Research Associate, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine

Research Associate, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia

The School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) is seeking a Research Associate (RA), 1.0 FTE for 1-year appointment, with the possibility of extension. The position will involve working on grant funded Global Health centred HPV centred research studies being conducted through the Women's Health Research Institute (WHRI).  The research areas include improving cervical cancer screening in low and middle income countries (LMIC) populations. The role provides a range of specific leadership responsibilities regarding the collection and analysis of data collected in the global health women’s research projects.

The incumbent will work under the supervision of Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Professor, School of Population and Public Health.

Housed within the Faculty of Medicine, the School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) is an innovative unit that encompasses many of the health-related groupings at UBC as a collaborative venture. The School is structured around four divisions: Occupational and Environmental Health; Health Services and Policy; Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health Practice; and Health in Populations. The resulting mix of professions and disciplines is seen as a means of connecting individuals and learners to galvanize the relationship between health research, public health and health services and to enhance learning.

The primary activities of the Postdoctoral Research Fellow include:

• Provides leadership regarding the data collection and analysis research components of the project, including the development of study methodologies and instrumentation.
• Leads ongoing analysis activities for research components through regular meetings with other researchers and research assistants locally and in Uganda.
• Leads implementation of cervical cancer screening project in Uganda
• Reviews study protocols as assigned, and discusses logistics with Research Investigators and the Research Program Manager.  Ensures documentation is consistently maintained as directed by the study protocol.
•  Conducts data collection and completion of protocol specific documentation as needed
• Acts as a mentor and resource to masters and PhD students
• Acts as a resource to various research team members to identify real or potential problems and works to resolve these issues
• Participates in study progress meetings with research team(s).
• Conducts data analyses on study databases and generates progress and interim reports for presentation to the national and international investigative teams.
• Develops abstracts, manuscripts, and presentations for submission and/or presentations as needed
• Provides leadership and acts as a resource for the study team in Uganda.
• Other duties as needed

Qualifications:

The incumbent shall have completed a PhD in a relevant discipline (epidemiology and/or biostatistics, public health), and have experience in the following areas:

-Demonstrated abilities and experience in the area of public health, clinical and research coordination and analysis of quantitative data

-Experience with health strategies or public health in LMIC   

-Experience in dealing with multiple commitments, short deadlines and sensitive public health, clinical or research issues

-Preference will be given to applicants with intermediate or advanced computer skills in the following software packages: MS Office (particularly Excel, Word, Powerpoint), SPSS or SAS or R, and NVivo (qualitative data software package)

-Familiarity with the public health field, allied study centres and other potential research partners

-Familiarity and experience with grant funded projects and study protocol requirements including ethical conduct, ethics approval process, standard operating procedures, source documentation and good clinical practice

-Willingness to travel to Uganda. . Ability to attend phone calls or mtgs outside of regular business hours (to accommodate global time zone differences)

Required skills include:

- Excellent communication skills, including strong writing, research and interpersonal skills.

- Innovative and creative thinking and a logical approach to problem solving are also necessary

- Self-directed, self-motivated and independent work skills

Errors made could influence the ability of the research team to meet critical deadlines, as well as compromise the results of research project, and therefore impact the credibility of the Principal Investigator. Poor decisions may be damaging to the reputation of the Principal Investigator, the School, and the University and could lead to incorrect or inappropriate policy recommendations being made.

This position will be responsible for access, collection, use and disclosure of personal information in accordance with the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (RSBC 1996) and other UBC privacy and security policies. This position requires employees to work under strict confidentiality requirements; internal procedures and policies to protect personal information must be followed and adherence to these requirements will be regularly reviewed by the employer.

Apply by October 25, 2019 at: www.facultycareers.ubc.ca/35347

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.