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Evaluating the Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic (MAGGIC) Heart Failure Risk Score

Applications

The application window for DPhil admission in 2026-27 is now OPEN.

The application deadline for most Oxford funding opportunities is 02 December 2025

You can express your interest in applying or contact us to discuss your own project idea.

If you have an idea for your own project, or would like to express your interest in applying for a DPhil in our department, then please contact us.

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In this section

Supervisors: Dr Maria DLA Vasquez-Montes, Dr Kathryn Taylor, Professor Clare J Taylor

The guidelines on heart failure management emphasise the importance of individualised risk assessment to guide treatment decisions, but there is no consensus on how to perform this assessment. While many prognostic models exist, the MAGGIC risk score, based on 13 patient characteristics, has been widely validated. However, its prediction performance for the UK population remains unreliable due to variability in study quality. This proposal aims to externally validate the MAGGIC risk score using UK data and appropriate prediction modelling guidelines to improve its reliability in UK healthcare. The project will also assess the patient benefit of incorporating this digital tool into practice by exploring its association with quality-of-life measures. The added value of well-established prognostic biomarkers, natriuretic peptides (BNP and NT-proBNP), will also be investigated.  These properties of the MAGGIC score will be explored considering factors such as measurement error and missing data.

Preferred applicant background/skills: We are seeking a candidate with a strong background in clinical and quantitative research. The ideal candidate will have:

  • A Master's degree in Statistics (or similar) and a degree in a clinical field.
  • Expertise in prediction modelling research, big data analysis, and simulation, supported by a strong computational skill set.

Supervisors