Staff Scientist/Biostatistician - Geisinger Program Evaluation

Location:

Work from home (Pennsylvania)

Shift:

Days (United States of America)

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

40

Worker Type:

Regular

Exemption Status:

Yes

Job Summary:

Geisinger seeks an outstanding researcher to serve as a Staff Scientist/Biostatistician for the newly created Geisinger Program Evaluation (GPE) team, whose purpose is to conduct rigorous evaluations of potentially high-impact programs intended to improve patient health or improve efficiency at Geisinger.

The GPE Staff Scientist/Biostatistician will be responsible for helping lead rigorous, primarily non-randomized (or partially randomized) evaluations of existing or new programs at Geisinger. The Staff Scientist will help lead or participate in study design, analysis (preferably using R), and reporting/dissemination of results to internal stakeholders (e.g., Geisinger leaders) as well as to academic audiences (e.g., at conferences and in academic publications). Evaluations from GPE team members have been published or are forthcoming in high-impact journals, including PNAS, Nature Human Behaviour, JAMA Network Open, and The Journal of Pediatrics. Additionally, the Staff Scientist will coordinate with other team members (e.g., Staff Scientist, Data Analyst, Project Manager).

The Staff Scientist/Biostatistician will report to the GPE Associate Director, Neal Goldstein, PhD, under the GPE Director, Amir Goren, PhD, with oversight by Faculty Co-Directors, Christopher Chabris, PhD, and H. Lester Kirchner, PhD. The Staff Scientist will also collaborate with the Behavioral Insights Team (BIT). The BIT was created in 2018 to apply behavioral science methods to the design, implementation, and experimental evaluation of programs and lightweight behavioral interventions intended to improve outcomes and experiences for patients, clinicians, employees, and other stakeholders of Geisinger and other health systems. The BIT now collaborates on randomized prospective evaluations as part of GPE. It is led by Professors Michelle Meyer, PhD, JD, and Christopher Chabris, PhD, the founding Faculty Co-Directors, and Program Director Gail Rosenbaum, PhD.

The ideal candidate will have expertise in field(s) related to biostatistics, epidemiology, health economics, and/or health services research in a healthcare, academia, or industry setting, as well as strong methodological training in causal inference using non-randomized (quasi-experimental and observational) study designs. A Ph.D. in biostatistics, epidemiology, health economics, public health, or another relevant scholarly discipline is strongly preferred, with track records of publishing original empirical research, collaborating with others, and disseminating work to technical and non-technical audiences.

The GPE Staff Scientist/Biostatistician will be based in Danville, Pennsylvania at the main campus and headquarters of Geisinger. Remote work from another U.S. location (with occasional travel to Danville) may be possible for an exceptional candidate.

Geisinger is a large, integrated health services organization founded in 1915. Through its 11 hospital campuses, the Geisinger Health Plan, and the Geisinger College of Health Sciences, which includes the Clinical Education Institute and Research Institute, the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM), and the Geisinger School of Nursing, Geisinger serves more than 1 million residents throughout 46 counties in central, south-central, and northeastern Pennsylvania. The system includes over 26,000 employees, including over 1,700 employed physicians, while Geisinger Health Plan serves over 550,000 members. Geisinger’s main campus in Danville, PA, is located within a three-hour drive of New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC.

This GPE reports up to the Research Institute within the Geisinger College of Health Sciences. The Research Institute is engaged in investigating a broad range of research topics, including genomics, population health, and bioethics and decision sciences, using a broad range of methods, including data science and informatics, implementation science, and health services research. Research at Geisinger benefits from the system’s nearly 30 years of electronic health records, its clinical and genomics data warehouses, and its large, stable patient population. Geisinger’s research environment involves over 400 team members including more than 40 research faculty and a growing number of clinicians and learners engaging in collaborative research. In 2024, Geisinger was awarded $41 million in external grant and contract funding, carried out more than 1,400 research studies, including clinical trials, and published over 1,400 scientific articles.

