Clinical Database Analyst/Programmer - term limited

Michigan Medicine; Ann Arbor (MI); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work mode

Job summary

Michigan Medicine is seeking a detail-oriented clinical data analyst and application developer to join the HMS Coordinating Center. You will build Django applications, manage LimeSurvey instruments, and perform data analysis to support HMS registry data capture and reporting workflows.

You will write SQL and Python programs for large datasets, maintain dashboards, and ensure data quality. A 3+ year background in data systems and healthcare informatics is preferred, with hybrid work options

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, health informatics, data science, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience with complex data systems and production web applications.
• Strong Python, SQL, Django, LimeSurvey, and data visualization tool experience.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and maintain Django web applications supporting registry data capture and reporting.
• Write SQL queries and Python programs to manage, transform, and analyze large datasets; build dashboards.
• Administer LimeSurvey instruments, manage user roles, and integrate exports with downstream pipelines.
• Maintain technical documentation and support data quality checks; collaborate across teams.

Skills

Python

SQL

Django

LimeSurvey

Git

Tableau/Power BI

PostgreSQL

Linux

APIs

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science / information systems / health informatics

Tools

Django ORM

REST API (DRF)

LimeSurvey RemoteControl API

Job description

Who We Are

The Division of Hospital Medicine at Michigan Medicine is a collaborative, dynamic, and rapidly expanding team comprised of over 170 faculty members, 60 advanced practice providers, and 60 operational, administrative, and research staff. We are dedicated to advancing the care of acutely ill patients across multiple hospital locations, managing a daily census of more than 320 patients. Our team is at the forefront of cutting-edge health sciences, health systems research, and quality improvement initiatives, with a growing portfolio of research funding. We take pride in our leadership roles within the hospital, health system, region, and on a national level. Our division fosters a supportive, transparent, and positive team environment, embracing change with curiosity and courage in the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare. We are relentless in our pursuit of excellence and innovation, always striving to work smarter and better by maximizing the diverse skills and strengths of every team member. Supported and valued by the Department of Internal Medicine and our partners in the Adult Hospitals, we invite you to thrive as a vital member of our team. Join the “leaders and best” in the Hospital Medicine Division!

Mission Statement

Michigan Medicine improves the health of patients, populations and communities through excellence in education, patient care, community service, research and technology development, and through leadership activities in Michigan, nationally and internationally. Our mission is guided by our Strategic Principles and has three critical components: patient care, education and research that together enhance our contribution to society.

Job Summary

We are looking for a detail-oriented, analytical, and systems-focused individual to join the Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety Consortium (HMS) Coordinating Center as a clinical data analyst and application developer focused on Django application development, LimeSurvey-based data collection, and data analysis. The Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety Consortium (HMS) is a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) and Blue Care Network (BCN)-funded Collaborative Quality Initiative. We are a data-driven collaborative made up of hospitals across the State of Michigan with a goal of improving the quality of care for hospitalized medical patients. As a part of the HMS Coordinating Center, you will collaborate with a dynamic team of clinicians, abstractors, analysts, statisticians, and program staff. HMS is comprised of 68 hospitals/program participants with potential for future expansion.

Responsibilities

Application Development

• Design, develop, test, and maintain Django web applications (models, views, templates, the Django ORM, and REST endpoints) that support HMS registry data capture, case review, and reporting workflows, in partnership with the primary HMS Data Architect/Database Administrator.
• Develop, modify, and administer the HMS LimeSurvey platform: build and maintain survey instruments and question groups, implement conditional logic, relevance equations, and expression-based validation, manage user roles and permissions, and integrate survey exports with downstream databases and reporting pipelines using the LimeSurvey RemoteControl API. Evaluate the potential impact of proposed application and instrument changes on data collection, existing data, reporting, statistical analyses, and other downstream processes, and coordinate with affected teams before implementation.
• Partner with clinical providers and Coordinating Center staff to gather requirements, translate them into technical specifications, prioritize development needs, and ensure application and data model changes support clinical workflows and program goals.
• Partner with data abstractors to identify and implement opportunities to improve abstraction workflows, streamline data entry through instrument design and form-level validation, and reduce errors.

Data Analysis and Reporting

• Write SQL queries and scripts to extract, clean, validate, transform, and combine data from the HMS registry and other sources.
• Build and maintain dashboards and recurring reports for participating hospitals, Coordinating Center staff, and funders.
• Write, test, and maintain Python programs to manage, transform, and analyze large and complex datasets.
• Maintain comprehensive technical documentation for data processes, programs, and analysis files to support reproducibility and continuity of work.
• Provide data analysis and quality assurance supporting the twice-annual HMS Pay-for-Performance scoring, ensuring accurate, consistent, and timely reporting.
• Support funder deliverables, including requests for information and progress reports
• Develop, implement, and monitor data quality checks and work with abstractors and sites to identify and correct errors at the source.
• Investigate data discrepancies and unexpected results, identify root causes, and coordinate resolution with team members
• Assist with data tables, figures, and slide preparation for Collaborative-Wide Meetings, conferences, and presentations.
• Educate data abstractors on the use of HMS reports and data system capabilities, including how to interpret results, locate key metrics, and use new features following application releases.
• Develop training materials, user guides, and tip sheets to support abstractors in using reports and data systems effectively.
• Create data visualization tools to support quality improvement initiatives.
• Present updates on ongoing data projects and deliverables to internal and external audiences.
• Represent HMS on data-related committees and work groups as appropriate.
• Collaborate with members of the statistics, clinical, quality improvement, and data teams to ensure consistency between database structure, data definitions, analytic processes, and reporting
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Data Manager.

