Life Course Sciences MPhil/PhD/MD(Res) at Kings College London

Overview

The School of Life Course Sciences encompasses four research and teaching units in the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine which span and link landmark life-stages with the origins and understanding of common diseases, treating life and disease as a continuum, a fundamental approach to maintaining and maximising a healthy life

Occupying facilities across Guy’s, St Thomas’, Waterloo and Denmark Hill campuses, the School is headed by Professor Lucilla Poston, Tommy’s Professor of Maternal & Fetal Health. Clinicians, scientists and health professionals work together in a multidisciplinary partnership to enhance research and teaching in the life-course of health and disease. To achieve our ‘life course’ ambition, the School brings together a unique and interactive team of experts in women and children’s health, diabetes, nutritional sciences and the molecular genetics of human disease (twins research and ophthalmology).

The School’s mission is to approach the origins of disease from the earliest stages in life and understanding the life-course of disease and the interactions between cause and effect - such as those which link early life nutrition to development of diabetes and allergy - underpins early detection, treatment and prevention, and can provide us with important research and training opportunities.

Description

The research degree programme within the School is delivered by a multidisciplinary group of clinicians, research scientists and academics. By exploring the life course of health and disease, we approach medicine in a different way. We unite more than 300 experts in women and children’s health, diabetes, nutritional sciences and the molecular genetics of human disease. Our research links the causes of common health problems to life’s landmark stages treating life, disease and healthcare as a continuum.

We are interdisciplinary by nature and this innovative approach works: 91 per cent of our research submitted to REF 2014 was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent*. Based across King’s Denmark Hill, Guy’s, St Thomas’ and Waterloo campuses, our academic programme of teaching, research and clinical practice is embedded across five Departments:

• Department of Diabetes
• Department of Nutritional Sciences
• Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology
• Department of Women & Children’s Health
• Section of Ophthalmology

Research Degree students applying to the School of Life Course Sciences will be registered at one of these departments and will have access to a wide range of research facilities. For details of each department please see below.

We believe that the basis of human health begins before birth and that variation at each life stage has consequences for the next.

Many people carry genes associated with common disorders but whether they develop symptoms or not is often more complex. Which genes are expressed can be shaped by maternal health and later-life nutrition and developing one condition can cause changes that lead to others.

By taking this holistic approach, linking traditionally distinct disciplines and exploring the interactions between environment, genetics, cause and effect, we can find new ways to detect, treat and prevent disease.