Date: September 2022
Title: Postdoctoral Health Services Researcher or Data Scientist
Department: Surgery, Division of Trauma, Critical Care, Burns, and Acute Care Surgery
Location: MetroHealth Medical Center
Supervisor: Jeffrey A. Claridge, MD, MS
Mentor: Vanessa Ho, MD, MPH
POSITION
The MetroHealth System is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join the Division of Trauma, to develop research and tools for improving survival and long-term outcomes after acute surgical emergencies such as Trauma and Emergency General Surgery. We are interested in understanding these diseases and their long-term consequences, studying potentially modifiable health and social determinants factors that affect patient outcomes, optimizing implementation of care, and determining value of care delivery. Working within the Department of Surgery MetroHealth Trauma Research Institute of Cleveland (METRIC), the postdoctoral fellow will join METRIC for 2 years to develop a successful career in health services research in the topics of Trauma, Emergency General Surgery, Burns, and Surgical Critical Care. The postdoctoral fellow will be housed in the Division of Trauma, Burns, Surgical Critical Care, and Acute Care Surgery within the Department of Surgery and will have formal connections to the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI).
RATIONALE
Acute Care Surgery is a field of medicine which encompasses trauma, emergency general surgery, burns, and surgical critical care. This specialty treats unexpected and urgent conditions which can be life-threatening and require the treatment expertise of a surgeon. Research around acute care surgery spans all phases of health and recovery, which can include injury prevention (for trauma in particular), healthcare access, prognostication, decision science, health disparities, implementation science, and secondary prevention. Improving survivorship by optimizing care and improving functional outcomes in these patients is also crucial.
POSITION OBJECTIVE
Research will be conducted in collaboration with primary investigators and core clinical faculty within METRIC, providing expertise regarding data coordination, management, and analysis on multiple research and data projects, manuscripts, and grant applications. Over the course of the fellowship, the postdoctoral fellow will be expected to develop their own research studies and submit research proposals and funding, with the possibility of joining the department faculty as a primary PhD researcher in the group at the completion of the fellowship. Coursework at Case Western relevant to research projects may be incorporated into the learning plan, at the discretion of the fellow and supervisor. The fellow will have guidance from both departments, attend conferences in the Division and Department of Surgery, and within PHRI to develop collaborations and ensure academic growth and continued learning.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Study Design: Partner with clinical principal investigators, core faculty investigators, and trainee researchers (residents and students) to develop sound study designs and appropriate statistical strategies to address the various aims of ongoing studies and their generated data. Counsels about data management strategies. Independently assess project objectives and help to organize the collection study data. Determine best research data collection and statistical analysis methods for each project. (20-30%)
- Analysis and Writing: Perform and write analysis summaries and prepare research reports, including internal documentation, academic publications and scientific presentations. Create tables, figures, and charts for presentations and publications, drawing upon data and information from a multitude of sources. Assist with the preparation of statistical sections for grant/ proposal development. Co-author related manuscripts and research grants. (30-50%)
- Independent Project Development: Develop ideas for own research projects, develop teams, and conduct own research, in collaboration with the METRIC team. Prepare grants as appropriate related to these ideas. (0-30%, increasing over two years)
- Education: Attend educational conferences in both Surgery and the Population Health Research Institute. Opportunities to present research, educational updates on relevant topics, and works in progress in either setting. (10%)
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- Recent PhD degree in Health Services Research, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Clinical and Translational Science, or similar field.
- Background in research methods (quantitative required, with qualitative/mixed methods preferred)
SKILLS REQUIRED:
- Ability to identify problems and solve them pragmatically.
- Highly organized with the initiative and technical aptitude to work with limited supervision.
- Effective communication skills, oral and written, as demonstrated by experience writing data reports and scientific manuscripts.
- Knowledge of the statistical methods and statistical programming for monitoring data quality, modifying data for analyses (i.e. data management), and performing statistical analysis.
- Ability and the initiative to engage in self-education to stay current in clinical biostatistics.
- Familiarity with modern hardware and software systems used in biostatistics, including STATA, SPSS, SAS or R, and the aptitude to learn other statistical software packages.
- Knowledge of analytic strategies of behavioral and biostatistical science (e.g., the use of statistical models to understand how continuous, binary, ordered categorical, and censored outcomes are associated with multiple predictors).
- Knowledge of or ability to learn new analytic methods (for example Geographic Information Systems, natural language processing, qualitative data analysis)
- Ability to meet consistent attendance.
- Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors, and customers face to face or via videoconferencing.
- Ability to work from home when required by supervisor.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Typical office environment. This position will work extensively with computers. Contact with study participants may be necessary for projects that require patient enrollment or data collection. Employee will be expected to obtain and maintain certification of training in human subjects research through an online course and exam and other seminars. Possible occasional travel to local, regional, and national meetings for presentations.
Budget:
This position is funded for two years from foundation funds. Presentations at local and national meetings will be reimbursed. Salary and Benefits for two years will follow Case Western Reserve University guidelines from the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (available at https://case.edu/postdoc/administrators-mentors/postdoc-salary-stipend).
TO APPLY
Contact Dr. Ho at vho@metrohealth.org