Epidemiologist - Faculty Position

Boston Medical Center/Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Boston Medical Center/Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine seeks a full-time research faculty member specializing in surgical epidemiology and health services research. The role embeds rigorous epidemiologic methods within a Level I trauma center and an urban safety-net hospital system, supporting an independently funded program and collaborations across BU and BMC.

The candidate will contribute to a broad portfolio, including observational outcomes, health equity, and

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in epidemiology, health services research, or equivalent.
• Demonstrated record of peer-reviewed publications.
• Strong quantitative methods skills: causal inference, regression, survival analysis.
• Experience with large clinical, administrative, or EHR databases.
• Evidence of extramural funding or strong trajectory toward independent funding.

Responsibilities

• Develop an independently funded research program in surgical epidemiology or health services research.
• Pursue extramural funding as PI with expectation of NIH R01 or equivalent.
• Publish in high-impact peer-reviewed journals and present at conferences.
• Utilize clinical data infrastructure, EHR, and biorepository resources.
• Collaborate across Department of Surgery, BU School of Medicine, and BU to advance team science.

Skills

Quantitative methods

Causal inference

Regression analysis

Survival analysis

Large databases

Education

PhD in epidemiology

MD/PhD candidates welcome

Job description

The Department of Surgery at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center (BMC) jointly invite applications for a full-time research faculty member specializing in surgical epidemiology and health services research. This position is part of Boston University's (BU's) major investment in convergent research, with a focus on the "Future of Healthy Aging," bringing together bold ideas, deep expertise, and perspectives from across disciplines to take on society's most critical challenges. Final rank placement will be based on the candidate's academic record, research background, and other factors.

This position is part of a cluster hiring program that builds on BU's strength in Health Across the Lifespan, an area of significant expertise and opportunity across the University. BU is home to renowned studies of aging including the Framingham Heart Study and New England Centenarian Study, as well as innovative interdisciplinary research centers focused on the demography and economics of population aging, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, the biology of aging, and more. This position will advance interdisciplinary research at the intersection of healthy aging, health equity, and surgical care.

This position offers a distinctive opportunity to embed rigorous epidemiologic and outcomes science within a Level I trauma center and one of the nation's largest urban, safety-net hospital systems. The successful candidate will develop an independently funded research program in close partnership with the Department's surgical divisions. The Department supports a full spectrum of research activity, from observational outcomes studies and health equity investigation to interventional and pragmatic clinical trials, all anchored by BMC's exceptional clinical volume, operative case mix, and patient diversity.

About the Department & Institution

Boston University is a leading private research university and one of the largest in the United States, with strengths spanning medicine, public health, engineering, and the social sciences. Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine is consistently ranked among the nation's leading academic medical centers, with particular depth in aging biology, cancer biology, cardiovascular medicine, infectious disease, and health equity research.

The primary teaching hospital of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, BMC is the largest safety-net hospital and one of the busiest Level I trauma centers in New England, serving one of the most racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse urban patient populations in the United States. This clinical environment provides an unparalleled substrate for surgical epidemiology, outcomes research, health equity investigation, pragmatic trial implementation, and population-level intervention science.

The Department of Surgery is a dynamic, mission-driven academic enterprise encompassing 12 clinical divisions: Cardiac Surgery, Colon and Rectal Surgery, General Surgery, Minimally Invasive and Weight Loss Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Podiatric Surgery, Surgical Oncology, Thoracic Surgery, Transplant Surgery, Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, and Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. Supported by federal funding, foundation awards, and industry partnerships, the Department maintains an active and growing research enterprise with ongoing clinical trials across multiple surgical disciplines. It is home to an NIH-funded T32 Research Training Grant and the Boston Trauma Institute, reflecting a sustained institutional commitment to research infrastructure and investigator development. Faculty benefit from dedicated research space, a shared infrastructure, a departmental Research Council, and a research-primary appointment structure designed to support full commitment to scholarly productivity.

