Contribute To You will be part of the Donor Health research group at the Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, more specifically of a group of 4 PhD students and a post-doctoral researcher working on DONOR-PROTECT, led by Prof. dr. Katja van den Hurk . During the project, you will hold a guest affiliation at Amsterdam UMC. Upon successful completion of the project, Annuncio in inglese. Fonte: Euraxess (Commissione europea).