Career Opportunities

Job ID #

3293799

Description

The Medical Practice Evaluation Center (MPEC) at Massachusetts General Hospital is seeking a Faculty Biostatistician to work as part of an internationally recognized multidisciplinary team of epidemiologists, clinical trialists, and implementation scientists dedicated to improving clinical outcomes and informing global public health policy in resource limited settings through innovative research, collaboration, and education. Academic appointments within the Mongan Institute at MGH will be at the rank of Instructor, Assistant Professor, or Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, based on the candidate’s background. This position will be an integral part of a dynamic, results-oriented, and diverse group of researchers based at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, working in partnership with multiple international institutions.

The Faculty Biostatistician will work within the Epidemiology and Implementation Science Program at MPEC. The Epidemiology and Implementation Program works to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions to improve care of HIV and other diseases of high public health significance in multiple international settings. Current projects include:

• Using implementation science methods to evaluate the health and quality of life impacts of a policy change in South Africa to allow patients with HIV to pick up medications at community venues
• Developing and implementing causal inference statistical methods to determine the contributions of HIV to cardiovascular disease and developing novel cardiovascular disease risk prediction tools in South Africa with use of use of large (i.e. n=20,000) longitudinal observational cohort studies within a community-based, comprehensively phenotyped population
• Conducting a multicenter implementation science clinical trial to estimate the impact of community health worker-supported hypertension care in South Africa
• Investigating the role of maternal HIV infection, co-infection, antiretroviral therapy use, and placental pathology on early childhood health and development
• Evaluating novel service delivery mechanisms for sexually transmitted infection screening and prevention strategies at the MGH Sexual Health Clinic in partnership with community organizations in the Boston area
• Conducting a multinational randomized controlled trial to determine the optimal strategy of managing persistent HIV treatment failure in Uganda and South Africa

The position offers a stimulating, collaborative, and multidisciplinary environment and the opportunity to contribute to NIH-funded, policy-informing research as a co-investigator. We are looking for individuals interested in both applied and theoretical statistics. The primary responsibilities of this individual will be to inform and select biostatistical design elements of clinical trials, implementation science projects, and longitudinal cohort and other observational study designs. The role will include protected time to pursue independent research and include partnership as the faculty biostatistician lead on projects, leadership of independent statistical research, and mentorship/teaching of the data science team including data analysts and collaboration with other statisticians at MPEC and MGH, as well as with national and international research partners, including in South Africa and Uganda.

Application process

Interested candidates should apply via www.massgeneral.org/careers website using Job ID 3293799.

**When applying, please upload a cover letter and resume.

For more information regarding our group, please visit https://mpec.massgeneral.org.

Principal duties and responsibilities

The Faculty Biostatistician will participate in all phases of research projects, from conception and design of studies through analysis and writing manuscripts for submission to academic journals.

• Lead and/or partner with investigators to develop and review biostatistical elements of studies (e.g. study design, causal methods, model selection, power/sample size calculations, sensitivity analyses, etc.), including observational studies, clinical trials, and implementation science projects. This work will include grant writing and protocol writing.
• As desired, develop and lead a research program in applied or theoretical statistics to address statistical and methods issues related to global health research.
• Lead and oversee a team of data analysts to conduct biostatistical analysis for research protocols as described above
• Develop and write formal statistical analysis plans and data and safety monitoring plans for research protocols as described above
• Serve as co-author and lead/senior on manuscripts
• Mentor a team of data analysts in statistical analysis, study design, and coding
• Foster a culture of community, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging among faculty, staff and learners
• Maintain department-wide professional expertise in established and emerging biostatistical methods and study design

The above is intended to describe the general contents and requirements of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive statement of all duties, responsibilities, or skills of personnel so classified.

Qualifications

The candidate should have a doctoral degree in biostatistics or epidemiology and strong statistical computing skills, with 2-3 years of postdoctoral or faculty experience strongly preferred. We are seeking someone with experience with:

1) observational methods, such as causal inference, hierarchical modeling, risk prediction modeling and/or missing data methods with electronic health records;

2) experimental methods, such as traditional clinical trials, implementation science evaluations and/or adaptive designs;

3) work or research experience in resource-limited settings and/or sustained commitment to work that directly addresses health inequity.

Exceptional quantitative and analytical skills are essential. The candidate must have excellent English language (spoken and written) skills.

Working Conditions

Duties will be carried out in a hybrid office environment at Massachusetts General Hospital. The employee should expect to be on-site at least three days per week.

In keeping with our overarching mission to reduce health and other disparities in vulnerable populations, the Medical Practice Evaluation Center is specifically committed to recruiting a diverse team of individuals across race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and ability backgrounds to ensure that our science is informed by and responsive to the communities we aim to serve. The Center strives to become a leader in developing and maintaining increased representation, recognition, and support of each of these dimensions of diversity among all of its members.

The above is intended to describe the general contents and requirements of work being performed by all people assigned to this classification. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive statement of all duties, responsibilities, or skills of personnel so classified.

Job ID #

3305619

Description

The Medical Practice Evaluation Center (MPEC) is seeking Research Assistants (Clinical Research Coordinators) to work with an internationally recognized multidisciplinary team from Massachusetts General Hospital dedicated to improving clinical outcomes, increasing value in health policy, and informing global public health through innovative research, collaboration, and education. MPEC is a dynamic, results-oriented, and diverse group that values the unique contribution of its Research Assistants.  

