Post-doctoral Fellowship Opportunity

Achieving Global Health Equity through Social Medicine

Start date: September 1, 2024

Job Description

We seek a post-doctoral fellow to join a dynamic, interdisciplinary team of social-behavioral scientists conducting research to identify and modify social determinants of health and health behaviors. This includes unhealthy alcohol use, cardiometabolic disorders, HIV prevention and treatment outcomes, and depression. Achieving global health equity to reduce health disparities in the most vulnerable populations requires solutions at every level: policy, health-care system, community, family, and individual levels. In many resource-poor and rural settings, healthcare is implemented informally within communities and families, where partners and relatives provide the majority of care to compensate for under-resourced healthcare systems. Thus, advances towards a more health-equitable world require innovation strategies from the ground-up to complement those from the top-down. Our team is conducting cutting-edge research in sub-Saharan Africa with couples and families to leverage resilience resources and strengthen social relationships to improve patient-centered support while also meeting caregiver and partner needs.

This fellowship will be directed by Dr. Amy Conroy, an Associate Professor at UCSF in the Division of Prevention Sciences and at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies. Dr. Conroy is the Principal Investigator of multiple ongoing research studies addressing health equity with families and couples in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies include:

• The Mlambe study is a randomized controlled trial of an economic and relationship-strengthening intervention to address unhealthy alcohol use and HIV outcomes in couples. This study takes place in Zomba, Malawi is funded by grants in total of $4.2M from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
• The Healthy Hearts study is a mixed-methods observational cohort study with couples affected by HIV and cardiometabolic disorders (hypertension or diabetes) in Malawi to evaluate a model of dyadic multimorbidity management. This study is funded by a $2.8M grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). 
• The Masibambisane study (“Let’s Work Together”) is a randomized controlled trial of a behavioral intervention that combines couples motivational interviewing (CMI) with mobile breathalyzer technology to activate and strengthen partner support for alcohol reduction and HIV treatment adherence. This study takes place in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa is funded by a $800K grant from the NIAAA.

Candidates should have a strong interest in global health and commitment to social injustice with a keen interest in solving challenging problems around health equity. We encourage applicants with a background in behavioral science, public health, social and health psychology, clinical psychology, epidemiology, demography, and international/global health. Candidates should also have a strong interest in preparing for an independent research career in academic medicine or public health.

The fellow will work independently but in close collaboration with Dr. Conroy, other research scientists, lab team members, and field staff in sub-Saharan Africa. There will be ample opportunities to collaborate with study co-investigators at UCSF, UC Davis, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Michigan, City University of New York Hunter College, as well as institutions in Malawi and South Africa. The postdoctoral fellow will have access to data and resources for projects above and other related studies and will assist or lead the preparation and analysis for manuscripts as the lead author or co-author. 

Qualifications

• Applicants must have obtained or will obtain their PhD/MD or related degree by the start date. Interviews will occur on a rolling basis.
• Strong publication record and evidence of scientific writing skills
• Strong skills in statistical programming and analysis in Stata (preferred), SAS, SPSS, or R, including the ability to generate descriptive statistics, cross-sectional regression analysis using linear or logistic modelling.
• Exposure to qualitative methods and analysis techniques
• Demonstrated cultural competence and community engagement skills
• 1-2 years of professional work experience (post-masters degree)
• Ability to work independently and solve problems independently
• Must be an American citizen, a non-citizen national of the U.S. (e.g., from American Samoa), or have been lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence and have an Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-151 or I-551).

Additional desired qualifications include experience with multilevel data analysis (e.g., longitudinal and dyadic data) skills, mediation and moderation analysis, and advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence models. Prior experience working in sub-Saharan Africa would be highly valued.

UC San Francisco seeks candidates whose experience, teaching, research, or community service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence. The University of California 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, disability, age or protected veteran status. For more information, please see https://hr.ucsf.edu/my-hr/managers/postdoctoral-scholar-recruitment.