Department of Health and Human Services

The Division of Intramural Research (DIR) at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is seeking to recruit an outstanding Staff Scientist to join the Minority Health and Health Disparities Population Laboratory within the Epidemiology and Community Health Branch (ECHB). The Minority Health and Health Disparities Population Laboratory focuses on health and health care disparities among racial and/or ethnic minority populations, with three main areas of lab research: 1) health status and behaviors among Latino individuals of different heritages using \the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) data with special emphasis on tobacco use behavior, neighborhood factors, and the relationship of acculturation, socioeconomic status, and pregnancy on the development of diabetes and hypertension; 2) tobacco biomarkers and self-reported smoking behavior in relation to CYP2A allele frequency in a sample of daily and nondaily smokers from HCHS/SOL; and 3) US health disparities by race and ethnicity and county of residence for common diseases in collaboration with the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) US Health Disparities group.

Duties and Responsibilities:
As Staff Scientist, the incumbent will work on several analytic projects for the lab. First, they will lead analyses of data from the NHLBI-funded Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) for at least three projects. One project will assess the relationship between the consumption of pulses and metabolic syndrome. Another project will assess the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and pulses consumption among participants of HCHS/SOL. A third project will assess the relationships between gestational diabetes and health behaviors with development of type 2 diabetes.  Second, they will analyze data from the GBD US Health Disparities group on malnutrition mortality by race and ethnicity and county. Finally, they will implement a qualitative study to develop an intervention with pregnant Latina women to prevent development of gestational diabetes. Once these projects are completed, the incumbent will continue to collaborate on other writing projects within the lab, including the senior investigator and trainees.

In addition to these analytic projects, the incumbent will develop their management skills by co-managing lab management responsibilities and attending professional development workshops. First, they will co-run weekly Lab Check-In meetings between staff scientists and trainees to discuss the progress of projects prior to trainees meeting with the senior investigator the following week. Second, they will run weekly Lab meetings between senior investigator and all trainees by organizing and facilitating the agenda of projects that need to be discussed. Third, they will oversee the development of analytic plans for lab research and contribute to the development of research proposals.

The successful candidate should have:  

1)     PhD in Epidemiology, Public Health, Biostatistics, Nutrition, or a related field.

2)     Proficiency in statistical software (e.g., SAS, R, STATA).

3)     Experience with advanced statistical analyses and data management.

4)     Proven track record of conducting and leading epidemiologic research projects.

5)     Previous experience working with large, complex datasets such as the HCHS/SOL or similar cohort studies.

6)     Familiarity with the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study data and methods.

7)     Experience in qualitative research methodologies and intervention development.

8)     In-depth knowledge of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, and nutritional epidemiology.

9)     Demonstrated ability to lead and manage multiple research projects simultaneously.

10)  Experience in developing and overseeing analytic plans for research projects.

11)  Strong organizational skills for managing weekly lab meetings and coordinating project agendas.

12)  Excellent written/oral communication ability and time/space management skills.

13)  Fluency in English and Spanish is highly desirable, particularly for qualitative research with Latina populations.

Work Conditions:
The incumbent’s work is mostly sedentary and may be completed at a computer in an office setting or in a lab. Workspace and electronic equipment shall be provided by NHLBI.  

Application:
NIH encourages the application and nomination of qualified women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities. NIH provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation during any part of the application and hiring process, please notify us. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. This position is subject to a background investigation. Applicants may be US citizens, resident non-citizens or nonresident non-citizens eligible for a valid employment visa. Potential visa sponsorship is handled by the NIH Division of International Services (https://ors.od.nih.gov/pes/dis/Pages/default.aspx).

Interested individuals should send: 1) a current curriculum vitae with complete bibliography and 2) names and contact information for 2-4 professional/academic references. These references will only be contacted if the candidate is selected as a finalist.

Please send applications as well as direct questions about this posting to:

 Lauren Hunter (lauren.hunter@nih.gov)

DHHS, NIH, and NHLBI are Equal Opportunity Employers.