The Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation (CDPE), located within MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at the St. Michaels Hospital site of Unity Health Toronto, strives to improve community health and safety by conducting research and outreach on best practices in drug policy. Working collaboratively with affected communities, civil society, practitioners, and governments, the CDPE guides effective and evidence-based policy responses to substance use. The CDPE is recruiting a highly motivated and skilled individual to join our research team as a Data Scientist in Biostatistics. The position is a full-time, 1-year temporary contract at St. Michaels Hospital with the possibility of extension. The successful candidate will work on a portfolio of cutting-edge peer-reviewed funded projects within the scope of CDPEs research program on substance use, overdose prevention, and novel treatment modalities. In collaboration with CDPE colleagues, the candidate will be expected to lead the development and application of novel statistical methods for analysis of longitudinal cohort data, administrative health data, and population-level morbidity and mortality incidence data. The primary focus of the work will be to design, analyze, report, and interpret data from a longitudinal cohort study of people who use drugs in Toronto, Canada, with linked administrative health data via ICES, the provincial administrative health data repository. The successful applicant will also assist in the management of the cohort data, including data cleaning and formatting. The Toronto Disparities, Overdose and Treatment (T-DOT) study is a community-recruited cohort of people who use drugs in Toronto. T-DOT aims to examine peoples experiences with harm reduction hubs (e.g., sites that include supervised injection services, drug checking services, safer supply, and health and social service referrals) in Toronto over time, and the impact these services have on the health and social well-being of different communities of people who use drugs. T-DOT also aims to evaluate safer supply programs and injectable opioid agonist programs being implemented at partnering community health agencies in the downtown core. This position can be completed through a hybrid model based in Toronto (i.e., in-person and work from home). The CDPE offers a dynamic and collaborative work environment, flexible working hours, competitive salary and benefits, and opportunities for professional growth and development.
Education

• A Level of education, training, and experience equivalent to a MSc in Statistics, Biostatistics, Public Health, Data Science, or Epidemiology with a statistical focus
• A minimum of one year of recent, related applied experience in statistics, epidemiology, and/or the health information field

Responsibilities

• Analyze and interpret longitudinal questionnaire data from T-DOT (and related cohort studies) using statistical software (R and/or SAS)
• Hands-on experience in administrative data analysis and advanced analytical skills in analyzing health data
• Develop and apply methods for handling missing data, propensity score matching, and running generalized linear models for repeated measures data
• Collaborate with other researchers and contribute to the preparation and/or leading of manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals
• Prepare and submit research proposals and data creation plans using health administrative data at ICES linked with T-DOT questionnaire data
• Design and lead complex statistical analyses on health data to answer research questions and support decision-making
• Lead statistical support for study design, data collection, data management, and data analysis.
• Mentor junior researchers and assist with the supervision of graduate students

Qualifications and skills:

• Extensive experience working with observational data and proficiency in R and/or SAS
• Conducting a variety of statistical analyses including descriptive and regression analyses and power/sample size calculations, writing/revising Methods and Results sections, and preparing tables and figures as required
• Experience working with health administrative data, including ICES databases
• Hands-on skills with handling missing data, propensity score matching, and quasi-experimental designs (e.g., pre/post designs, Interrupted Time-Series)
• Extensive experience with general linear models (GLM) and conventional regression models for a continuous response variable given continuous and/or categorical predictors
• Demonstrated experience in publishing research in peer-reviewed journals
• Demonstrated ability working with information systems and data files, including management and cleaning of large and complex files
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work in a team environment
• Strong sense of statistical ethics with regard to work done, and work proposed
• Knowledge of Spatial Epidemiology
• A firm understanding of harm reduction and the overdose epidemic is an asset
• Prior knowledge of St. Michaels Hospitals or Unity Healths administrative processes is an asset
• Fully proficient in the use of MS Office software

Application Instructions

• All candidates should submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae

Dont meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that people in underrepresented communities are less likely to apply for jobs when they dont meet every single qualification. We are dedicated to building an inclusive workplace, so if youre excited about this role but your past experience doesnt align perfectly, we still welcome you to apply. We wish to acknowledge the sacred land on which CDPE and Unity Health Toronto operate. It has been a site of human activity for 15,000 years. This land is the territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. The territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and Confederacy of the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. Today, the meeting place of Toronto is still the home of many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work in the community, on this territory. We are also mindful of broken covenants and the need to strive to make right with all our relations.

As a condition of employment, all external hires will be required to submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination or documentation unless a valid accommodation under the Ontario Human Rights Code exists. Please note, if you are extended an offer of employment, you will be required to provide proof of vaccination in Ontario QR Code format. All internal candidates must be in compliance with Unity Health Torontos COVID-19 Vaccination Policy.