Research Associate - Physician Learning Program (PLP)

Competition 1777

This posting is open to current employees at the University of Alberta only. Please login to verify your internal candidate status.

This position is a part of the Association of the Academic Staff of the University of Alberta (AASUA).

In accordance with the Trust/Research Academic Staff Agreement, this position has an approximate appointment of one year from the date of hire and offers a comprehensive benefits package found at Faculty & Staff Benefits and an annual salary range of $59,822 - $74,785.

Location - This role is hybrid with a mix of remote and in-person. Work primarily takes place at North Campus Edmonton.

Working at the University of Alberta

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages and cultures of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and all FirstPeoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

The University of Alberta is a community of knowledge seekers, change makers and world shapers who lead with purpose each and every day. We are home to over 14,000 faculty and staff, more than 40,000 students and a growing community of 300,000 alumni worldwide.

Your work will have a meaningful influence on a fascinating cross-section of people — from our students and community members, to our renowned researchers and innovators, making discoveries and generating solutions that make the world healthier, safer, stronger and more just. Learn more.

Working for the Department/Faculty 

The Physician Learning Program (PLP) is housed in the Office of Lifelong Learning, which supports the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry’s (FoMD) mission to enhance the knowledge and skills of community practitioners in quality improvement initiatives. PLP creates actionable clinical information and engages with physicians, teams, partners, and patients to co-create sustainable solutions to advance practice. Our department is passionate about supporting professional development and offers a positive and collegial culture, founded on strongly held values of integrity, respectful collaboration, delivering on the Quadruple Aim, and striving for excellence in improvement science, evidence-based clinical practice, and data analytics. We are looking for a Research Associate who cares about patient care for the betterment of healthcare within Alberta.

Position 

Reporting to the Associate Dean and the Managing Director, the research associate works closely with other members of the implementation science group and our physician leads on several projects simultaneously. With experience working in healthcare implementation science, you have a proven ability to effectively engage and collaborate with multidisciplinary stakeholders, and build strong relationships. You’re a self-starter, have an excellent knowledge of qualitative research methods, and have experience using cognitive science approaches like cognitive task analysis and critical decision methods to carry out data collection and analysis. If you are enthusiastic about helping us inspire and enable a learning healthcare system, then we’d like to hear from you. 

Duties 

• Designs projects and evaluations of cognitive science, complexity, and implementation studies, determines the most appropriate methodology and methods, and develops data collection protocols/instruments, and ethics applications.
• Manages project execution for assigned projects and related communications
• Plans and performs data collection using multiple methods. Analyzes data in a rigorous and theory-informed manner.
• Plans, writes, and disseminates academic output for quality improvement, complexity science, and/or implementation science projects through peer-reviewed publications, lectures and participation in conferences, either individually or as part of a project team, as appropriate
• Liaises with internal and external stakeholders, collaborators, and associates
• Supports PLP output with practicing clinicians to support evidence transfer and change activities

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant health or social science field must include a deep understanding of complexity science, implementation science, qualitative and mixed methods, and social science theory, with a preferred focus on health sciences
• Postdoctoral research training in a relevant field is required
• Expertise and demonstrated experience with qualitative research methodologies and data analysis approaches and software is required.
•  Demonstrated experience working with cognitive science approaches is required, and formal training with this approach is an asset.
• Demonstrated experience with academic writing for publication in peer-reviewed journals; Demonstrated ability to disseminate knowledge through publications, lectures, and participation in conferences

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced understanding of complexity science and implementation science
• Advanced knowledge and understanding of implementation frameworks, knowledge translation frameworks and related methodologies
• Expertise in complex problem identification and definition is required. Knowledge and experience in Knowledge Translation and Quality Improvement is preferred
• Demonstrated initiative, resourcefulness, problem-solving abilities, and results/achievement orientation