This PhD position forms part of an interdisciplinary research programme at Trinity College Dublin, (TCD). Hereditary cardiac conditions are among the leading causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in children, adolescents, and young adults. The abruptness of SCD in otherwise healthy individuals creates profound psychological, social, and cultural reverberations for surviving relatives, as well as the surrounding communities. These conditions represent both a clinical and human challenge, situated at the intersection of physiology, identity, family life, and social relations. This project responds to that complexity by adopting an interdisciplinary approach that integrates clinical cardiology, cellular biology, psychology and sociology, advanced biomedical engineering, and imaging technologies.
The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary research environment with Primary Investigators (PI) representing social sciences, psychology clinical cardiology, biomedical engineering. The PI’s are key experts in their fields of research and based at TCD, St. James’s University Hospital, Children’s Health Ireland, Crumlin and the clinic for hereditary cardiac conditions (Cardiac Risk in The Young, CRY) at Tallaght University Hospital.
Work Package 3: Lived Experience and Socio‑Cultural Contexts takes advantage of a large collection of affected families which have already been clinically and genetically characterised. It focuses on how individuals and families understand, narrate, and manage inherited cardiac risk, which can have a significant impact on their quality of life and disease outcomes. Using qualitative/mixed methods, we will examine how cultural norms, family dynamics, and social relations shape experiences of diagnosis, surveillance, and lifestyle restrictions. This includes attention to cultural narratives of illness, intergenerational responsibility, and identity formation under genetic risk. The experiences of various social groups will be analysed to understand how socio-demographic characteristics such as socio-economic status, ethnicity and migratory background might influence norms, beliefs, attitudes, behaviour and experience. It will investigate the social origin of norms, beliefs, attitudes and behaviour including the role of social networks and lived experience with healthcare systems. Semi-structured interviews will also be conducted with relevant healthcare professionals to gain an understanding of their perspectives on the risk management of various groups.