Position Description:

Postdoctoral Fellow: According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), a postdoc is an individual who has received a doctoral degree (or equivalent) and is engaged in a temporary and defined period of mentored advanced research training to enhance the professional skills and research independence needed to pursue his or her chosen career path. In addition, according to the National Postdoc Association (NPA), Postdoctoral appointees can pursue basic, clinical or translational projects so long as their primary effort is devoted toward their own scholarship. Postdocs are essential to the scholarly mission of the mentor and host institution, and thus are expected to have the freedom to publish the results of their scholarship.

The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment invites outstanding researchers to apply for appointment as a Postdoctoral Fellow for a 12 month position expected to start after July 1, 2024, with the possibility of renewal for up to a maximum of three years total appointment time (contingent on satisfactory performance and continued funding). The position will involve working on projects led by Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld (Director and Senior Associate Dean) and Dr. Ugwuji Maduekwe (Deputy Director and Associate Dean) in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of data, health equity, and minoritized populations. The goal is to develop and implement research projects that inform the development of effective strategies and interventions to eliminate disparities in cancer care and improve access to care for LGBTQ+ patients. The Postdoctoral Fellow will work together with faculty leaders to develop a research portfolio to be completed over the training period. This training opportunity presents an opportunity for the Postdoctoral Fellow to polish their research experience, professional development, and work on interesting projects with a dynamic interdisciplinary team. In addition, to further the Postdoctoral Fellow's professional development, between 10-20% of their professional effort may be spent pursuing their own self-directed research efforts.

Characteristics of a postdoctoral appointment:

It is expected that postdocs at MCW, with the assistance of their supervisor, will:

• Be supervised by at least one senior scholar who actively promotes the postdoc's professional development.
• Establish an individual development plan (IDP) that incorporates equally the postdoc's career and training goals and the mentor's research goals.
• Pursue basic, clinical, or translational projects so long as effort is focused primarily on research.
• Publish results of the postdoc's research and scholarship during their appointment.
• The postdoctoral appointment is temporary by nature, the aggregate amount of time spent as a postdoc is recommended to not exceed five years (not including family medical leave or maternity/paternity leave).
• As postdocs are important members of the host institution's community, appropriate levels of compensation, health care, and other benefits commensurate with their essential status should be afforded, independent of the postdoc's source of funding.

Primary Functions

• Plan, design and conduct complex research studies using qualitative and quantitative methodologies
• Develops and advances a research agenda, under the guidance of the PI mentors to create new studies and research proposals while executing existing studies.
• Coordinate research study activities: lead and manage projects by participating in meetings with principal investigators, research staff, learners, and trainees .
• Oversee organization, synthesis and analysis of data and findings.
• Develop survey instruments and conduct qualitative/cognitive interviews, and analysis of interview and survey data.
• Write scientific manuscripts, prepare reports, and participate in the dissemination of findings at academic and public health conferences.
• May oversee the work of junior personnel including training and development as well as daily work direction, delegation and establishing priorities.
• Contributes to ongoing AHW research and analytic projects,
• Leading and/or assisting with workshops, meetings, and webinars
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Please submit the following for consideration:

1. CV
2. A cover letter including the following: 1) current career stage (including graduation date if still in PhD program), 2) ideal start date, 3) why you are a good fit for the position, 4) your expectations for your time at AHW/MCW, and 5) skills and experience most salient to this positions, particularly any research interests or previous work in health care disparities and equity around issues of gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic position, geography, or other markers of stratification.
3. A scholarly writing sample - either a research paper, book chapter, or dissertation chapter
4. Contact information for a thesis advisor or other individual qualified to provide a reference

Knowledge - Skills - Abilities

Required knowledge: biology, chemistry, mathematics, statistics, documentation, records management, data utilization, complex problem solving, critical thinking, resource management, and writing skills

Skills and abilities: This will vary based on the hiring manager's preferences and should include things that can be learned or trained for.

Preferred Schedule:

Position Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications:

Minimum education: Ph.D, M.D., or equivalent doctorate (e.g. Sc.D). Degree should have been received within a year of application or expected to be received by the anticipated start date of the appointment.

Minimum experience: Experience in quantitative methodologies including data management such as merging datasets, recoding variables, cleaning data, and data analysis and experience managing research projects. Demonstrated interest/experience in social determinants of inequities in cancer and / or LGBTQ+ health. Excellent data management skills, including strong proficiency with reference management systems.

Preferred Qualifications:

Preferred Experience:

Experience or interest in a multilevel ecological approach to health equity issues in cancer and LGBTQ+ health. Skills in research design and statistics, with experience or interest in the health of minoritized/marginalized populations Experience and interest in qualitative methodology is a plus. Experience in any of the following: multi-modal data integration or informatics is a plus.

Field: Any relevant discipline including epidemiology, psychology, behavioral science, public health, sociology, health services research, health behavior or a related field with training in health equity research/informatics.

MCW as an Equal Opportunity Employer and Commitment to Non-Discrimination
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, or military status. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the MCW community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.

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