Candidates interested in the workforce that serves people living with dementia are invited to apply to join the AWARD (Advancing Workforce Analysis and Research for Dementia) Network and/or the National Dementia Workforce Study as a post-doctoral fellow. Up to three positions may be available.
The AWARD Network (https://awardnetwork.ucsf.edu) offers programs and activities to create a strong community of researchers engaged in research on the direct care workforce and its role in care for people living with dementia. The AWARD Network is building infrastructure and relationships to generate research that supports evidence-based policy and practice to advance the capacity of the direct care workforce in serving people living with dementia. This work will ultimately inform policy leaders and healthcare organizations striving to ensure appropriate care and reduce health disparities for this population. Activities of the AWARD Network include: (1) hosting an annual meeting, (2) holding monthly virtual trainings, webinars, and workshops, (3) organizing two Summer Training Institutes, (4) supporting competitive research internships, (5) directly funding pilot research, and (6) developing resources and data to harmonize and accelerate research.
The National Dementia Workforce Study (NDWS)(https://www.ndws.org), sponsored by the NIH National Institute on Aging, is conducting the first large, annual surveys of the dementia care workforce in the United States. Survey data and other linked data sources will create an unprecedented resource for researchers to answer critical questions about the workforce and its impact on care and outcomes for persons living with dementia. The NDWS is based at the University of Michigan and leadership of 2 of its cores is based at UCSF, with additional partners at Brown University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of North Carolina. Diversity supplement projects could be based at any of the NDWS partner universities.
Both of these projects are linked to the UCSF Health Workforce Research Center on Long-Term Care (HWRC), which is supported by a collaborative agreement with the U.S. National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (in the Health Resources and Services Administration). The HWRC conducts research on a wide range of topics related to the workforce that serves individuals with long-term care needs. Past projects conducted by the HWRC have considered the full range of long-term care occupations – including direct care workers, geriatricians, nurses, social workers, and community paramedics – and all settings in which long-term services and supports are provided.
These positions will be based at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies (IHPS). IHPS is a University of California Organized Research Unit dedicated to improving the health of all through evidence-informed policy. Our researchers work across disciplines, championing improved health and better healthcare by generating, sharing, and advocating for new evidence with practitioners and policymakers who can put it to work. This work is facilitated by being based at a health sciences campus focused on graduate-level education, science, and community engagement. We are the administrative home of 12 faculty and our campus-wide network includes more than 20 additional core faculty and more than 170 affiliated faculty and staff with backgrounds in anthropology, dentistry, economics, epidemiology, ethics, journalism, law, medicine, nursing, political science, public health, public policy, sociology, and other disciplines. IHPS provides a robust training environment for multiple PhD and clinical post-doctoral fellows.
Site: San Francisco Bay Area or remote; on-site presence is required for some program work, approximately quarterly
Affiliation: Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies - University of California- San Francisco (UCSF).
Duration: Two years, with potential for extension to up to three years total.
Effort: 100%; Full-time
Start date: Negotiable; no later than July 1, 2025
Equal Employment Opportunity: The University of California San Francisco is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.
Responsibilities/Efforts:
There are up to three post-doctoral opportunities.
A project-funded post-doctoral position may be available with the AWARD Network. This scholar will serve as Program Coordinator for the AWARD Network, with the remainder of their time supported by the UCSF HWRC or other projects. The Postdoctoral Scholar will work closely with the leadership team of the AWARD Network in the development of training, shared data, and collaboration activities. The Scholar will lead development of resources and data on the direct care workforce, communications with Network stakeholders, and creation of curricula. For the HWRC, the Scholar will lead or contribute to one or more research projects annually, most of which will involve quantitative analysis. Each year’s projects are developed collaboratively with the U.S. National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; the specific projects on which the Scholar will work will depend on the specific projects launched for the year. The Scholar will have opportunities to lead projects and author or co-author peer-reviewed publications and reports for both the AWARD Network and the HWRC. The Scholar will have 25-30% of their time available for their own independent research.
Additional postdoctoral positions may be developed for candidates from underrepresented populations via NIH-funded Diversity Supplements. Candidates for this opportunity are invited to expand research now being conducted by the AWARD Network and/or the NDWS. Diversity supplements provide the candidate with full support for their own research, which is proposed to NIH as part of the application process. Candidates for Diversity Supplements must be authorized to work in the United States. Diversity Supplement-funded positions are not eligible for a sponsored visa.
Applicants with a PhD in public health, gerontology, public policy, any social science, epidemiology, nursing, or a related field, or a clinical doctorate and health services research training, are encouraged to apply. PhD must be conferred by the date of hire. Applicants must have experience with quantitative analysis methods. Applicants with expertise in long-term care policy and practice, health workforce research, and/or Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia will be prioritized.
Interested applicants can send a cover letter describing your research interests and potential fit with one or more of these opportunites, CV, and list of referees to Catherine Woodward Calder ([email protected]).
In addition, candidates interested in pursuing a Diversity Supplement should provide one or more ideas for how they might expand the work now being done by the AWARD Network and/or NDWS.
Applications received by December 2, 2024, will receive full consideration. Candidates for Diversity Supplements are encouraged to inquire as early as possible to ensure adequate time to craft a proposal to NIA.
Applications received after December 2, 2024 may be considered until the opportunities are filled.