Career Opportunities in the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging

Individual Behavioral Processes Branch (IBP)

Program Officer Positions (GS 12/13/14)

Interested parties should contact Janine Simmons (Janine.Simmons@nih.gov).

The healthcare landscape in the United States and around the world has shifted dramatically to a rapid uptake of digital health technologies delivered online across a variety of platforms for studying and addressing health and disease management. In many cases, these technologies may not reach to populations in greatest need, including older adults and those in underserved communities. Digital technologies have the potential to improve our understanding of health status, to measure functional capacities in real-world settings, to track the course of illnesses and recovery, to provide real-time interventions, and to enhance the healthcare system for individuals as they age. Digital technology can also make possible new models of chronic disease management, more effective home-based care, and successful aging-in-place. BSR seeks two Program Officers in this area:

• Technology Development for Behavioral and Social Research on Aging: The program officer should have expertise on such topics as the use of mobile health, telemedicine/telehealth, and health information technology (mobile phones, wearable sensors, internet platforms, and electronic health records) to collect biological, social, and behavioral data. Other new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, bioengineering, and internet communications, provide unprecedented opportunities to enhance the lives of older adults. BSR also seeks to promote the use of cutting-edge data analytic strategies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, in aging research. To fully exploit these opportunities, BSR seeks an expert to support our growing SBIR, digital interventions, and AI portfolio.

• Behavioral and Social Research Small Business Development: This program officer will support the small business development (SBIR/STTR) extramural research portfolio focused on facilitating health and well-being in aging individuals. Outcomes of interest for this portfolio include physical, emotional, social, and cognitive health; functional capacities; aging-in-place; and caregiver well-being and capacities. Careful consideration of health care disparities (e.g. digital divide) is a priority, as is expansion of SBIR/STTRs to products appropriate for individuals from diverse backgrounds and underserved populations. The responsibilities of this position include developing and managing a large portfolio of small business development (SBIR/STTR) extramural research grants focused on facilitating health and well-being in aging individuals; planning and developing new initiatives to address knowledge gaps and research opportunities in selected topics within the Division of Behavioral and Social Research’s areas of scientific oversight; collaborating where appropriate with program counterparts in other DBSR branches, NIA Divisions, and NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices; interacting where appropriate with NIA scientific review officers and other NIA staff to advance DBSR research initiatives; communicating NIA and NIH policy and research priorities to the scientific community; and providing technical assistance to prospective applicants. The ideal candidate should have experience in the coordination of small business development (SBIR/STTR).

Population and Social Processes Branch (PSP)

Program Officer Positions (GS 12/13/14)

Interested parties should contact John W. R. Phillips (John.Phillips@nih.gov).

NIA’s BSR has a growing portfolio on the influence of health systems on health, aging, and care for persons with dementia. The portfolio could be strengthened through partnerships with federal, state, and private entities to expand access to administrative health data for research as well as study changes in programs/policies to provide an evidence base for interventions to improve population health and mitigate disparities. BSR seeks two Program Officers in this area:

• Health Systems and Health Economics: This Program Officer will support the development and management of a portfolio of research grants on the connections between health systems and healthy aging, with emphases on the Medicare and Medicaid programs as well as long-term care. Topics covered by this position include the influence of payment models on utilization, access, disparities and health; trajectories of care across acute care systems, short stay and long-term care services in different settings, and consequences for health outcomes; models of care and care delivery to improve quality of care including models informed by behavioral economics approaches; health services and health care financing for older people with multiple chronic conditions; estimating the costs of formal and informal care for people with dementia and the influence of demographic, economic and health care changes on dementia care costs; cross-national studies of the impact of different health and LTC systems on outcomes at older ages. The ideal applicant will have demonstrated experience with large research data sets (e.g., Medicare data, electronic health record data, economic and health survey data, etc.) and quasi-experimental methods. Experience with pragmatic trials, demonstration projects and field experiments are highly valued but not required.

• Behavioral Economics/Econometrics: This Program Officer will support the development and administration of extramural research portfolios in the areas of behavioral economics (employing psychological insights to explain economic decision making) and econometric methods (statistical approaches that include quasi-experimental methods) to advance aging research. The responsibilities of this position include developing and managing a portfolio of new and on-going research to advance research on macro-social factors driving population trends at older ages in physical and cognitive functioning (including AD/ADRD), disability, morbidity, mortality, health, and well-being, developing and managing a portfolio of new and on-going research on the influence of the health care system on health at older ages, including AD/ADRD, planning and developing new initiatives to address knowledge gaps and research opportunities in selected topics within the Division of Behavioral and Social Research’s areas of scientific oversight, collaborating where appropriate with program counterparts in other DBSR branches, NIA Divisions, and NIH ICOs, interacting where appropriate with NIA scientific review officers and other NIA staff to advance DBSR research initiatives, communicating NIA and NIH policy and research priorities to the scientific community, and providing technical assistance to prospective applicants.

The Office of Data Resources and Analytics (ODRA)

Program Officer Positions (GS 12/13/14)

Interested parties should contact Partha Bhattacharyya (partha.bhattacharyya@nih.gov).

