The Urban Public Health Network (UPHN) and the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan invites applications for a position as a Postdoctoral Fellow to support the 3-year Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) funded project entitled, “Multilevel estimation of the relative impacts of social determinants on income-related health inequalities in urban Canada: Toward a new Canadian Social Determinants Urban Laboratory.” The primary responsibilities of the postdoc will be to support the scientific leadership of a multidisciplinary and cross-national team, first, to create a suite of programs, algorithms, and data components which will compile the Laboratory from existing Statistics Canada and Canadian Institute for Health Information in Statistics Canada’s Research Data Centres. Then to use this new tool to operationalize the WHO’s social determinant of health framework, and model and measure the impacts of social drivers of health on urban populations in Canada.
The successful applicant will have the opportunity to work alongside health system clinicians and analysts to mobilize Canada’s leading health administrative data and advanced statistical methods to actively inform public debate and real-time decision-making in Saskatchewan and Canada. The Fellow will be responsible for co-leading the completion of scientific project deliverables, including documenting and publishing a study protocol, formulating and reporting study methodologies in leading academic journals, accessing and managing large datasets within the RDC Secure Research Environment, identifying and fitting statistical models, and drafting, submitting, and revising scientific manuscripts for publication. The databases that will be used to complete the project include the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), the Canadian Vital Death Statistics Database (CVSD), the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD), the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS) and the Canadian Census of Population.
They will do so in close collaboration with project principal investigators, co-investigators and staff. This includes working within the RDC lab during regular business hours. The postdoc will report to the Co-principal-investigators on the project, Dr. Charles Plante, Research Scientist with the Research Department of the Saskatchewan Health Authority, and Dr. Cory Neudorf, Associate Professor with the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology with the University of Saskatchewan. The Fellow will also liaise with external research partners, like the health authorities, and leading national data stewards, like the Canadian Institute for Health Information and Statistics Canada, and coordinate with granting agencies as needed.
The study is a joint project between the Research Group of the Urban Public Health Network and the Research Department of the Saskatchewan Health Authority. The UPHN is a network of Medical Officers of Health who oversee public health in Canada’s leading urban centres. Representing 21 cities across the country, the network’s members are responsible for overseeing the population health of more than half of Canadians. The Saskatchewan Health Authority is an Academic Health Care Organization that aims to provide safe, effective and innovative care through evidence-based practice, training and research. The Research Department is responsible for advancing and mobilizing health research and research capacity within the organization. RDCs promote and facilitate research that uses Statistics Canada microdata within secure facilities on university campuses across Canada and is managed by Statistics Canada.
The work will be carried out on university systems and on the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The initial contract is for one year but is renewable for up to three years. The postdoc will commit at a minimum of three days a week to advancing core project deliverables identified by the project co-PIs. The team is supportive of the postdoc supplementing their income with teaching or other research contracts or pursuing their own complimentary research program for up to two days a week.
The Fellow will have the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with public health leaders and their staff from the largest health systems in Canada as they strive to improve population health and influence health systems toward more upstream thinking, health promotion actions, and positive health outcomes. The position is ideal for candidates interested in pursuing a career in applied public health and/or public health research.
- Work with project team members to plan and implement data management and analysis activities in support of the study protocol in the RDC.
- Collaboratively ensure the smooth and efficient day-to-day operation of data management and analysis activities and reporting (including effective implementation of automation when applicable).
- Effectively document all data management and analysis activities and outcomes in ways that support collaboration between team members (e.g. use of RMarkdown Notebooks).
- Support team members in identifying statistical modelling and estimation approaches that are suitable for achieving the study objectives.
- Implement data tabulation and visualization of results and support their integration with study reporting and dissemination.
- Develop and maintain records of data management and analysis activities inside and outside of the RDC, and prepare periodic and ad hoc progress reports for the team.
- Orally present progress reports to the wider research team at routine stand-up and planning meetings.
- Co-lead writing and wider reporting of study outcomes and results (including drafting of papers for peer-reviewed publication).
- Perform miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned, including support for other programs related to UPHN and this study.
Qualified applicants should possess a Ph.D. in public health, community health, or a related discipline (e.g. epidemiology, sociology of health, health policy and/or administration, health informatics, implementation science or health economics).
No licenses are required. However, already having RDC clearance will help to expedite onboarding.
Based on the Public Health Core Competencies , CH&E is seeking a Fellow with experience in the analysis and evaluation of public and population health and health-related policies and programs; experience in survey design and methods; analysis of data, evidence and critical thinking; and mobilization of knowledge translation activities. Prior experience working with big data and leading statistical software, including, but not limited to, Stata, R, and/or SAS, and/or working in secure research environments, like Statistics Canada’s Research Data Centres (RDC), will be an enormous asset. Statistical modeling, data tabulation, and data visualization experience will also be valued. Past experience working as part of a large multidisciplinary research team and familiarity and experience with the academic publishing process are also assets.
Quantitative reasoning skills and attention to detail are essential to this role. Advanced writing skills, curiosity, and the desire to learn, experiment and innovate are also important. Advanced knowledge of data management and the ability to identify and think critically about statistical models are also vital.
Applicants interested in exploring this position should reply to this posting with an application package consisting of a cover letter, CV, and an example of the code they have written for statistical analysis (e.g. an R script, SAS program, or Stata do-file). We will begin reviewing applications as soon as possible.
Joanna Procyshen, [email protected]
Department: Community
Health and Epidemiology
Status: Term
Employment Group: Post-Doctoral Fellows - PSAC
Full Time Equivalent (FTE): 0.6
Salary Information: The starting salary will be commensurate with education and experience.
Posted Date: 1/23/2024
Closing Date: 1 Week. 1/30/2024
Number of Openings: 1
Work Location: May be eligible for hybrid work under the terms of USask's Alternative Workspace Guidelines