PhD in Health Sciences

The Academic Centre for Nursing and Midwifery (AccentVV) is part of the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at KU Leuven. AccentVV aims to be a leading scientific center that maximizes the quality of nursing and midwifery care. The center conducts cutting-edge research on developing and evaluating nursing or interdisciplinary care interventions, optimizing (nursing) care organization at micro and meso levels, implementing effective interventions, and exploring ethical aspects of care./nAs your primary responsibility, you will conduct doctoral research in the field of supportive cancer care. The COOLON project (hand/foot-cooling by hilotherapy to prevent oxaliplatin-related peripheral neuropathy in patients with malignancies of the digestive system) involves a multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) to investigate the effect of hand-foot cooling via hilotherapy in patients with colon, rectal, or pancreatic cancer. The RCT will examine patient-reported outcomes (short and long-term) and the impact on (dose reduction and early discontinuation of) therapy./nYou’ll take the lead—under supervision—in the preparation and execution of the study, data analysis and interpretation, publication of research, and dissemination of results. You’ll be closely involved in study activities at UZ Leuven and overseeing activities in other participating centers.