Sr Research Associate, Evidence Synthesis

American Cancer Society•Portland, OR

7d•Remote

About The Position

The Senior Research Associate, Evidence Synthesis works with the American Cancer Society’s Center for Early Cancer Detection Science (CECDS) Cancer-related Evidence Synthesis Team (CrEST) to lead systematic evidence reviews that inform ACS guidelines for the early detection of cancer. Serving as a working principal investigator or co-principal investigator, this role works with CrEST leadership and the CECDS guideline development team to refine evidence needs, then designs, leads, and conducts evidence synthesis projects. The position oversees all stages of systematic reviews, assesses research quality and strength of evidence, and communicates findings through presentations, reports, and journal manuscripts. It also manages project administration and relationships with subject matter experts and interest holders, coordinates concurrent projects, and supervises, trains, and mentors junior research staff and research team members. This is a remote position involving frequent team collaboration and quarterly in-person meetings that may require travel.

Requirements

Master’s degree in public health, health policy/services, or a related field.
At least 5 years of experience working with and leading teams conducting systematic evidence reviews, health technology assessments, or rapid reviews.
Knowledge of research methods used in epidemiology and/or clinical research, including study design and basic biostatistics.
Knowledge of current systematic evidence review methods.
Ability to translate complex findings into digestible and actionable written research products.
Outstanding organization and prioritization skills, including the ability to coordinate and complete multiple large projects on time with minimal supervision.
Ability to communicate effectively with scientific and technical audiences and non-clinical policymakers.
Excellent writing, grammar, and proofreading skills, including the ability to follow a variety of style guides.
Proficiency in evidence synthesis, including conducting systematic reviews or health technology assessments, critically appraising scientific literature with established quality assessment tools, and assessing strength of evidence using established methods or criteria.
Proficiency in MS Office applications such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Proficiency in citation management software such as EndNote.

Nice To Haves

Advanced or specialized knowledge in at least one of the following areas: medicine or clinical practice, epidemiology, biostatistics, meta-analysis, genetics, biomarkers, data visualization, or artificial intelligence.
Record of peer-reviewed publication.
Experience conducting systematic reviews to inform clinical practice guidelines.
Experience with systematic review software applications such as DistillerSR or Covidence.
Skill using analysis and data visualization techniques and software such as R, Stata, or Tableau.
Experience conducting meta-analyses.
Experience using project management tools or software such as Monday.

Responsibilities

Serve as a working principal investigator or co-principal investigator to lead the design, conduct, and dissemination of systematic evidence reviews, including systematic reviews, living systematic reviews, and rapid reviews.
Lead all stages of evidence reviews, including protocol development, study selection, critical appraisal, data abstraction, and quantitative and qualitative synthesis.
Evaluate the quality and applicability of research studies and assess the strength of the body of evidence for selected outcomes.
Write presentations, reports, and manuscripts for journal publication; review, edit, and combine sections written by project team members.
Communicate with and manage relationships with internal and external subject matter experts and interest holders.
Delegate review tasks, provide guidance, monitor team progress, and ensure adherence to deadlines.
Develop working knowledge of current cancer screening practices and guidelines for relevant ACS guideline topics.
Use and help team members use appropriate project software and tools, such as DistillerSR, EndNote, and data visualization tools.
Coordinate with CrEST leadership and the CECDS guideline development team to determine the scope of evidence needs for cancer screening topics.
Provide project updates and disseminate findings to the CECDS guideline development team and ACS Guideline Development Group.
Provide subject matter expertise and peer review, represent ACS at professional meetings, and perform ad hoc evidence tasks for ACS CAN or ACS leadership.
Participate in other research tasks as assigned.
Participate in staff recruitment, including screening and interviewing.
Supervise, train, and mentor junior research staff, volunteers, and research team members.
Provide leadership, oversight, mentoring, training, and guidance to volunteers and research team members.
Maintain and apply working knowledge of systematic review methods through professional development.