Researcher – US Health Spending (DEX)

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The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent research center at the University of Washington. Its mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice. IHME carries out its mission through a range of projects within different research areas including the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors; Future Health Scenarios; Costs and Cost Effectiveness; Resource Tracking; and Impact Evaluations. Our vision is to provide policymakers, donors, and researchers with the highest-quality quantitative evidence base so all people live long lives in full health.

IHME is committed to providing the evidence base necessary to help solve the world’s most important health problems. This requires creativity and innovation, which are cultivated by an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment that respects and appreciates differences, embraces collaboration, and invites the voices of all IHME team members.

IHME has an excellent opportunity for a Researcher to join our Resource Tracking US Spending research team. Across IHME, researchers analyze and produce key estimates for their assigned research team and will focus on using data from surveys, vital registration, censuses, published literature, registries, and administrative records.  Using established modeling tools and through creation of novel code, researchers incorporate relevant data to produce the most up-to-date and scientifically credible results. Researchers are integrally involved in producing, critiquing, improving, and disseminating results. In addition, researchers work closely with senior research leads and external collaborators and take part in the intellectual exchange about how to improve upon and disseminate the results. Through this, Researchers are expected to interact successfully with a wide range of internal and some external partners, and to describe complex concepts and materials concisely. Overall, Researchers are critical members of agile, dynamic research teams.

The Resource Tracking US Spending research team develops research intended to describe and assess health care spending in the US. Previous research from this team has been published in a wide set of journals, presented around the globe, and offered online through an interactive visualization. The research produced by this team will be extended to focus on subnational geographic variation in order to gain knowledge about changes in health care spending and utilization and spending disparities across the US. The research is tremendously policy-relevant, with the team at a unique moment of expansion in scope. The team’s Researcher will work closely with the faculty lead, a Research Scientist, a team of data analysts and data services specialists, and researchers on the Central Computation and possibly the Clinical Informatics research teams. This position is contingent on project funding, which currently exists until August 2023 with hopes for extension.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop a core understanding of input data used by the team and the quantitative methods used to harmonize and combine data from a wide variety of data sources, with focus on estimating personal health care spending into conditions, age and sex groups, and types of care for over 3,100 US counties.
• Under the guidance of experienced scientist and/or faculty, carry out quantitative analyses and statistical modeling to produce results designated on a given timeline as part of collaborative research projects.
• Extract data from various sources and databases. Format, transform, review, and assess data sources to determine their relevance and utility for ongoing analysis. Understand key data sources and variations in these across and within countries.
• Review, assess, and improve results and methods.
• Apply computational, statistical, econometric, and/or geospatial tools and algorithms for the preprocessing, analysis, and visualization of source data.
• Document code and analytic approaches systematically so that analyses can be replicated by other team members.
• Lead discussion in research meetings about results and analyses to vet, improve, and finalize results.
• Contribute to creation of presentations, manuscripts, and funding proposals. Co-author paper(s).
• Maintain scientific awareness and intellectual agility with data, methods, and analytic techniques.
• Other duties as assigned that fall within reasonable scope of research team.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, statistics, biostatistics, math, economics, quantitative social sciences, or related discipline plus 1 year of related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Proven interest and some experience in a given disease, risk, key indicator, methodological area, and the related data sources and scientific underpinnings.
• Strong analytic, critical thinking, and quantitative skills.
• Ability to professionally and effectively communicate and work with other staff at all levels to achieve team goals for the analyses and related outputs.
• Results- and detail-oriented individual who can initiate and complete tasks under tight deadlines and changing priorities both independently and in a team environment. Flexibility with hours and workload is key.
• Working ability with at least one statistical programming language (e.g., R or Python).
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
• Ability to work both independently and in collaboration with a team.
• A long-term interest in a research scientist position contributing to the overall mission of our research.

DESIRED:

• Track record of success working with a team, completing complex quantitative analysis, and providing written, graphical, and oral explanation of this research.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Weekend and evening work sometimes required.
• Office is located in Seattle, Washington. This position is eligible to work fully remote in the US; work schedule required to overlap 50% of IHME office hours, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific Time.

Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your “My Jobs” page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.