Health Policy Research Scientist

Job Summary

The Scientist will become an integral team member at the UW Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) for the evaluation of the Senior Care Pharmaceutical Benefit for Low-Income Seniors program. The Senior Care program is funded by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and provides discounted drug coverage to older adults not currently receiving full Medicaid benefits to help delay or prevent future enrollment into Medicaid and more serious and expensive health services.

• Evaluate Senior Care program drug utilization indicators of medication adherence and high-risk medication use.
• Use drug expenditure data to measure financial hardship for program members and cost savings to the Medicaid program.
• Measure avoidable health outcomes including nursing home and other long-term care use.
• Assist with cleaning and preparing Medicaid and Medicare claims data.
• Consult on research methodologies based on analytic plans from investigators; prepare analytic code for dissemination.
• Prepare output tables, analytic findings, and assist investigators with writing evaluation reports to the Wisconsin DHS and for scholarly publications.
• Analyze large complex research data sets including Medicaid and Medicare health care claims.
• Analyze data using causal inference analytic techniques to determine differences in pharmaceutical drug utilization and health outcomes between treatment and comparison groups.
• Document analysis code and results according to established policies and procedures for research transparency, standardization, and replication.
• Conduct literature reviews to support and enhance analysis plans and report preparation.
• Execute and provide consultation on analysis plans to measure changes in pharmaceutical drug utilization and expenditures.
• Assist investigators with the writing of evaluation reports and scholarly publications in support of continued professional development and the dissemination of research information.

• Quantitative statistical analysis skills in economics or related field utilizing statistical analysis packages (such as SPSS, SAS, R, Python or STATA) measuring longitudinal trend changes relative to comparison groups.
• Minimum two years of experience with data management and statistical data analysis.
• Experience utilizing and managing large databases and especially experience with tools for working with large data sets.
• Familiarity with causal inference methods for observational studies, such as difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, and instrumental variables.

• Experience with Medicaid and/or Medicare claims data.
• Previous research experience focusing on pharmaceutical use.

Ph.D. required in health services research, economics, pharmacy, or a related field.

College of Letters & Science | Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP)

The typical starting salary for this position is $70,000 - $100,000 depending on qualifications and experience. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays and paid time off; competitive insurance and saving accounts; and retirement benefits.

Click the "Apply" button to start the application process. Applicants should attach a letter of qualifications/cover letter and resume detailing their training and experience relating to the required and preferred qualifications referenced above. The application reviewers will be relying on written application materials to determine which qualified applicants will advance in the recruitment process.

Tim Connor, tgconnor

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies.