Postdoctoral Scholar, Reproductive, Genitourinary, and Digestive Disease Estimation - Department of Health Metrics Sciences


Position Overview


School / Campus / College: School of Medicine

Organization: Health Metrics Sciences

Title: Postdoctoral Scholar, Reproductive, Genitourinary, and Digestive Disease Estimation - Department of Health Metrics Sciences


Position Details


Position Description

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent research center at the University of Washington. Its mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice. IHME carries out its mission through a range of projects within different research areas including the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors; Future Health Scenarios; Cost Effectiveness and Efficiency; Resource Tracking; and Impact Evaluations. Our vision is to provide policymakers, donors, and researchers with the highest-quality quantitative evidence base so all people live long lives in full health.

IHME is committed to providing the evidence base necessary to help solve the world’s most important health problems. This requires creativity and innovation, which is cultivated by an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment that respects and appreciates differences, embraces collaboration, and invites the voices of all IHME team members.  

IHME has an excellent opportunity for a Postdoctoral Scholar on our Reproductive, Genitourinary, and Digestive Disease Estimation (RGUD) team. We are looking for someone ready to advance in their career in global maternal, genitourinary and reproductive health research.  In particular, we are looking for someone eager to develop novel data streams and methods to produce nuanced quantitative estimates of the health loss suffered by pregnant people when they experience nonfatal complications, and of the health loss attributable to risk factor exposure prior to or during pregnancy.

As a Postdoctoral Scholar, you will contribute to research design and training and mentoring junior staff. IHME researchers analyze and produce key estimates for their assigned research team and will assess all available relevant quantitative data – including those on causes of death, epidemiology, quality of life, disability, and a range of determinants – from surveys, vital registration, censuses, peer-reviewed and gray literature, registries, and administrative records.

You will be integrally involved in producing, critiquing, improving, and disseminating results. You are someone that is capable of keeping your team on track to meet deadlines and research objectives. You already have a publication record, and at IHME, you will build out your portfolio with several peer-reviewed papers. You thrive in a collaborative work environment and are capable of working on multiple projects concurrently while meeting deadlines. You keep current of recent scientific, engineering and technical advances and are able to translate these into your research.

This position is contingent on project funding availability. Anticipated start date is Summer 2022.

Postdoctoral Scholar appointments are initially for 12-months with opportunities to renew. Appointment not to exceed 5 years, including postdoctoral experience(s) at other institutions. 

Postdoctoral scholars are represented by UAW 4121 and are subject to the collective bargaining agreement, unless agreed exclusion criteria apply. For more information, please visit the University of Washington Labor Relations website.

Responsibilities:

  • Develop a peer network and be sought out as having a solid command of: a given disease, risk, indicator, or methodological area; relevant engineering or technical areas; related data sources and scientific underpinnings.
  • Exhibit command of one or more maternal, genitourinary or reproductive health research topics, including the methodology and its components.
  • Independently carry out quantitative analyses and participate in reciprocal research projects. Interpret and vet results from junior staff, formulate conclusions and inform team leaders.
  • Develop and implement new computational and statistical methods. Create, test, and use relevant computer code (R, Stata, or Python).
  • Draft presentations and manuscripts, and contribute to funding proposals. Lead and co-author scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals.
  • Maintain scientific awareness and intellectual agility with data, methods, and analytic techniques.
  • Provide ideas, content and support for the development of internal trainings, for your team, IHME, and external audiences. Teach established trainings.
  • Contribute to research design.
  • Other duties as assigned that fall within reasonable scope of research team.

Conditions of Employment:

  • Weekend and evening work sometimes required.
  • This position is eligible for visa sponsorship through University of Washington.
  • The University of Washington requires students and personnel to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Under state regulations, individuals who are not fully vaccinated are required to wear masks while in all UW buildings and facilities. To learn more about the requirements, please review the following: https://www.washington.edu/coronavirus/vaccination-requirement/
  • Office is located in Seattle, Washington. This position is eligible to choose work fully remote from Seattle, WA, or from the IHME office(s); work schedule required to overlap 50% of IHME office hours, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific Time.  

Qualifications

Requirements:

Minimum

  • PhD or foreign equivalent in public health, epidemiology, statistics, biostatistics, math, economics, quantitative social sciences or related discipline

Additional

  • Excellent analytic, critical thinking, and quantitative skills.
  • Attention to results and details, and ability to initiate and complete tasks under tight deadlines and changing priorities, both independently and in a team environment. Flexibility with hours and workload is key.
  • Experience devising and executing statistical modeling techniques.
  • Demonstrated ability to quickly recognize problems in results and identify root causes in data, methods, and code.
  • Ease in designing, executing, and troubleshooting code in one or more languages (R, Stata, Python or equivalent).
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills, including track record of success in co-authoring multiple scientific papers, presenting results, and representing research at meetings.
  • Ability to work both independently and in collaboration with a team
  • A long-term interest in an academic position contributing to the overall mission of our research
  • A commitment to working to alongside others at IHME to illuminate the health impacts of systemic racism and to work within IHME to make our organization more diverse and inclusive.  See IHME’s DEI statement here:  http://www.healthdata.org/get-involved/careers/dei

Desired

  • Experience with maternal, child, reproductive, or genitourinary disease epidemiology.
  • Experience working with household surveys, clinical informatics, or quality of life data.

Instructions

Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, a brief statement (500-word limit) outlining research interests and one letter of recommendation via Interfolio : http://apply.interfolio.com/105083

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or protected veteran status.

Benefits Information

A summary of benefits associated with this title/rank can be found at https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/benefits-orientation/benefit-summary-pdfs/. Appointees solely employed and paid directly by a non-UW entity are not UW employees and are not eligible for UW or Washington State employee benefits.

Commitment to Diversity

The University of Washington is committed to building diversity among its faculty, librarian, staff, and student communities, and articulates that commitment in the UW Diversity Blueprint (http://www.washington.edu/diversity/diversity-blueprint/). Additionally, the University’s Faculty Code recognizes faculty efforts in research, teaching and/or service that address diversity and equal opportunity as important contributions to a faculty member’s academic profile and responsibilities (https://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/FCG/FCCH24.html#2432).

Privacy Notice

Review the University of Washington Privacy Notice for Demographic Data of Job Applicants and University Personnel to learn how your demographic data are protected, when the data may be used, and your rights.

Disability Services

To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu.

COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements and Information

Under University of Washington (UW) Policy, University-compensated personnel must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof thereof, or receive a UW-approved medical or religious exemption. This requirement will be a condition of any offer associated with this recruitment. For more information, please visit https://www.washington.edu/coronavirus/vaccination-requirement/.