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Objectives of the Charity
The Hypertension
Trust is a registered
UKcharity (No. 289139) established to support training in research in hypertension
and related cardiovascular conditions.
High blood pressure affects over 16 million people in the
UK
and is the direct cause of half of all strokes and heart attacks in the country. Failure to control blood pressure to
target levels results in 62,000 unnecessary deaths every year.
Recent statistics show that 31.7% of men and 29.5% of women
in the
UK
adult population have high blood pressure (Health Survey for
England
, 2003).
The Trust
has a broad remit; it seeks to fund
research training opportunities into arterial hypertension and related vascular
diseases, including pathophysiology, epidemiology, detection, investigation and
treatment.
The Trust’s
main objective is to provide training opportunities for young graduates in order
to prepare them for a career in research in these fields.
The Trust
does not fund project or programme grants.
The Hypertension Trust does not have a specific ‘priority’ list for particular areas
of hypertension or cardiovascular research – the training opportunity and the calibre
of the applicant is of prime importance as is also the suitability of the training
centre and supervision/support. The
Trust continues to follow the career of each of its successful candidates after
the conclusion of the period of their award.
The Trustees are available to provide future career advice and mentorship to individuals,
to encourage them to continue with their careers in the field of hypertension and
cardiovascular disease.
The Hypertension
Trust has close links with the
UK
’s national society for healthcare professionals working in the field of hypertension,
The British Hypertension Society (www.bhsoc.org).
The Fellowship and Studentship Awards are widely advertised to British Hypertension
Society members as well as the medical research community in the
UK
and
Ireland
. The current BHS President is a member
of the panel that reviews all the applications and also of the interview/appointment
panel.
The Trust
recognises that larger charities in the field are funding projects, programmes and
training fellowship (in particular the British Heart Foundation).
The Hypertension Trust is, however, uniquely placed to provide funds exclusively
for work in the field of high blood pressure and as such is pleased to be thus able
to provide additional opportunities for young scientists.
The charitable
funds available to The Hypertension Trust have arisen from the surplus remaining
after the organisation of the 16th Scientific Meeting of the International
Society of Hypertension, held in
Glasgow
in June 1996. The Trust does not presently
undertake an active fund-raising role, unlike most of the larger cardiovascular
UK
charities. The Trust, at least in its current form,
will make its last awards in 2008 and continue to
support awardees until 2010/11.
Summary of Awards
Two types
of awards are available – two-year Research Fellowships and three-year Research
Studentships (leading to the award of a PhD).
One Fellowship and one Studentship are usually awarded each year, although
this is flexible, depending on the calibre of candidates in a given year.
Candidates for the Fellowships are required to hold
a medical or other higher degree in a relevant field of science (PhD) and to have
evidence of research aptitude or clinical experience in hypertension.
Candidates for the Studentships must have obtained a first class
or at least upper second class honours degree. The Trustees will assess applications
for the academic/research potential of the applicant, the quality of the training
and the track record of the supervisor, particularly in the case of the Studentships.
Awards will be given preferentially to
UK
or EC nationals working in the
UK
or the
Republic of
Ireland
. The awards will support a period
of research at an institute, university
or other academic centre in the
UK
or the
Republic of Ireland
.
Awards are advertised in the leading scientific journals and to members of the British
Hypertension Society in January each year, with the deadline for applications in
early March. Following an extensive
review process throughout April and May, short listed candidates are interviewed
in late May or early June, with successful candidates taking up their positions
by October.
Professor J.L. Reid
Chairman of Trustees
January 2006
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