Current Opportunities at Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt is a leading research institution that has a strong record of excellence in education, research, and innovation. This is an exciting post-doctoral opportunity to carry out collaborative research focused on the design, implementation, and evaluation of a clinical informatics (patient portal) and mhealth program to support self-management in youth with diabetes. The fellow will work in the laboratory of Dr. Shelagh Mulvaney, with an interdisciplinary team of behavioral scientists, clinicians, interaction designers, statisticians and informatics professionals at Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (https://nursing.vanderbilt.edu/people/bio/shelagh-mulvaney).

This full-time post-doctoral fellowship will last 1-3 years depending on start date and continued success of the fellow. The fellow will work with the research team to achieve project goals and identify and carry out their own embedded research project. Fellows will receive support from and collaborate with multiple well-established faculty to achieve project and independent career goals. Fellows are required to participate in the dissemination of the research and will receive support for attendance at national research conferences to present research results. In this fellowship you will:

- Work with hospital healthcare information technology teams to design and implement a patient- and clinician-facing program utilizing a patient portal clinician-focused EHR interfaces, and mobile health content within a pediatric diabetes clinic. 

- Work with the interdisciplinary team to develop patient-facing interactive data collection screens, graphical feedback and tailored digital content via mobile technologies.

- Identify metrics and assess and analyze quantitative and qualitative data focused on system reliability and fidelity, patient engagement and program outcomes.

- Contribute significantly to the analysis, summarization, and publication of study results. Present study results to local and national scientific audiences.

Benefits

Fellows will receive $5,000 per year for their research with an opportunity to apply for more internal funding each year. Multiple internal grant mechanisms exist for the fellow to enhance funding for their own embedded research. Fellows are eligible to participate in numerous educational and skills-based training including the VUMC Department of Biomedical Informatics K Award workshop to help draft informatics-specific NIH career awards. Fellows will be provided the opportunity to contribute to research proposals in relevant domains. Additionally, they will have access to world-class instruction, learning opportunities and mentoring in behavioral science and biomedical informatics. Salary is aligned with NIH postdoctoral pay. 

Qualifications, Experiences and Skills

Eligible candidates will have a PhD (or MD/PhD) in biomedical/nursing informatics, psychology/behavioral science, public health, health information technology, technology interaction design, or related research domain. Excellent written and oral communication skills are required. A record of research accomplishments and publication of collaborative research in top academic journals is preferred. Previous research with clinical informatics systems such as patient portals, mobile technology, and/or EHR is preferred. Experience in person-centered research and data collection procedures that may include working with clinicians, clinic staff and patients is preferred. Experience in pediatrics or research with youth a plus. PhD must have been obtained within the previous 5 years. US citizenship is required.

Official transcripts from all institutions of higher education attended. 

Curriculum Vitae with links to publications. 

Three letters of recommendation, one of which is from a representative of the applicant’s dissertation committee. Letters should address the applicants’ scholarly abilities, area for growth, and future potential in academia and emailed directly from the recommender to shelagh.mulvaney@vanderbilt.edu

Cover letter (2-5 pages single-spaced) that describes previous research experience, goals for postdoctoral training and career, fit with the funded diabetes research, focus/area of research, expectations/needs during mentorship, Applicant should highlight their skills and potential contributions to a research team.