"Research Area Specialist Assoc"

The Section of Health Services Research and Quality within the Department of Cardiac Surgery is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Research Area Specialist to join our team. This is a part-time position with an expected work schedule of 20 hours per week (0.5 FTE). The selected candidate will lead and contribute to qualitative and mixed methods research for an ongoing, large, federally funded grant co-led by Dr. Donald Likosky and Dr. Francis Pagani.

The ideal candidate will possess the skills needed to support a large, multicenter qualitative and mixed methods grant. The candidate will contextualize data generated from analyses of clinical and administrative data, with new qualitative data, collected and synthesized via semi-structured interviews and surveys with clinicians and hospitals throughout the state of Michigan. Combining quantitative and qualitative data via mixed methods approaches will enable deeper insights to inform and develop an infection prevention toolkit for patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The Research Area Specialist will work closely with other grant team members, including Dr. Timothy Guetterman (Department of Family Medicine) and Sriram Swaminathan (Department of Family Medicine).

Data Collection, Analysis & Interpretation:

• Design, test, and collect data using a variety of methods (e.g., surveys, semi-structured interviews).
• Review interview transcripts and other data sources, apply qualitative coding schemes, and use rigorous qualitative methods to analyze data.
• Meet with research teams on an ongoing basis to review and evolve analyses.
• Create tables and charts to summarize qualitative data and findings.

Project Coordination:

• Provide feedback on study design and data management sections of research proposals and grant applications.
• Develop protocols for data analyses.
• Submit subject incentives.
• Submit vendor transcription invoicing.
• Manage data and project documents in shared folders.
• Manage project timelines and support strategies to meet deadlines.

Dissemination of Findings:

• Develop slide decks and other written reports for internal dissemination.
• Contribute to conference abstracts and manuscripts.

Supervision Received: This position reports co-directly to Dr. Timothy Guetterman (Department of Family Medicine) and Dr. Donald Likosky (Department of Cardiac Surgery).

Master's degree in social, health sciences, or related fields OR a Bachelor's degree with 1-3 years of research experience in an academic environment.

• Advanced proficiency in qualitative & mixed-methods research and research methodology.
• Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and evaluating qualitative and mixed methods methodological approaches
• Ability to learn and implement new research methods and software tools as needed
• Ability to balance the demands of working on multiple projects simultaneously, manage timelines, and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines independently and as part of a team.
• Highly professional demeanor and positive attitude with outstanding communication skills and ability to interact with diverse individuals including research scientists, clinicians, analysts, and programmer.
• Strong writing, editing, and oral communication skills.
• Detail oriented, exceptionally organized and highly motivated individual.

Proficiency with qualitative analysis software (MAXQDA, NVivo,) and survey design (Qualtrics, RedCap).

• Experience performing semi-structured interviews and qualitative data coding.
• Evidence of research productivity and experience with grant applications.
• Experience working with interdisciplinary teams on collaborative projects or grants.