Cancer Research Training Award, Healthcare Assessment Research Branch

The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), Healthcare Delivery Research Program (HDRP), Healthcare Assessment Research Branch (HARB) welcomes interested candidates for this post-doctoral fellowship. HARB promotes population-based research on demographic, social, economic, and health system factors as they relate to providing cancer-related screening, treatment, and survivorship services. The branch seeks to improve the understanding of healthcare delivery, with the goal of improving cancer outcomes, reducing cancer-related health disparities, and reducing the burden of cancer to patients, their families, and society.

This full-time, paid position is based in Rockville, Maryland, and provides outstanding opportunities for training and professional development in cancer-related healthcare delivery and health economics research.

The CRTA fellow will function as a member of the branch and work on projects directly related to HARB and other HDRP research priorities. A particular focus of this position will be development and evaluation of new data linkages, for example enhancements to Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare and SEER-Medicaid, as well as novel linkages between SEER and other sources of data, especially those focused on economic factors. The successful applicant will have opportunities to collaborate on analyses and manuscripts, including leading their own research projects under the mentorship of NCI scientists. Day-to-day activities may include literature reviews, development of research plans, data abstraction, data analysis, dissemination activities (scientific abstracts, presentations and manuscript preparation), portfolio analysis, and support of other branch research initiatives as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent degree in health economics, health policy or health services, epidemiology, public health, or a related discipline. Candidates who have not received their doctoral degree at the time of application should indicate anticipated graduation date and should have their degree awarded by the start date.
• Superior academic achievement, typically a cumulative 3.5 GPA or higher.
• U.S. Citizenship or legal residency.
• A strong interest in interdisciplinary, population-based cancer care delivery research.
• Excellent knowledge of U.S. healthcare financing and delivery systems.
• Excellent data analysis and management skills. Proficiency with statistical software packages (SAS, Stata, and/or R) is required.
• Experience working with health insurance claims, cancer registry, and/or other large datasets.
• Excellent organizational, planning, writing, and project management skills.
• Strong verbal and written English language proficiency.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently and on a research team.

Application Requirements

• A one-page cover letter explaining your interest in this position, how you see this position furthering your career goals, and how your skills and interests meet the position criteria and will contribute to the HARB mission. Also include your earliest start date.
• CV or resume (include citizenship status). Highly ranked candidates will need to submit proof of U.S. citizenship or resident alien status and official transcripts of highest degree conferred.
• Contact information for two professional references, along with a brief description of the type and duration of your relationship with these individuals.

How to Apply

Application materials may be submitted as a single PDF by email to Amy Davidoff. Please include the following in the e-mail subject line: HARB CRTA 2023.

Application Deadline and Start Date/Fellowship Duration

The position is open immediately; start date is negotiable. The position will remain open until filled. We seek to fill this position for two years, with renewal for the second year, conditional on performance during the initial period.

For more information concerning this position, please contact:
Amy Davidoff, PhD MS, Economist and Program Director
amy.davidoff@nih.gov

DCCPS is deeply committed to building a diverse health sciences workforce that maintains, fosters, and promotes an equitable, inclusive, accessible, and nurturing work environment. Diverse teams foster scientific innovation, improve the quality of research, contribute their lived experiences to a robust learning environment, advance the likelihood that underserved or health disparity populations participate in and benefit from health research, and enhance public trust. To that end, DCCPS is seeking a dynamic candidate to serve as Cancer Research Training Award, Healthcare Assessment Research Branch.