Senior Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium (PC4) Data Manager

Data Analyst and Programmer

This position will serve as the data analyst and programmer for the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium (PC4), a multi-institutional quality improvement collaborative that maintains a registry containing data from more than 70 member sites across North America. PC4 engages stakeholders across pediatric cardiac critical care, cardiac surgery, and cardiology. PC4’s work is grounded in the core principles of collaborative quality improvement: purposeful collection of clinical data on outcomes and practices, timely performance feedback to clinicians, and continuous improvement through empirical analysis and shared learning.

The PC4 registry is housed in a large, complex relational database comprising more than 30 tables related to pediatric cardiac intensive care, including surgery, mechanical ventilation, cardiac catheterization, medications, and patient complications.

This position will be embedded in a University of Michigan pediatric cardiology research core, M-CHORD, which currently consists of 15+ staff, including 4 existing data managers who focus on data management for registries similar to PC4, all of which are part of Cardiac Networks United.

• Both independently and as part of a team, provide feedback on the design of, and oversee timely and accurate completion of, research and quality improvement projects utilizing data from PC4, and on occasion, related, similar registries. Projects may be initiated by investigators both internal and external to UM. More specifically, the PC4 data manager constructs targeted datasets for analysis by synthesizing data from multiple one-to-many tables, following written specifications, and using SQL or an equivalent data tool.
  
  They also process data fields that run in parallel using loops and arrays. The work involves both understanding and repurposing macro-dependent code written by senior PC4 staff, and writing new code where needed.
• Utilize excellent oral and written communication skills, as well as excellent interpersonal skills, to engage with stakeholders (which include physicians, clinical staff, project managers, statisticians, and other data managers), and on a daily basis. This position requires collaboration with other data managers and analysts for multi-registry efforts, therefore the applicant must be comfortable communicating and programming in a team environment.
• Maintain written documentation of data management decisions made on each project during analysis meetings to keep investigators and leadership up to date. There are typically 2-4 projects in process at one time.
• Serve as member of the PC4 audit committee, tasked with monitoring data quality across 70+ member sites across the US. This role requires basic knowledge of SQL, macro language, and REDcap, and the ability to draft clear written feedback to sites on audit findings.
• Maintain the PC4 Data Definitions Manual, which is updated and distributed to all stakeholders annually. This pdf document is extracted from an Access database, and requires basic knowledge of queries, forms, and reports.
• Attends and actively participate in Zoom meetings 5-15 hours per week, including a weekly meeting with data collectors from the 70+ member sites.
• Interact with principal investigators/executive leaders of individual networks to develop data collection tools, software specifications, and to compose data dictionaries.
• Integrate data from multiple sources and perform complex programming to prepare data for meaningful and appropriate analytics. Able to assess and revise programming by more junior data analysts as necessary.
• Serve as a liaison with software vendors and other third-party collaborators supporting PC4 (or similar) to develop data entry and reporting platform software.
• Design, implement and maintain complex databases including validation checks, monitoring of standards and procedures, and assure protection and security.
• Assist with writing manuscripts, project reports, and grant applications. Provide input to budgets for current and future projects.

Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Epidemiology, Public Health or Related Equivalent Field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience required.

Extensive experience using SAS techniques to match-merge datasets with a one-to-many relationship and macro language or similar statistical programming experience required.

Experience working with specialized clinical health data and/or a strong interest in learning the basic terminology and processes of an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) required.

Experience in database design and development, including normalization and automated data quality assurance required.

Excellent project documentation skills required.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills required.

Extensive experience in database management with progressive responsibility required.

Required Technology

Skills:

• Ability to set up computers,…