Position: Research Associate
Department: Medical Genetics
Duration: 10 months
Tenure: Part-time, 0.5 FTE; grant-funded
Start Date: ASAP
Job Posted: September 19, 2014
POSITON SUMMARY:
The Friedman Lab is a research group in the Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia. We are affiliated with the Child and Family Research Institute and are located at the BC Children’s and Women’s Hospitals. Our group is involved in research in three primary areas: (1) application of advanced technology to identifying the causes of intellectual disability; (2) using genetic epidemiology to elucidate the pathogenesis of neurofibromatosis 1 and 2; (3) development of a knowledge base on human teratogenic risks resulting from maternal treatment with various medications during pregnancy.
The Organization of Teratology Information Services (OTIS) is a North American collaboration of researchers who conduct multicenter controlled prospective cohort studies to evaluate the effect of medications and vaccines on a spectrum of adverse pregnancy outcomes. In order to develop better information for pregnant women and providers regarding the safety of specific exposures, OTIS affiliates engage in pregnancy outcome studies in which the services recruit both exposed and unexposed women during pregnancy and follow these women to delivery in order to compare the frequency of a range of specified outcomes.
This is a part-time Research Associate position who will work with maternal and fetal medicine and obstetric providers at University of British Columbia to facilitate awareness and referral of pregnant women who may be interested in participating in OTIS studies. The successful Candidate will coordinate Vancouver recruitment for OTIS and will raise awareness and educate clinicians and patients in a variety of forums in the Vancouver area about the value, purpose, and process of OTIS studies, particularly disease-based pregnancy registries. The Candidate is also expected to collaborate with OTIS investigators and others at UBC in developing programs and strategies to accelerate progress on objectives and measurement of success.
SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
Education & Experience
- Ph.D. degree in Medical Genetics or Epidemiology discipline, and
- A minimum of 3 years post-doctoral experience in perinatal epidemiology, with a focus on birth defects and teratology research.
Skills & Abilities
- The candidate must have demonstrated expertise in the areas of teratology, birth defects epidemiology and statistics, have strong project management skills, and be able to teach trainees and visiting scientists related concepts in their research programs.
- The candidate should have a strong track record in scientific publications.
- The candidate should have grant writing skills with a proven ability to attract funding.
- The candidate must have the ability to supervise and mentor postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and technicians.
- The candidate should be highly collaborative, self-motivated, team-oriented, and have excellent communication skills.
Please email your cover letter and CV to liza.mak@ubc.ca by the closing date October 18, 2014. Due to the number of resumes we receive, we are unable to confirm receipt of submissions over the phone, or provide the status of competitions except to those who are selected for an interview.
UBC hires on the basis of merit and is strongly committed to equity and diversity within its community. We especially welcome applications from visible minority group members, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, and others with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.