Healthcare Research Data Scientist

Department Sheps Ctr for Hlth Serv Res-633100 Career Area Information Technology Posting Open Date 01/17/2025 Application Deadline 02/03/2025 Open Until Filled No Position Type Permanent Staff (EHRA NF) Working Title Healthcare Research Data Scientist Appointment Type EHRA Non-Faculty Position Number 20068978 Vacancy ID NF0008842 Full Time/Part Time Full-Time Permanent FTE 1 Hours per week 40 Position Location North Carolina, US Hiring Range $74,500 – $126,500 Proposed Start Date 02/17/2025 Be a Tar Heel!

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top public universities. Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.

One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC-Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package, paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit

The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research seeks to improve the health of individuals, families, and populations by understanding the problems, issues, and alternatives in the design and delivery of health care services. This is accomplished through an interdisciplinary program of research, consultation, technical assistance, and training that focuses on timely and policy-relevant questions concerning the accessibility, adequacy, organization, cost, and effectiveness of health care services, and the dissemination of this information to policymakers and the general public.

Position Summary

Come work at the Sheps Center! If you’re interested in improving healthcare and making positive change through programming and analyses for cutting edge research, this could be the position for you. Investigators need your skills as a programmer to help untangle the data and tackle the hard issues facing health and healthcare today. 

The person in this position will act as a data analytic programmer, a data scientist, a data manager, and analyst for multiple projects. They will be a member of the Sheps Data Analytics Team and will work directly with interdisciplinary research teams, including medical researchers, statisticians, and policy experts, to design studies and analyze healthcare data to address critical healthcare questions. They will require advanced knowledge of statistical techniques with a focus on healthcare and healthcare claims data. Major responsibilities will include designing and developing data management strategies for grant-funded research projects that utilize large-scale data including Medicare, Medicaid, private claims, electronic health records, and other health care utilization data; working with researchers to develop analytic plans; understanding and promoting the research capabilities of secondary health data; and developing programming and analytic tools to explore data across platforms and applications. 

The person in this position requires expertise in highly specialized areas of data science, healthcare data analytics, and advanced statistical analysis. They will primarily utilize SAS, R, SQL, Python and Tableau but may also take advantage of other platforms. This work will include scoping and estimating data analytics and statistical analysis work, conducting statistical analyses, creating analytic datasets and developing supporting documentation to assist with statistical analyses, and preparation of reports and manuscripts. The person in this position will develop quality measures, create dashboards, and complete data requests. They must possess a strong enough understanding of healthcare data, Medicare/Medicaid claims data, electronic health records (EHR), to be able to lead the development of analytic plans and execution of data science methodologies, ensuring they align with research goals and provide actionable insights for healthcare research. They must have specialized knowledge in managing, analyzing, and interpreting complex health datasets, including electronic health records (EHR), claims data, and longitudinal health data.

This person must be able to work autonomously to define project goals, scope, and methodologies while making data-driven decisions to overcome research challenges and identify new areas of inquiry. This person will also train and mentor Early Career Research Professionals providing high-level mentorship and guidance to help them navigate complex data analysis processes and the development of advanced programming skills.

The Sheps Center will support training and professional development for employees to continuously assess and implement new innovations.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

Master’s degree or higher in Public Health, Data Science, Statistics, or related field and at least 2 years of experience working with claims or health care data.

Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience

• Demonstrated proficiency utilizing R, SAS, and SQL for healthcare claims research
• Demonstrated ability to work on academic research teams
• Must have a strong understanding of North Carolina Medicaid and NC Medicaid healthcare claims data
• Demonstrated ability to develop healthcare claims-based quality measures, dashboards, and data requests.
• Demonstrated ability to manage, analyze, and interpret complex health datasets, including electronic health records (EHR), claims data, and longitudinal health data.

Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience

• Demonstrated proficiency utilizing Python, Stata, and Tableau
• Familiarity with healthcare research data including insurance claims, electronic medical record data, and any other public or proprietary healthcare data
• Demonstrated experience with advanced data analytics programming and modern data science statistical analyses
• Demonstrated ability to mentor early career programmers
• Demonstrated experience with developing analytic plans and leading projects
• Demonstrated experience with data management best practices and developing data management strategies
• Understanding and promoting the research capabilities of secondary health data
• Experience with managing tasks, responsibilities, and priorities autonomously

Special Physical/Mental Requirements Campus Security Authority Responsibilities

Not Applicable.

Special Instructions Quick Link https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/295253 Department Contact Name and Title Diana M. deProphetis, HR Specialist Department Contact Telephone or Email dianadep@email.unc.edu Office of Human Resources Contact Information

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the Office of Human Resources at (919) 843-2300 or send an email to employment@unc.edu

Please note: The Office of Human Resources will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.

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