Research Focus Areas

We seek a candidate whose scholarly interests align with one or more of the following priority areas. Exceptional candidates with adjacent expertise are encouraged to apply:

• Surgical outcomes and quality improvement, including disparity-focused analyses of perioperative morbidity, mortality, and complications across surgical specialties, leveraging BMC's National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) participation and clinical data infrastructure
• Geriatric surgery and surgical risk, including frailty, functional decline, and postoperative recovery in older adults undergoing elective and emergency procedures, with integration into BMC's Geriatric Pre-Procedure Clinic and BU Center for Aging Research
• Wound care epidemiology, including health system utilization, care fragmentation, and disparities in access to advanced wound therapies in aging and safety-net populations, complementing existing NIH-funded wound healing research programs
• Health equity and access to surgical care, with emphasis on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and social determinants of health as drivers of operative timing, surgical offer rates, and postoperative outcomes
• Health services research methods and clinical trial science, including comparative effectiveness, pragmatic and stepped-wedge trial design, implementation science, and use of large administrative databases including Medicare/Medicaid claims, NSQIP, NCI SEER, and institutional EHR
• Surgical oncology outcomes and cancer disparities, including access to curative-intent surgery, treatment delays, and survival disparities across BMC's oncologic surgical specialties
• Trauma and acute care surgery in areas that include hemorrhage control, improving trauma surgery outcomes, using AI to improve triage of injured patients, and long-term quality of life after trauma

Responsibilities

RESEARCH & SCHOLARSHIP

Develop and execute an independently funded research program in surgical epidemiology or health services research

Seek and obtain extramural funding as Principal Investigator (PI), with expectation of NIH R01 or equivalent peer-reviewed funding

Publish original research in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals and disseminate findings at national and international scientific conferences

Utilize BMC's clinical data infrastructure, electronic health records, and biorepository resources in support of research aims

Collaborate across the Department of Surgery, the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and Boston University to advance team science and interdisciplinary scholarship

MENTORSHIP & EDUCATION

Serve as a hands-on methodologic mentor for surgical residents, junior faculty, and clinician-investigators pursuing extramural grants

Provide direct, substantive guidance in study design, analytic strategy, and grant writing — from early concept development through submission

Contribute to graduate-level training in surgical epidemiology and clinical research methods, in partnership with the Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health

Participate in departmental research conferences, journal clubs, and the Department of Surgery faculty initiatives

SERVICE & LEADERSHIP

Participate in departmental, school, and hospital committees appropriate to rank and experience

Contribute to research strategy and infrastructure development within the Department of Surgery

Represent the Department in relevant professional organizations and national collaborative networks

Develop a national and international scholarly reputation through peer-reviewed publication, conference leadership, and engagement with professional societies in surgical outcomes and health services research

Qualifications

REQUIRED

Doctoral degree (PhD, DrPH, ScD, or equivalent) in epidemiology, health services research, or a closely related field; MD/PhD candidates with comparable research qualifications are also encouraged to apply

Demonstrated record of peer-reviewed publication commensurate with career stage

Strong quantitative methodologic skills, including proficiency in causal inference, regression modeling, survival analysis, or related methods

Experience with large clinical, administrative, or electronic health record databases (e.g., NSQIP, Medicare/Medicaid claims, NCI SEER, institutional EHR)

Evidence of extramural funding (as PI or Co-I) or a compelling trajectory toward independent funding

PREFERRED

Current active NIH R01 or equivalent peer-reviewed funding as PI

Prior or ongoing collaboration with surgical departments, clinical trialists, or translational scientists

Experience with implementation science frameworks, mixed-methods research, or pragmatic trial design

Demonstrated commitment to health equity research and experience working with underserved or minority populations

Familiarity with NIH, AHRQ, PCORI, or HRSA funding mechanisms relevant to surgical outcomes, health equity, and population health

Support & Resources

The successful candidate will receive a competitive start-up package, dedicated office space, and a research-primary faculty appointment within a department that actively supports investigator-initiated science.

Institutional and Epidemiology Data Analytics Center (BEDAC) at the Boston University School of Public Health, providing dedicated analytic partnership for large-scale observational and interventional studies

Automated patient tracking and clinical data warehouse (CDW) infrastructure within the Department, supporting real-time surgical cohort assembly and longitudinal outcomes analysis

BMC Research Patient Data Registry (RPDR) and access to national surgical quality databases including NSQIP, enabling single-institution and multi-center study designs

BMC's longitudinal electronic health records spanning one of the most racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse urban patient populations in the United States, with unparalleled depth for health equity and disparities research

Boston VA Healthcare System partnership and research portfolio, accessible through the Department's established VA collaborations