Could you help educate the UK’s medical cannabis doctors? We’re seeking an Information & Library Studies Research Student (Masters)
July 23, 2020 | IN NEWS | BY Kate Thorpe
The Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society is a physician and expert-led nonprofit society dedicated to the education of clinicians on the topic of medical cannabis and therapeutic cannabinoids dedicated to supporting the medical and scientific community in the UK and globally with high-quality education, peer support and training to benefit patients who are suitable for this class of medication as an option.
We’re seeking Masters-level Information & Library Studies Research Student to lead a project for the Society.
The project
As our main remit is education, we aim to provide a searchable research database for medical cannabis and cannabinoid studies that have been published in peer-reviewed journals. This ranges from case reports and observational data sets through to RCTs and meta-analysis searchable by keyword or clinical/therapeutic area where cannabinoid-based medicines are being used.
In Canada, Vice-Chair Dr. Gordon worked with a master of library studies research student from the University of British Columbia in Canada on creating such a database for another area of medicine and this project was very successful. We hope to complete a similar project with a student here in the UK. In the past, Dr. Gordon acted as the clinical mentor/supervisor for the student over two semesters and the project was completed as part of their curriculum. The student was able to gain successful employment upon graduation immediately using this project as the showcase in their portfolio and recommendations from Dr. Gordon as well as being able to show their work on leading this project.
Why it is needed
Currently, there is no unbiased source of information for clinicians where they can search for the most up to date and also the most relevant peer-reviewed research in this topic area, which is still quite new and considered by many, a controversial area of medicine.
This service and capability is absolutely essential to ensuring clinicians have up-to-date information at their fingertips to help support their prescribing decisions in this area and keep abreast of new studies and findings to guide both clinical decisions as well as support policy change and continuing medical education needs. Currently, many patients seeking medical cannabis for a treatment-resistant chronic illness in the UK are coming to their doctors knowing more about the published evidence base than their clinician.
Why we need you
The MCCS is run on a volunteer basis by leading expert physicians who also work full-time in their practices and do not have the database building technical skill set or time scales for the completion of this project. Because we are a not-for-profit organisation with limited funds, we are unable to seek out a commercial partner to complete this project.
Apply now
To apply for the position, please contact the Society by emailing [email protected] with a cover letter which details your interest and qualifications. Expenses will be paid as part of this work and you will receive full support.