Epidemiologist

Overview

Epidemiologist

Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center (ERIC)

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Cooperative Studies Program

The Seattle ERIC is conducting an open search for an epidemiologist. Entry-level PhD and mid-level MS/MPH candidates are encouraged to apply. In collaboration with the Director and other Center scientific staff, the candidate will lead designated Center scientific projects or programs. The Seattle ERIC is based at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System and is 1 of 5 epidemiologic research centers in the national VA Cooperative Studies Program (CSP).

The scientific portfolio of the Center includes 5 CSP studies: (1) Vietnam-Era Twin (VET) Registry, a registry of 14,632 male-male twins with large and expanding data and biospecimen repositories; (2) National Vietnam Veteran Longitudinal Study (NVVLS-R), a longitudinal study of male and female Veterans; (3) Millennium Cohort VA Follow-Up Study, a Department of Defense collaboration of deployment health of those served after 2000; (4) Service and Health Among Deployed Veterans (SHADE), a multi-site cohort study to characterize the impact of deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan on the respiratory health of Veterans; and (5) the Epidemiology, Immunology and Clinical Characteristics of COVID-19 (EPIC3) within the Veterans Health Administration. Also included in the portfolio are Seattle ERIC investigator-initiated research programs funded by the VA and by the National Institutes of Health.

The duties of the epidemiologist position are multi-fold and include the following:

1.     Under the supervision of the Center Director and other scientific staff, assume partial or full responsibility for contributing to the epidemiologic analytic activities and the integration of analytic activities with research activities. The candidates will bring epidemiologic scientific expertise to the research program and will help assure high-quality science and project successes.

2.     Provide leadership to new and ongoing CSP initiatives related to military health and deployment exposures. These include the Millennium Cohort VA Follow-Up Study and the Service and Health Among Deployed Veterans (SHADE) study, which focus on health outcomes in Veterans who served in the post-9/11 era of military service.

3.     Other scientific and administrative responsibilities for fulfilling the mission of the ERIC and CSP.

 

Ideal candidates will have the following attributes:

·       Doctoral-level training in epidemiology or a closely related field with 2 or more years of experience conducting independent epidemiologic research or

·       Master-level training in epidemiology with preferably 5 or more years of post-graduate experience conducting independent epidemiologic research

·       Research in areas related to the health of Veterans, such as:

o   Chronic diseases

o   Mental health

o   Environmental health

o   Genetics

·       Understanding of the VA research program and VA health care

·       Strong analytic knowledge and skills

·       Ability to think critically about scientific and administrative planning and execution

·       Strong leadership and interpersonal skills

There is currently 1 full-time (1.00 FTE) position. Candidates must be U.S. citizens. Education and experience will be evaluated by VA Human Resources to determine if the selected candidate meets the position criteria for a GS-9, GS-11, or GS-13. Please see the Office and Personnel Management (OPM) General Schedule (GS) table for the Seattle area for salary information

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to both Nicholas L. Smith at Nicholas.Smith@va.gov and nlsmith@u.washington.edu and cc Chris Bromberg at Christopher.Bromberg@va.gov.