"Scientist I"

About Us: The Institute on Aging is a research unit whose mission is to promote the health and well-being of the adult and aging populations in our local community, state, and society at large through excellence in multidisciplinary research, education, and outreach. For the past 2.5 decades, the IOA has led a large national study of health and well-being in over 11,000 American adults. Known as MIDUS (Midlife in the US), the study examines inner influences of emotion, personality, biology, genetics, and neuroscience as well as the outer influences of work and family life, class, culture, and race/ethnicity to understand trajectories of health across the decades of adult life. Data from MIDUS are publicly available and are used by thousands of researchers all over the world. To date, over 2,000 publications have been generated across diverse fields. The study is also used by graduate students around the U.S. to complete masters and doctoral degrees.

The IOA is seeking a scientist who has expertise in management and use of survey data that is linked to public use health data (e.g., Medicare/ Medicaid data from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS]). The scientist will oversee the linkage of MIDUS data to CMS data via a series of processes including (1) establishing partnership and data use agreement with MedRIC and NIA, with involvement of UW RSP, for the linkage of CMS data, (2) obtaining IRB approval or waiver for informed consent from MIDUS participants for data linkage, (3) working with MedRIC for regular updates of the linked data with new eligible samples and data years, (4) managing the linked CMS data on the secure virtual server, and (5) support users of the linked data at various levels (e.g., review and approval of data access request, manage user folder on the secure virtual server, provide support materials such as user’s guide, and regularly update the related webpage on the MIDUS homepage). In addition, the scientist is expected to participate in productive activities such as analysis of the linked data and publication.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Assists with the identification of research problems and the development of research methodologies and procedures
• Attends and assists with the facilitation of scholarly events and presentations in support of continued professional development and the dissemination of research information
• Collects and analyzes research data, conducts experiments and interviews, and documents results according to established policies and procedures under general supervision and limited responsibility
• Writes or assists in developing grant applications and proposals to secure research funding
• Conducts literature reviews, prepares reports and materials, and disseminates information to appropriate entities
• Serves as a main point of contact and liaison with internal and external stakeholders providing information and representing the interests of a specialized research area