Postdoctoral Fellow

Seeking a postdoctoral fellow with expertise in qualitative research methods (i.e., semi-structured or focus group interviews, participant observation, ethnography) to conduct research on two projects related to prescription medications. Experience in medicine, public health, implementation science, public mental health, and/or mixed methods research is desirable but not required. 

One project involves understanding the reasons underlying nonadherence to apixaban, a blood thinner used to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation. For this project, the fellow will engage UCLA and UCSF patients in semi-structured interviews to elicit patient perspectives; work in a team to analyze and interpret the data; assist with developing a survey based on qualitative findings; program surveys into an electronic survey program such as RedCap or Qualtrics; and conduct cognitive interviews for survey testing. The other project focuses on implementation of a toolkit to help public mental health clinics implement medication-assisted treatment for patients with alcohol use disorder. The fellow will conduct community-based stakeholder focus group and semi-structured interviews regarding implementation of the toolkit.

Fellows will engage in numerous activities to develop their research skills and portfolio. For both studies, the fellow will assist in synthesizing lessons learned in written reports, publications, and presentations for academic audiences and policy stakeholders. The fellow will participate as a full member of the research group, offering concrete opportunities for publishing, presenting, and augmenting the fellow's CV.

Applicants from anthropology, sociology, linguistics, communication, education, social work, psychology, medicine, psychiatry, public health, public administration, or related fields are welcome.

Interest in formative and mixed-method evaluation, community engagement, policy implementation, and quantitative evaluation approaches are required. Comfort/experience interacting with patients and being in the field of the community is necessary. Collaboration with diverse mentors (e.g., physicians, health policy leaders, behavioral scientists, medical social scientists) will support career development. Protected time for work on an independent project or for publishing from dissertation may be negotiated. 

Direct supervisor: Derjung Mimi Tarn, M.D., Ph.D. Additional supervisors: Elizabeth Bromley, M.D., Ph.D., Janice Schwartz, M.D., Allison Ober, Ph.D., and Sarah Hunter, Ph.D.