• Bioinformatics and Cloud Computing: This Program Officer will manage and expand BSR’s cloud-based infrastructure for sharing of behavioral and social science aging-related data resources among the research community as well as facilitating the ability of researchers to link research studies to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), oversee BSR’s cloud-based data sharing infrastructure to ensure that it complies with the latest information system security and privacy requirements, and develop and administer a portfolio of extramural research grants advancing bioinformatics/Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for big data analytics. The responsibilities of this position include expanding BSR’s cloud-based infrastructure for the sharing of behavioral and social science aging-related data sources among the research community and developing bioinformatics/AI tools for big data analytics, overseeing BSR’s cloud-based infrastructure to ensure compliance with the latest information system security and privacy requirements, planning and developing new initiatives to address knowledge gaps and research opportunities in selected topics within the Division of Behavioral and Social Research’s areas of scientific oversight, collaborating where appropriate with program counterparts in other DBSR branches, NIA Divisions, and NIH ICOs, interacting where appropriate with NIA scientific review officers and other NIA staff to advance DBSR research initiatives, communicating NIA and NIH policy and research priorities to the scientific community, and providing technical assistance to prospective applicants. The ideal candidate should have expertise in cloud-based data sharing platforms, including data security and cloud computing certification, skills and experience in bioinformatics or Artificial Intelligence tools for big data analytics.

Office of Behavioral and Social Clinical Trials (CTO)

Clinical Trials Coordinator Positions (GS 11/12/13)

Interested parties should contact Petra Jacobs (petra.jacobs@nih.gov).

• Data and Safety Monitoring Clinical Trials Coordinator/Health Scientist Administrator: This Coordinator will support Data and Safety Monitoring for the division at large and to coordinate compliance and oversight for clinical trials (CTs) in BSR’s Center and Network programs. Additional activities include providing guidance to BSR staff and applicants on rigorous clinical trials methodology grounded in behavioral and social science principles, including promotion of the NIH Stage Model, and management of a portfolio of behavioral and social clinical trials in an area of expertise related to BSR’s scientific priorities. Optimally, we are looking for a candidate with an advanced master’s degree and/or doctorate degree (MD, PhD, etc.) and expertise in regulatory and data/safety monitoring oversight of clinical trials, including rigorous risk assessment experience and data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) management. The major priority for this position is to track, oversee, and manage the efficient operations of approximately 90 DSMBs supported by BSR’s DSMB Executive Secretary contractor, to communicate and troubleshoot potential areas of DSMB or CT concerns among all stakeholders, and to ensure the proper oversight of CTs, in particular those that include DSMB or Safety Officer monitoring.

• Clinical Trials Compliance Coordinator: This Coordinator will help manage BSR’s large portfolio of aging-related clinical trials and ensuring compliance with NIA and NIH policies and procedures. Responsibilities of this position include conducting risk assessment for aging-related behavioral and social clinical trials following established BSR processes, conducting clinical trials-related compliance reviews, working with BSR Program Officials and NIA Grants Management Specialists on terms in grant Notices of Award and independently following up to resolve any grant award restrictions, conducting expertise and conflict of interest review for the NIA-appointed Safety Officer, conducting preliminary conflict of interest and expertise review for NIA-appointed DSMBs, handling DSMB coordination up to DSMB approval, including drafting relevant correspondence and supporting administrative management and tracking of clinical trials. Optimally, we are looking for a candidate with a health-related science degree (e.g., master in public health, etc), three (3) years of specialized experience in the conduct, management or coordination of clinical trials relevant to behavioral and social sciences research, knowledge of NIH clinical trial policies, strong organizational skills, excellent written and oral communication and should be a self-starter capable of working both independently and collaboratively as a team player.

The Office of AD/ADRD Strategic Coordination (OASC)

Health Specialist/Social Science Analyst (GS 11/12/13)

Interested parties should contact Elena Fazio (elena.fazio@nih.gov).

• Health Specialist/Social Science Analyst: This position will support activities in Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD). The position helps to align BSR research priorities with those of the of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), and to develop AD/ADRD Research Implementation Milestones through NIA-supported Research Summits. The responsibilities of this position are to support AD/ADRD relevant work across DBSR including internal tracking of, and reporting on, BSR activities and new initiatives as they relate to NIA’s AD/ADRD Research Implementation Milestones, promoting BSR AD/ADRD activities through Twitter, newsletters and blogs, portfolio analyses to categorize BSR grant awards and activities along many dimensions, including the CADRO ontology, clinical trials features, and AD/ADRD Milestone, internal coordination and preparation for NIA AD/ADRD-relevant funding meetings, tracking grant submissions to BSR for AD/ADRD-related Administrative Supplements, preparation of timely responses to requests for information from senior Institute officials and members of the extramural community, helping to plan, conduct, and follow-up on recommendations from NIH Dementia-related Research Summits, collaborating with program counterparts in DBSR, NIA, NIH and other federal agencies. The ideal candidate should possess a master’s degree, strong organizational, oral, written and communication skills, strong skills in developing presentations and briefing materials, program analysis skills and should be a self-starter capable of working both independently and collaboratively as a team player.