Research Scientist - Cancer Outcomes

Dr. Ahna Pai Research Program

The Center for Biobehavioral Health (CBH) seeks a Research Scientist to partner with faculty in the formulation, development, and implementation of research in the area of pediatric oncology, hematopoietic stem cell and solid organ transplantation. The CBH, conducts applied clinical and health services research on a wide variety of topics related to pediatric health including regimen self-management and adherence, nutrition, pain, neurodevelopment and coping and adjustment in the context of diagnosis and treatment.

The Research Scientist will be integral to maintaining the strong collaborative reputation of CBH through ensuring the integrity of research study design, data collection, management, analysis, and dissemination. He or she will be integral to framing and furthering the research of CBH investigators.

Collaboratively develop protocols required to conduct innovative and impactful behavioral health outcomes research.
• Support internal and external funding applications.
• Recommend data sources that can be used to answer specific research questions of interest. Ensure that relevant data is collected or extracted as appropriate.
• Mentor and support research staff, students, residents, and fellows in the development of rigorous research protocols, collection and analysis of data, and preparation of presentations and manuscripts.
• Prepare internal reports that summarize the statistical analyses of data, interpret the findings, and provide conclusions and recommendations.
• Contribute to the preparation and revision of scientific abstracts, presentations, and peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts.
• Facilitate operations by tracking research activity and monitoring study timelines.
• Promote collaboration across multiple pediatric subspecialties at NCH through engagement in studies with PIs, Co-Is and trainees.
• Advance personal scholarship in pediatric psychology and outcomes research, consistent with the mission.

• PhD in Psychology, Nursing, or in related fields with equivalent degrees (PharmD, MD).
• Knowledge of clinical and health services research processes, with the ability to perform basic statistical analyses for single and multi-center retrospective and prospective observational studies, and clinical trials.
• Statistical software competence required (e.g., SAS, Stata, R).
• Strong verbal and written communication skills are essential including experience in peer-reviewed journal publication and grant writing.
• Effective interpersonal skills are required for interactions with diverse populations.
• Strong organizational skills are necessary.
• Ability to function independently and to make decisions is essential.
• Experience consulting in a collaborative research environment is desired.