Research and Data Associate

Health Federation of Philadelphia Inc; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Philadelphia Department of Public Health (CDIP) is seeking a Research and Data Associate to manage data analysis, plan and execute research across chronic disease and injury prevention programs. You will work with the Director of Research and Evaluation and partners to design studies, analyze data, and present findings to stakeholders.

The role requires strong communication and technical writing skills, with experience in epidemiology or social science research methods.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, or related field.
• 2+ years of public health or social science research experience.
• Experience with statistical software: R, Stata or SAS.

Responsibilities

• Manage, clean, analyze, and interpret various data sources.
• Design and conduct quantitative and qualitative research.
• Communicate findings via tables, graphs, reports and manuscripts.
• Oversee evaluation projects with internal and external partners.
• Coordinate IRB processes for research projects.
• Contribute to grant reporting and literature reviews.
• Support data collection and development of surveys.
• Assist in qualitative work.
• Collaborate to publish peer‑reviewed manuscripts.
• Develop new data analysis tasks with CDIP team.

Skills

Epidemiology

Study design

Data analysis

Statistical software

REDCap

Data visualization

Communication skills

Teamwork

Education

Master's degree in public health or related field

2+ years public health research experience

Bachelor's degree acceptable with experience

Tools

R

Stata

SAS

Tableau

ArcGIS

Job description

JOB SUMMARY

The Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention (CDIP), within the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH), works to make healthy living more accessible for residents. We recognize that health is shaped by structural factors including systemic racism and other social, economic, and political forces; thus, we work to change systems, policies, and environments to improve health. We take a data driven approach to program and policy design, looking to evidence-based solutions when possible and contributing to building that evidence base with our own research. Chronic disease focus areas include preventing disease related to tobacco use, poor nutritional environments, lack of physical activity opportunities, and other known risk factors. Our injury prevention work focuses on the gun violence crisis in Philadelphia. We work collaboratively with partners across the City to advance these goals. CDIP’s work focuses on identifying and addressing health disparities in the City and is guided by a commitment to health justice.

Our values

At CDIP, we value health justice. Our work is guided by a commitment to all people’s health and humanity. We believe:

• All people have the right to live to their fullest potential.
• All communities have the right to create environments that allow them to grow and thrive.
• Public health policy will be developed in full partnership with the community.
• Knowledge comes in many forms and many places in our society.
• Progress only happens when we treat people, communities, partners, and staff with care and respect.

Join us!

We are seeking a skilled and dynamic Research and Data Associate with experience in public health data analysis and research. Candidates should have experience designing and conducting quantitative and qualitative research and have strong communication and technical writing skills.

The Research and Data Associate will work with the Director of Research and Evaluation and other staff to plan, manage, and implement data analytic activities across a variety of CDIP program areas, including those related to primary care access, tobacco control, gun violence prevention, nutrition, physical activity, and the built environment. The employee in this position is responsible for all aspects related to data analysis, research, and evaluation, including data collection, cleaning, management, and presentation; developing research questions; performing statistical analysis; reporting and summarizing findings in clear and concise written and oral reports; and collaborating with other team members and partners on research and evaluation activities. The Associate will use appropriate data sources to monitor trends, patterns, and changes in risk factors and health outcomes. Factors of interest include the environments where people live, work, play and receive medical care; demographic and other social determinants; health behaviors of individuals; and the policy environment. While academic journal publications are encouraged, the primary purpose of our work is to inform and advise our programs, policymakers, and the public.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Responsibilities/Duties

• Manage, clean, analyze, and interpret data, including administrative data, survey data, hospitalization data, and internal research and evaluation project data, among others.
• Perform all aspects of the research process for research and evaluation projects, including literature reviews, designing research questions, constructing research instruments, data collection, data entry and preparation, data analysis, statistical analysis, and reporting of research findings.
• Communicate research findings in the forms of tables and graphs, reports, data briefs, presentations, and manuscripts. The Research and Data Associate should be able to report findings to a variety of audiences.
• Manage evaluation projects with internal and external partners, including keeping track of implementation activities, working with partners to obtain quantitative and qualitative data within project timelines, and reporting on progress and results to stakeholders.
• Conduct data and evaluation reporting for grant activities as needed, including gathering grant metrics from external partners
• Guide research projects through Institutional Review Board approval.
• Handles data requests on an ongoing basis, by conducting background research and analysis to support new research questions, policy positions, and interventions.
• Assists in qualitative work.
• Reviews and synthesizes existing literature on topics related to chronic disease and social determinants of health.
• Participates in division meetings related to policy and programming and advises on the use of data to inform those efforts.
• Develops and fields data collection efforts, including surveys.
• Contributes to manuscript development for peer-reviewed journals.
• With a team, develops new research and data analysis tasks based on CDIP’s needs

Education

• A master’s degree with a focus in social science research methods such as epidemiology, public health, demography, data science, economics, or a related field.
• Two or more years of experience in public health or social science research (can include experience during school).
• Demonstrated experience in data analysis with statistical software such as R (preferred), Stata, or SAS.

OR

• Any equivalent combination of education and experience determined to be acceptable by the Department of Public Health which has included a bachelor’s degree as an educational minimum.

Skills/Experience

• Knowledge of and experience with epidemiology or social science research methods, including study design, methodology, and preparation of scientific reports.
• Ability to analyze data, write project proposals, and write technical reports.
• Ability to summarize findings for a variety of audiences, e.g. scientists, policy makers, and the public.
• Interest in using data skills in an applied setting to advance health policy goals.Strong analytic abilities with statistical software (e.g., R, Stata, SAS).
• Experience with REDCap.
• Strong mapping abilities using software (e.g., ArcGIS, Leaflet) a plus.
• Experience with interactive data visualization (e.g. Tableau, Shiny) a plus.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Able to work as a team, prioritize and handle multiple tasks and deadlines, work independently, take initiative, and follow projects through to completion.

Work Environment

Standard office setting with extended periods at workstation and periodic use of office equipment. Staff are expected to come into the office full-time.

Position Type and Work Schedule

Fulltime position, typical hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.

Travel

Some local travel between sites to attend meetings.

Physical Demands

Limited physical demands. Associate will work primarily in an office setting.

Salary and Benefits

Our employees are our most valuable resource, so we offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package, which can include:

• Medical with vision benefits
• Flexible spending accounts
• Life, AD&D and long term care insurance
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• 403(b) Retirement Plan, with a company contribution
• Paid time off including vacation, sick, personal and holiday
• Employee Assistance Program

Eligibility and participation is handled consistent with the plan documents and HFP policy.

DISCLAIMER

The Health Federation reserves the right to modify, interpret, or apply this job description in any way the Company desires. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by an employee assigned to this position. This job description in no way implies that these are the only duties, including essential duties, responsibilities and/or skills to be performed by the employee occupying this position. This job description is not an employment contract, implied, or otherwise. The employment relationship remains “at will.” The aforementioned job requirements are subject to change to reasonably accommodate qualified disabled individuals.

Position Title: Research and Data Associate

Organization: Philadelphia Department of Public Health