Notice of Vacancy Post-Doctoral Research Associate
Washington State University Health Sciences Spokane and the Initiative for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH) invites applications for a Post-Doctoral Research Associate, a full- time, temporary 12-month position. Subsequent renewals are subject to satisfactory performance, mutual consent, and available funding.
Position Details: The Partnerships for Native Health at Washington State University is seeking applications for a postdoctoral position in health economics. The Partnership for Native Health is a program within the Initiative for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH), a team of about 50 faculty and staff engaged in conducting community-centered, multidisciplinary research, training and education, and outreach with underserved populations. Partnerships for Native Health is a unit under the IREACH umbrella that focuses on improving the health and quality of life of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations. Research includes both observational and behavioral intervention studies, many of which involve randomized controlled effectiveness trials. Health economics questions relevant to sustainability and short- and long-term impact of interventions is of great interest to research funders and our community research partners. The position can be located in either Seattle or Pullman, Washington.
The postdoctoral fellow will be directly supervised and mentored by a senior health economist in the School of Economic Sciences and by the director of the Partnerships for Native Health. Additional support and mentoring will come from faculty in other disciplines, as appropriate and needed.
Duties and Responsibilities: This is a one year postdoctoral fellowship with a second year dependent on productivity and funding. The appointment is in IREACH, with an academic appointment with the School of Economic Sciences at Washington State University. The position emphasizes health economics and empirical analyses of both randomized control trials and observational data. The successful applicant will work with IREACH faculty, including a senior health economist, physicians, epidemiologists, psychologists, and biostatisticians, on the analysis of randomized control trials, all with American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. IREACH supports a Research Methods Core, a collegial group of quantitative methodologists from various disciplines that are responsible for study design and quantitative research support for studies led by IREACH and other Washington State University investigators; the postdoctoral fellow will be a member of this group. Current research with a priori specified health economics aims includes an NIH-funded Center with three multilevel behavioral intervention trials for improving blood pressure control in people with hypertension: a community-based intervention to increase the availability of healthy foods (American Indians); a provider- and patient-based intervention using home blood pressure monitoring and targeted physician alerts in a healthcare organization (Alaska Natives); and a peer-facilitated educational intervention that emphasizes low salt, healthy diets based on traditional foods (Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders). Another NIH-funded Center comprises three trials of behavioral interventions to reduce alcohol-related morbidity and mortality in American Indian and Alaska Native people: an intervention to prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies among women of child-bearing age engaged in risky drinking behaviors; an intervention that incorporates a traditional cultural practice for reducing alcohol use among for individuals with alcohol use disorders; and an intervention to facilitate the transition from alcohol detoxification to appropriate outpatient treatment programs. In addition to the IREACH methods core, the postdoctoral fellow will integrate into the Research Methods Cores for both of these NIH Centers, and will attend weekly meetings with a team of epidemiologists, biostatisticians, and other specialists to coordinate all aspects of providing quantitative research methods support to the Center projects. The final trial evaluates a system- and behavioral intervention to prevent suicide by enhancing social connectedness among urban American Indian and Alaska Native young adults. IREACH is involved with numerous other research studies with potential for health economics science, and the postdoc will receive mentoring and support in grant writing and other activities necessary to obtain funding for additional projects based on their interests and professional goals. The postdoc will be assigned other duties related to Native Health as appropriate.
In addition, Partnerships for Native Health is involved in analyzing observational data is collected by the Indian Health Service at 15 care-delivery sites from across the continental United States and Alaska. Initially, the analyses will examine diagnosis, treatment, and service utilization of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. We expect to expand the analysis of this data to other health conditions. The fellow also will be expected to participate in efforts to acquire additional funding through competitive grant applications.
Compensation/Benefits: Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Washington State University has comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, life, and long-term disability insurance. We offer excellent retirement programs and a generous leave program.
Minimum/Required Qualifications: PhD in Economics or related field by time of appointment and experience in statistics or biostatistics.
Preferred Qualifications: Aptitude for communicating clearly about health economics concepts, study design, and research findings to non-specialists and lay-audiences. Experience analyzing randomized controlled trials. Experience working with data. Experience with Native populations.
University Overview
Founded in 1890 in Pullman, Washington State University (WSU) is Washington's land-grant university with an overarching mission of improving the quality of life for all citizens - locally, nationally, and globally. WSU is committed to innovation and excellence in research and scholarship. WSU has a current enrollment of over 30,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students and approximately 6,000 faculty and staff at its five campuses (Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Vancouver, and Everett), as well as its numerous other locations across the State of Washington and online through its Global Campus.
U.S. News & World Report's 2016 "America's Best Colleges" rankings place WSU in the top 75 public national universities. WSU was one of only three Northwest universities to be placed in the top two tiers, along with the University of Washington and the University of Oregon. WSU is ranked as a "highest research activity" institution by the Carnegie Foundation and is in the top 12 percent of research universities as reported by the National Science Foundation. Also, WSU was recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for its engagement activities with its Community Engagement Classification.
WSU employs approximately 6,000 faculty and professional staff and the University deeply values diversity among its faculty, students, and staff. WSU students represent diverse social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds: approximately 10 percent of WSU students hail from outside the state of Washington, and approximately 6.8 percent are international students. WSU annually awards more than $280 million in scholarships and financial aid to approximately 17,000 undergraduate students. Washington State University Seattle IREACH
IREACH includes a multidisciplinary faculty who conduct extramurally funded research in the areas of Native health, Latino health, and behavioral health in vulnerable populations. IREACH is a unit with both core senior and junior faculty, and about 40 staff. It has its own fiscal unit and an in-house editor and IRB coordinator. More about the work of IREACH can be found on their home page Initiative for Research and Education to Advance Cos: mmunity Health. Seattle Area
Located on the Puget Sound in northwestern Washington, Seattle is a large city, and home to over 650,000 residents as well as Fortune 500 companies and a lively performing arts and sports scene. Known as the Emerald City due to the lush surrounding greenery, the city's proximity to mountains and forest also make it an eclectic mix of urban and rural living. Seattle is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. It is the home to major philanthropic organizations, many institutions of higher learning, a large diversity of cultural events, restaurants, parks and recreational opportunities, and international corporations such as Amazon, Facebook, Starbucks, and Boeing.
IREACH's office in Seattle is located in the middle of Seattle's three major urban hot spots - South Lake Union, the Central Business District, and Capitol Hill - and is easily accessible from almost anywhere in the metropolitan area. On-site perks include green space and patio gathering spots, complimentary citywide shuttle, EV charging stations, on-site showers/locker rooms, and bike storage. The Seattle office is linked to both the Spokane and Pullman campuses through a sophisticated videoconferencing system that makes attending meetings and even teaching classes possible at a distance.
Application Process: Applicants need to apply online through WSU Human Resources at www.wsujobs.com and be prepared to upload: A cover letter addressing how you meet the qualifications for this position Current Curriculum Vitae Minimum of three references: names and contact information Once a finalist is determined, three letters of recommendation will be automatically requested of the finalist's three professional references.
Position will be open until filled. First review of applications will begin September 18, 2018.
Finalist for this position will be subject to a background check as condition of employment. Questions may be sent to the search committee liaison in an email to Caitlin Oberst at caitlin.oberst@wsu.edu.
Washington State University is an EO/AA/ADA educator and employer. WSU Spokane is a tobacco free campus.