Research Scientist - Rollins School of Public Health

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Description

The research team of Dr. Aaron Siegler (Bio: https://sph.emory.edu/profile/faculty/aaron-siegler) in the Epidemiology Department at Emory University is seeking to hire a Research Scientist to work on several NIH-funded studies in HIV prevention epidemiology and digital health intervention research across local and/orinternational settings.

These studies include:

1. Establishing a PrEP Epidemiology, Modeling and Surveillance System (PREMISE), a study to support the development of consistent national HIV Pre-ExposureProphylaxis (PrEP) data to describe its patterns of use, and to understand which programs and policies are effective at facilitating PrEP uptake in the US.

2. Improving telePrEP initiation and retention outcomes in the US: The MISTR+ study, an NIH-funded series of clinical trials to support the development of low-touchinterventions (such as tailored messaging) and testing their effectiveness on PrEP initiation and retention outcomes

3. The Elección (Choice) Cohort: Developing and testing a scalable, platform-agnostic digital intervention in Peru, an NIH-funded clinical trial to improve understanding of the factors associated with HIV acquisition and PrEP uptake; and evaluate the preferences for and effectiveness of an adapted digital health messaging intervention (mHealth) among men in Peru.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

• Develops biochemical and cell-based assays, with the use of such assays to perform high throughput screening of small molecule libraries.
• Develops and executes lower throughput biochemical or cell-based assays for structural optimization of hit compounds. Hands-on bench scientist.
• Communicates with biomedical investigators and medicinal chemists.
• May supervise staff.
• Performs related responsibilities as required.

ADDITIONAL JOB DETAILS:

The Research Scientist will have the opportunity to work on multiple projects as described above, with work distribution depending on experience and interests. The Research Scientist may have the opportunity to contribute to other ongoing work in Dr. Siegler’s research lab within PRISM Health, develop independent research proposals, lead manuscripts from conceptualization to publication, and present scientific work at national/international scientific conferences.

For early-career researchers interested in advancing their public health career, the team is committed to providing mentorship to help identify and carve out an area of expertise in terms of topic areas to launch your career.

Key responsibilities:

• Work closely with Principal Investigator in all aspects of the research
• Contribute to quantitative research in HIV prevention.
• Design, conduct and lead quantitative studies
• Use statistical software to derive quantitative research findings
• Work as part of a team to develop scientific data
• Prepare and publish manuscripts as first author in peer-reviewed journals
• Contribute as co-author to manuscripts
• Contribute to data visualization output
• Contribute to project development efforts

The position will be based at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The initial appointment is for 2 years, and renewal is anticipated if performance is satisfactory and funds remain available.

Detailed Project Description:

PREMISETo reach Ending the Epidemic (ETE) targets, we will need consistent national HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) data to describe patterns of use and to understand which programs and policies are effective at facilitating PrEP uptake. This NIH-funded study aims to build on our history of developing public PrEP data resources and innovative metrics of PrEP use in PREMISE (PrEP Epidemiology, Modeling, and Surveillance), a collaborative and interdisciplinary group that will use national PrEP data, along with legal and policy coding, to inform the US HIV epidemic response. The study will conduct analyses regarding the scope of PrEP scaleup overtime and will perform analyses to explore the impact of different locality-specific programs and policies on PrEP use

MISTR+Our study (MISTR+) seeks to establish an evidence base for telehealth and improve health outcomes in terms of PrEP care initiation, retention and re-engagement for the over 100,000 users of this service by (1) developing a series of low-touch interventions based on existing evidence and new data analyses of telePrEP electronicrecords data, (2) testing interventions, and (3) enhancing our understanding of intervention performance through machine learning and cost-effectiveness analysesthat will inform intervention prioritization.

ElecciónThe HIV epidemic in Latin America is concentrated among MSM. As the number of HIV prevention options grows, it is critical to build interventions that empower individuals to make HIV prevention choices that fit their lives; this requires delineating and addressing barriers, elucidating individual preferences, and providing accessible prevention options. Remote access to health services and information may overcome many challenges of traditional clinic service delivery models. TheElección study will improve our understanding of health determinants for HIV incidence and the prevention and care cascades in Peru. The study will build a cohort to assess HIV incidence and its predictors and to identify intervention preferences. We will adapt and test a digital intervention grounded in participant choice to improve HIV prevention service uptake. Specifically, we will develop an observational HIV incidence cohort (Aim 1), implement discrete choice experiments and use the ADAPT-ITT model to inform adaptation of an evidence-based intervention to the Peruvian setting (Aim 2), and transition cohort members into the clinical trial (Aim 3). Participants will be randomized to either the adapted version of the digital intervention (M-Cubicado) or to observation-only follow-up (standard of care).

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree and seven years of related experience or equivalent combination of experience, education and training.
• Strong technical background.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• MD, DVM, or PhD with experience in Epidemiology, Biostatistics or other relevant quantitative field.
• Excellent scientific writing ability
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Expertise in data management using SAS, R, or other statistical software.
• Experience in analysis of clinical trial data and/or national claims data.
• Experience HIV prevention, PrEP, or digital health.

NOTE: This role will be granted the opportunity to work from home regularly but must be able to commute to Emory University on a flexible weekly schedule based upon business needs.  Schedule is based on agreed upon guidelines of department. This role requires residency in the state of GA. Emory reserves the right to change remote work status with notice to employee.

Additional Details

Emory is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law. Emory University does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotions, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training. Students, faculty, and staff are assured of participation in university programs and in the use of facilities without such discrimination. Emory University complies with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veteran's Readjustment Assistance Act, and applicable executive orders, federal and state regulations regarding nondiscrimination, equal opportunity, and affirmative action (for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities). Inquiries regarding this policy should be directed to the Emory University Department of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance, 201 Dowman Drive, Administration Building, Atlanta, GA 30322. Telephone: 404-727-9867 (V) | 404-712-2049 (TDD). Emory University is committed to ensuring equal access and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to seek a reasonable accommodation, please contact the Department of Accessibility Services at [email protected] or call 404-727-9877 (Voice) | 404-712-2049 (TDD). We kindly ask that requests be made at least seven business days in advance to allow adequate time for coordination.