Data Systems Administration

• Model and maintain the relational database schemas that support the registries; implement schema changes through Django migrations and validate data integrity after each change through row counts, reconciliation reports, and spot checks against source records.
• Maintain clear and current technical documentation, including application architecture, database schemas and data dictionaries, LimeSurvey instrument specifications, deployment procedures, decisions, and change logs, with all code and configuration managed in Git.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for data systems and application development projects, including managing the development backlog, tracking timelines, coordinating deliverables and dependencies, communicating release plans and change notes, and reporting on completion.

Perform occasional weekend work as needed for planned application releases and other time-sensitive system maintenance.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, health informatics, data science, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of progressively responsible experience working with complex data systems, including substantial experience with data management and the development and maintenance of production web applications.
• Proficiency in Python with experience managing and processing large complex datasets.
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining web applications with the Django framework, including the Django ORM, migrations, views and templates, authentication and authorization, and REST API development (e.g., Django REST Framework).
• Experience administering LimeSurvey or a comparable platform, including survey and question-group design, conditional logic and expression-based validation, user and permission management, data exports, and integration through the RemoteControl API.
• Proficiency with Git-based version control, including branching strategies, pull requests, and code review workflows.
• Experience with software testing practices, including writing unit and integration tests and validating changes in a development or staging environment before release to production.
• Strong SQL skills, including relational schema design, complex joins, stored procedures, indexing, and query optimization.
• Experience preparing and maintaining technical documentation for data systems, processes, programs, and analysis files.
• Experience building reports or dashboards using Tableau, Power BI, or advanced Excel
• Working knowledge of backup and recovery, role-based access control, and data security practices for sensitive data.
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to assess potential impacts and dependencies, evaluate alternative courses of action, and make independent decisions within the scope of assigned responsibilities.
• Experience building and maintaining effective relationships with internal and external partners, including collaborating across teams and explaining technical findings clearly to non-technical audiences.
• Willingness to travel within Michigan 2-3 times a year for collaborative meetings.

Desired Qualifications

• Master's degree obtained (or in progress) in health informatics, biomedical informatics, information systems, data science, computer science, biostatistics, public health, or a related field.
• Experience working with clinical registries, multi-site data, or quality improvement and patient safety initiatives.
• Previous experience with BCBSM Collaborative Quality Initiatives.
• Professional experience working in a clinical setting (e.g., hospital, clinic, or health system), with working knowledge of clinical workflows, medical terminology, and the handling of protected health information (PHI) under HIPAA.
• Experience working with healthcare quality improvement initiatives and electronic health record data.
• Experience automating data collection and extraction processes, such as building data pipelines, scheduled queries, or API integrations, to reduce manual data entry and improve data accuracy.
• Experience with Drupal or another content management system.
• Experience administering PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, or SQL Server databases, including performance tuning and backup and recovery.
• Experience with Linux server administration, Docker containerization, and CI/CD deployment pipelines.
• Familiarity with University of Michigan and/or Michigan Medicine policies and procedures.

Why Join Michigan Medicine?

Michigan Medicine is one of the largest health care complexes in the world and has been the site of many groundbreaking medical and technological advancements since the opening of the U-M Medical School in 1850. Michigan Medicine is comprised of over 30,000 employees and our vision is to attract, inspire, and develop outstanding people in medicine, sciences, and healthcare to become one of the world's most distinguished academic health systems. In some way, great or small, every person here helps to advance this world-class institution. Work at Michigan Medicine and become a victor for the greater good.

What Benefits can you Look Forward to?

• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage effective on your very first day
• 2:1 Match on retirement savings

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Work Schedule

The hours are 40 hours per week.

Work Locations

This position is a hybrid position with in-person days at the North Campus Research Complex.

Additional Information

This is a 2-year term-limited appointment. At the end of the stated term, your appointment will terminate, and you will not be eligible for Reduction-in-Force (RIF) benefits. This term-limited appointment does not create a contract or guarantee of employment for any period of time, as you will remain subject to disciplinary or other performance measures, up to and including termination, at the will of the University in accordance with existing University policy and standards for employee performance and conduct.

Background Screening

Michigan Medicine conducts background screening and pre-employment drug testing on job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent job offer and may use a third-party administrator to conduct background screenings. Background screenings are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Pre-employment drug testing applies to all selected candidates, including new or additional faculty and staff appointments, as well as transfers from other U-M campuses.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled at any time after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.