Job Duties:

Major duties and responsibilities:

• Assisting the Associate Director in day-to-day operations and development of the GPE
• Liaising, initiating, and coordinating execution of projects with internal and external stakeholders; this includes Geisinger groups such as clinical departments, the IRB, and the compliance, quality, and legal functions
• Providing expert level biostatistical knowledge – theoretical and applied – to observational study design and analytic methodologies
• Staying abreast of methodological developments for program evaluation in healthcare
• Contributing to or leading manuscript drafting and submission for select evaluation studies (first-author opportunities available)
• Participating in the design of interventions for evaluation and implementation at Geisinger
• Participating in data management, analysis, visualization, and reporting to assess the effectiveness of Geisinger programs, including assessing their effects on patient and other outcomes and quantifying the associated costs and return on investment
• Engaging in open science best practices (e.g., preregistration, preparing and sharing de-identified data and code)
• Disseminating GPE findings at scientific conferences and to lay audiences (e.g., sharing findings with Geisinger leaders)

Required qualifications:

• Experience using statistical software (preferably R, others acceptable)
• Training in advanced, quasi-experimental and observational statistics
• Strong critical thinking skills
• Curiosity and problem-solving skills to proactively identify solutions to pragmatic challenges in a complex healthcare system environment
• Ability to work in an independent manner and complete increasingly complex assignments
• Strong teamwork skills and the ability to work effectively in a group environment
• Exceptional organizational, planning, and analytical skills
• Competence in written, oral, and electronic communication skills (interpersonal/communication and technological effectiveness competencies)

Desired qualifications:                                                

• Experience implementing applied research in a healthcare and/or relevant industry setting
• Experience with open science best practices
• Training in program evaluation or health services research
• Experience with econometrics
• Experience with epidemiology
• Experience with implementation science
• Experience in interdisciplinary research and working in collaborative teams
• Experience in the healthcare industry or academia
• Experience with programming and databases (e.g., Python, SQL)

Education and/or experience:

• A Ph.D. in biostatistics, epidemiology, health economics, public health, but exceptional candidates with other credentials will be considered
• Graduate training in non-randomized causal inference methods, including quasi-experimental and observational study designs
• Minimum 3 years’ post-graduate experience managing healthcare or other research projects and supervising or otherwise collaborating actively in a team setting
• Scholarly publications

Work is typically performed in an office environment. Accountable for satisfying all job specific obligations and complying with all organization policies and procedures. The specific statements in this profile are not intended to be all-inclusive. They represent typical elements considered necessary to successfully perform the job.

Position Details:

To apply: Please send a cover letter, C.V. or resume, and two representative scholarly publications in a single email to GeisingerProgramEvaluation@geisinger.edu. Please also include names, titles, and contact information for three references (we will contact you before reaching out to your references). Questions about the position may also be sent to the same address. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Dr. Goren: agoren@geisinger.edu

Professor Kirchner: https://www.geisinger.edu/gchs/research/about-gchs-research/find-an-investigator/2018/04/04/13/27/lester-kirchner

Professor Chabris: http://www.chabris.com

Education:

Doctoral Degree- (Required), Doctoral Degree-Behavioral Science (Preferred)

Experience:

Minimum of 3 years-Related work experience (Required)

Certification(s) and License(s):

Skills:

Reference Content, Research Analysis, Research And Development Function, Research Documents, Research Methodologies

OUR PURPOSE & VALUES: Everything we do is about caring for our patients, our members, our students, our Geisinger family and our communities.

• KINDNESS: We strive to treat everyone as we would hope to be treated ourselves.
• EXCELLENCE: We treasure colleagues who humbly strive for excellence.
• LEARNING: We share our knowledge with the best and brightest to better prepare the caregivers for tomorrow.
• INNOVATION: We constantly seek new and better ways to care for our patients, our members, our community, and the nation.
• SAFETY: We provide a safe environment for our patients and members and the Geisinger family. 

We offer healthcare benefits for full time and part time positions from day one, including vision, dental and domestic partners. Perhaps just as important, we encourage an atmosphere of collaboration, cooperation and collegiality.

We know that a diverse workforce with unique experiences and backgrounds makes our team stronger. Our patients, members and community come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and it takes a diverse workforce to make better health easier for all.  We are proud to be an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or status as a protected veteran.