Research Analyst

Job Summary

To work as part of a research team studying prescription drug utilization, appropriateness of use, and population health outcomes as well as provincial drug policy.

Major responsibilities include : writing computer programs for administrative data analysis, conducting literature reviews and syntheses, conducting trend and statistical analysis, writing research abstracts, and presenting complex analysis in a clear and effective manner.

Organizational Status

Reports directly to Dr. Greg Carney, Chair of the Pharmacoepidemiology Group of the Therapeutics Initiative. Liaisons with :

• Clinicians, Executives, and staff of the Therapeutics Initiative
• Team members of the Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effects Studies (CNODES)
• Project members
• Data Access Services, B.C. Ministry of Health
• Ethics Review Boards of UBC
• UBC employees
• Professors, students, and researchers at the University of British Columbia, and other universities

Work Performed

Participating in the statistical analysis of prescription drug studies using very large administrative databases and chart data and assisting with CNODES cohort studies, as needed. Duties include :

1. Research Analysis. Uses statistical analysis packages (Frequent use : SAS and SQL, occasional use : STATA and R) to analyze very large healthcare administrative databases.

Writes and executes SAS code to support CNODES projects and BC Ministry of Health deliverables. Includes quality assurance testing and documenting coding methods.

Participation in study design and interpreting results.

2. Physician prescribing portrait feedback development, production, and evaluation. Uses SAS, SQL, R to produce portraits of trends in physician prescribing by patient subgroups.

Work with physicians and project staff on formats for presenting results, in combination with evidence from literature, into portraits that are visually appealing to end users.

3. Literature review. To guide statistical analyses and interpretation of results, conducts review of literature and contributes to presentations and papers.

4. To maintain collaboration among the dispersed members of the research team and manage differences of opinion among members of the team, the Research Analyst participates in developing and maintaining an efficient communication system that is respectful of how busy the collaborators are.

5. Knowledge Exchange. To engage decision-makers in formulating queries of the data and interpreting results, the Research Analyst interacts one-to-one with users throughout the analysis, and documents queries and responses.

6. Writing. Writes research abstracts and summary reports.

Participation in national meetings and conferences might be required (eg 1 / year)

Consequence of Error / Judgement

Errors or missteps in communication could produce friction among collaborators due to strong differences of opinion to how drug safety and effectiveness studies should be designed and implemented.

Accuracy and timeliness of tasks are critical in keeping research projects on time and on budget. Errors can lead to significant project delays

Supervision Received

Works under the supervision of Dr. Greg Carney, who conducts some analyses for both the BC Ministry of Health and CNODES cohort studies, provides guidance on the databases and advice on analyses conducted by the Research Analyst.

Supervision Given

Part-time research assistants and medical / co-op students conducting short-term projects.

Minimum Qualifications

Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of two years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in statistics, pharmacology, epidemiology, or related field

Minimum of one year experience in research analysis or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience with data management and programming.

Ability to communicate orally and in writing.

Ability to deal with multiple tasks and priorities.

Ability to act with discretion and maintain confidentiality.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationship with professions and other team members.