Evidence for Action (E4A), a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, awards grants to support innovative, rigorous research on how systems, programs, and policies can advance racial equity, improve population health, and reduce health inequalities in the United States. The E4A National Program Office (NPO) reviews research proposals and recommends the most rigorous and actionable proposals for funding.
Numerous methodological challenges arise in efforts to field rigorous, cost-effective, and equity-promoting research in E4A’s priority areas. In 2018, E4A launched the Methods Lab, an internal initiative with the goals of identifying these methods issues, providing relevant evidence and tools to overcome challenges, and sparking attention to the challenges and solutions from the broader community of quantitative researchers. We seek to hire a post-doctoral fellow to play a key role in this initiative.
Competitive candidates should have training and interest in both quantitative research methods (e.g., epidemiology, sociology, economics, or an adjacent discipline) and multilevel influences on health and health inequalities, including social, environmental, and institutional risk factors. Specific projects will be prioritized on an ongoing basis and may include:
- Writing manuscripts or developing teaching tools to bridge disciplinary differences in approaches to causal inference;
- Empirical research on major sources of bias or uncertainty in common approaches to evaluating determinants of population health and health inequalities;
Simulation studies to evaluate the performance of recently proposed methodological advances when applied to E4A’s priority research areas in racial equity, population health or health inequalities; - Contributing to E4A’s Methods Blog, where we communicate core methods ideas in brief, accessible form (for examples, see: https://www.evidenceforaction.org/blog);
- Providing consultation to prospective grant applicants on rigorous research designs and approaches.
Previous projects have included manuscripts and teaching tools that crosswalk different disciplinary approaches to causal inference, social policy effects on health, and heterogeneity in treatment effects of social policies.
Emerging topics of interest and potential areas of focus for the incoming post-doctoral fellow include critical perspectives on quantitative methods in disparities research, data pooling to address highly selected or small samples, and development of measures relevant to structural racism and racial equity. This is an exciting opportunity to gain exposure to real-world social interventions spanning multiple sectors, while contributing to the development and application of quantitative research approaches that seek to dismantle root causes of health inequities.
The E4A National Program Office is housed in the Center for Health and Community at the University of California, San Francisco. The post-doctoral fellow will work with NPO leadership team and most closely with Maria Glymour, Associate Director for the NPO, and May Lynn Tan, Assistant Deputy Director for the NPO.
Required:
- PhD or equivalent training in epidemiology, sociology, economics or a related discipline.
- Experience with quantitative research, including expertise in statistical software (R, SAS, Stata)
- Familiarity with quasi-experimental methods, such as difference-in-difference, regression discontinuity, or instrumental variables
- Experience or familiarity with a range of health equity and racial equity frameworks
- Strong writing skills, ideally for technical, applied, or non-research audiences.
- Commitment to methodologically strong research that advances health equity
Applicants may apply by sending a cover letter, CV, and writing sample to Maria Glymour with the subject line "E4A Postdoc Position" to evidenceforaction@ucsf.edu. You may also reach out to Maria or May Lynn at the same address for more information about the position. The position will remain open until filled.