Research Assistant: Treatment and Outcomes of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Introduction to the topic:

Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) is the most common disease of the digestive tract, with a prevalence of 10-20% and an incidence of 5 per 1000 persons and year in the Western world. The most common underlying physiological mechanism is a transient inappropriate relaxation of the lower oesophageal sphincter.

The reasons for GERD may be hereditary, but may also be related to obesity or lifestyle factors. Reflux may be asymptomatic, but it usually causes heartburn and (acid) regurgitation, while less common symptoms are dysphagia as well as respiratory problems due to aspiration. There is a strong and causal relation between gastro-oesophageal reflux and oesophageal adenocarcinoma. GERD is a very common disease and in view of the possible and serious consequences of the disease, we want to assess it both clinically and epidemiologically.

Project details:

This project is part of a long-term Nordic collaboration, and will, for this part, be concentrated on an epidemiological approach: What do people who suffer from this disease look like? Is this, for example, a disease that is equally distributed between genders or age groups? We will use epidemiological methods to organize and analyze data collected from hospital patient registries in order to map the demographic composition of patients and compare them to the overall population.

In your role as a Research Assistant, you will experience the world of research and gain skills that will prepare you for any future career you choose to pursue. By the end of the term, you will grasp the complexities of the research project and have made your own contribution to the project. You will have learned to collect and analyze data as well as to communicate ideas and findings, both orally and in writing, to colleagues within your particular discipline, as well as peers from other disciplines.

Selected relevant publications:

Hardvik Åkerström J, Santoni G, von Euler Chelpin M, Chidambaram S, Markar SR, Maret-Ouda J, Ness-Jensen E, Kauppila JH, Holmberg D, Lagergren J. Decreased Risk of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma After Gastric Bypass Surgery in a Cohort Study From 3 Nordic Countries. Ann Surg. 2023 Dec 1;278(6):904-909. DOI: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000006003
Wiklund AK, Santoni G, Yan J, Radkiewicz C, Xie S, Birgisson H, Ness-Jensen E, von Euler-Chelpin M, Kauppila JH, Lagergren J. Risk of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma After Helicobacter pylori Eradication Treatment in a Population-Based Multinational Cohort Study. Gastroenterology. 2024 Mar 19:S0016-5085(24)00299-3. DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2024.03.016

Prerequisites

One year of chemistry and one year of biology at university level.

Additional application required

You must submit an additional application through the Online Registration portal.

All application materials must be submitted on the following dates by midnight in your time zone:

November 1 for spring semester applicants
May 1 for fall semester applicants

Complete your application through Student Registration.

Syllabus

Go to syllabus

This is a draft syllabus. The final syllabus will be available here a few days prior to the new course’s first start date.

Faculty

Public-Health-My-Catarina-von-Euler-Chelpin[1]

My von Euler-Chelpin

Faculty

Associate Professor (Section for Environmental Health, Dept. of Public Health, University of Copenhagen) Ph.D. (Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 2007). Research Consultant at UNESCO, Paris and Nairobi, and International Committee of the Red Cross, 1986-2002. Researcher, Dept. of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 2002–present. With DIS since 2011.

Research Assistantship FAQ

Learn more about research at DIS.

: Earning authorship within the course of a semester is challenging. Exceptional Research Assistants may be considered for co-authorship, subject to evaluation from the supervising Research Mentor.

Though you may not ultimately become an author on a published paper, you will gain many practical skills and insights into the publication process.

: Many research projects last across several semesters, so not all RAs on the same project will conduct the same research.

: On average, students in 3-credit Research Assistantships spend at least 10 hours a week on research tasks. These 10 hours per week consist of a variety of different research-related tasks, including conducting a literature review, data collection, analyses, coding, documentation, and meetings with your mentor. You may decide on a particular block of time (consistent each week) for you to carry out the work, or adjust it on a week-by-week basis.

Students in a 6-credit Research Assistantships spend an average of 20 hours per week with lab and clinically based research tasks. You decide the exact meeting and lab times with your supervisor, but your schedule consists of classes at DIS two days a week, with two days a week in the lab.

There may be peak times in the research process where all Research Assistant students are expected to spend a few more hours, and then possibly fewer hours another week – to reflect the individual research project and process.

: Work for the 3-credit Research Assistantships may take place outside DIS, on your own time at a location of your choosing, or at DIS – this varies from project to project. The 6-credit research assistantships generally take place at labs in Copenhagen or Stockholm outside DIS.

: Students with a variety of academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply for the 3-credit Research Assistant course. While some courses do have prerequisites, many opportunities do not require prior research experience.

The 6-credit Research Assistant opportunity is designed for highly motivated students who have a strong science background within the field of interest and some basic research experience. The student must be willing to commit a large portion of their semester to an engaging opportunity involving hands-on research in universities and medical institutes in Copenhagen or Stockholm.

Introduction to the topic:

Project details:

Prerequisites

Additional application required

Syllabus

Faculty

My von Euler-Chelpin

Research Assistantship FAQ

Will I publish a research paper?

What exactly will I do?

What is the time commitment for a 3-credit or 6-credit Research Assistantship?

Where is the research work carried out?

What type of student applies for the 3- and 6-credit Research Assistant courses?