Research Assistants will receive training on clinical and public health research topics, simulation model design and application, research software and tools, interdisciplinary collaboration, and best practices in academic research. MPEC highly values communication of its work to external audiences and is committed to cultivating the presentation skills of Research Assistants – skills that are essential in virtually every field. Research Assistants work within a larger research community at Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School that provides exposure to a breadth of interdisciplinary collaboration, access to lectures, and training on a wide array of topics, including programming languages, writing, presentation skills, phlebotomy, ethics, and clinical topics. MPEC values individual mentorship and career development for Research Assistants evident in opportunities for coauthorship on peer-reviewed manuscripts, clinical shadowing, presentations at conferences, and references for future jobs and schooling. Research Assistants in our group frequently go on to pursue careers in medicine, public health, epidemiology, global health, and health policy research, as well as careers in economics, public policy, biostatistics, and non-governmental organizations.                                 

Research Assistants will work with investigators in the Epidemiology and Implementation pillar within MPEC.

The Epidemiology and Implementation pillar develops, implements, and evaluates interventions to improve engagement in medical care in the United States and international settings. Past and current projects include:

• Establishing an international registry of dermatologic manifestations of COVID-19, which led to the discovery of “COVID toes” as a sequela
• An evaluation of pre-therapy HIV adherence counseling, which eliminated delays between eligibility and initiation of HIV therapy in sub-Saharan Africa
• Established one of the first routine HIV screening programs in South Africa, which has since been incorporated into routine practice
• Evaluating the clinical impact of a policy change to allow virologically stable HIV patients to pick up medications at community venues in South Africa
• Quantitative measurement of the effects of HIV on aging and heart disease in rural Uganda
• Investigating the role of maternal HIV infection in the development of early childhood infections
• Studying low-barrier service delivery mechanisms for sexually-transmitted infection screening and prevention out of the MGH Sexual Health Clinic and in partnership with community organizations in the Boston area
• A pilot project to offer HIV prevention and family planning to young women in community venues (such as hair salons) in South Africa

Application process

Interested candidates should apply via www.massgeneral.org/careers website using Job ID 3305619.

**When applying, please upload:

• Cover letter specific to the role in our Center
• Resume
• Transcript (unofficial transcript is OK)

Applications that do not include all three components will NOT be considered.**

Principal duties and responsibilities

MPEC Research Assistants participate in all phases of research projects, from conception and design of studies through analysis and writing manuscripts for submission to academic journals.

Responsibilities may include, for example:

Implementation pillar-specific tasks

• Design and manage study databases, generate data queries, and participate in data cleaning efforts
• Analyze quantitative data as part of cohort studies, clinical trials, and implementation studies
• Code qualitative data from in-depth interviews and focus groups
• Partner with international collaborators and study staff on oversight of studies, standard operating procedure development and review, and data quality assurance

Cross-pillar tasks

• Assist in writing abstracts and designing posters for submission to research conferences
• Present study results to project teams and external stakeholders
• Assist with the preparation of Data Use Agreements, Institutional Review Board (IRB) applications, and related documents regarding the protection of human subjects
• Perform systematic literature reviews and synthesize relevant data
• Help prepare grant applications
• Provide administrative support as needed, including organizing meetings and preparing slides for lectures and seminars

Qualifications

The position requires a bachelor’s degree, with an academic record demonstrating experience and skills in analytical thinking and/or quantitative methods. Candidates should also demonstrate skill in organization, time management, and both verbal and written communication.

Additional qualifications include:

• Advanced attention to detail
• Problem-solving skills
• Experience with data organization and analysis
• Proficiency with standard Microsoft Office software (particularly Excel), as well as interest in learning new software applications
• Ability to work as part of a diverse team, including remote collaboration
• Intellectual independence and initiative
• Interest in decision science, simulation modeling and analysis, public health, health policy, economics, and/or medicine
• Excellent academic record

Additional experience that is helpful but not required:

• Database design and management experience, particularly with REDCap or Access
• Previous research experience (classroom-based or professional), including investigator-initiated clinical research studies, decision science research and/or simulation tools, or qualitative research methods
• Experience in international or intercultural settings
• Familiarity with statistical programming software such as SAS, Stata, Python, or R

Working Conditions

Duties will be carried out in a hybrid format, with time split between a typical office environment and a remote environment. We value work-life balance, and hours will typically be a standard 40 hours per week from Monday to Friday. Hours outside the 9-5 workday may be requested on occasion, with overtime compensation as appropriate, particularly around grant submission deadlines.

In keeping with our overarching mission to reduce health and other disparities in vulnerable populations, the Medical Practice Evaluation Center is specifically committed to recruiting a diverse team of individuals across race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and ability backgrounds to ensure that our science is informed by and responsive to the communities we aim to serve. The Center strives to become a leader in developing and maintaining increased representation, recognition, and support of each of these dimensions of diversity among all of its members.

The above is intended to describe the general contents and requirements of work being performed by all people assigned to this classification. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive statement of all duties, responsibilities, or skills of personnel so classified.