Senior Qualitative Analyst in Chicago, Illinois

Senior Qualitative Analyst

General Internal Medicine (GIM) has a rich tradition at the University of Chicago, dating back to the founding of the medical school in 1927. With the rising prominence of the medical subspecialties after World War II, the Department of Medicine reaffirmed its commitment to GIM in 1969: 'Every trainee must receive intensive, comprehensive training in General Medicine as an optimal base for advanced training, whether in a subspecialty or General Internal Medicine.'

Under the leadership of Dr. Alvin Tarlov (Chair of Medicine, 1968-81), the University of Chicago led a national effort to reestablish academic sections of General Internal Medicine. In 1973, the Section of General Internal Medicine was organized to include separate GIM inpatient, outpatient, and consultation services. The Section of General Internal Medicine assumed responsibility for house staff training and for relationships with community hospitals.

A fellowship program was established for trainees interested in academic GIM and educational leadership. With the support from our Department Chairs since 1968, GIM research has flourished at the University of Chicago, with faculty recognized as national leaders in the areas of medical ethics, health economics and policy, health services and outcomes research.

The Senior Qualitative Analyst will coordinate and oversee execution of qualitative research projects and perform complex research related duties and tasks regarding the evaluation of the California Safety-Net Population Health Management Initiative (PHMI), reporting to the Deputy Director and Principal Investigators. PHMI is a comprehensive healthcare strategy aimed at improving the overall health outcomes of Medi-Cal beneficiaries in the State of California.

Launched as part of broader healthcare transformation efforts, the initiative focuses on proactive health management and enhancing population health management capacities by addressing social determinants, preventive care, and chronic disease management. Through care coordination, data analytics, and community engagement, the goal of PHMI is to enhance equitable delivery of healthcare services, reduce costs, and create a more integrated and patient-centered approach to managing the health of California's diverse population.

The role of the University of Chicago is in the evaluation of this initiative through a multi-year, mixed methods analysis around the implementation process of PHMI and the achievement of its intended goals.

Responsibilities:

• Create and maintain standardized practices for qualitative data collection.
• Develop interview guides and focus group protocols.
• Interview subjects.
• Code and analyze qualitative data.
• Write qualitative research reports and papers.
• Present results of qualitative analyses to researchers, colleagues, and funders, including formal presentations at conferences.
• Oversee the quality assurance process for PHMI project qualitative research.
• Manage students and/or junior staff with qualitative-related tasks.
• Work with Principal Investigators and/or the deputy director to identify staffing needs for qualitative research, including but not limited to: assisting with job descriptions, participating in interview processes, and advising on staffing decisions.
• Lead trainings for qualitative research staff on topics such as: sensitive interviews, establishing rapport and trust, mock interviews with feedback, developing coding schemes, use of qualitative software, rigorous and valid qualitative analysis, and observation of staff to ensure quality.
• Attend and meaningfully contribute to project meetings when qualitative and other work activities are being planned, reviewed, and iterated.
• Maintains technical and administrative support for a research project.
• Serves as a resource for collecting data and performing analysis. Contributes to facilitating and promoting a research project by providing scientific or intellectual information.
• Leads the contributions to scientific writing and publications, including protocols and grants.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Education:
  
  Minimum requirements include a PhD in related field.
• Work Experience:
  
  Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD degree in Sociology, Public Health, Health Administration or related field.
• Relevant research experience.
• Qualitative research experience.

Preferred

Competencies:

• Excellent proven writing and editing skills and ability to synthesize and translate complicated material into clear and simple language.
• Excellent proven verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Superb organizational, time management and prioritization skills and proven experience coordinating a variety of activities in a timely manner.
• Demonstrated project management and leadership skills.
• Ability to train others.
• Knowledge in relevant scientific field.
• Knowledge of research techniques or…