Research Associate IV

The Public Health Institute (PHI) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health, well-being, and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. As one of the largest and most comprehensive public health organizations in the nation, we are at the forefront of research and innovations to improve the efficacy of public health statewide, nationally, and internationally.

PHI was distinguished as one of the top 50 "Best Non-Profit Organizations to Work For" by the Non-Profit Times in a national search.

SUMMARY:

About Tracking California

Tracking California, a program of the Public Health Institute in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, mobilizes data for public health action. We track and analyze data on sickle cell disease, environmental health, and related health outcomes to protect California communities. Our core values are scientific integrity, transparency, sustainability, equity, and partnership. We are committed to building an inclusive team that reflects the populations we support, and we actively seek applications from individuals from marginalized or underrepresented communities.

Position Summary

The Research Associate IV will play a key role in conceptualizing, designing, and leading advanced health services and outcomes research using the California Sickle Cell Data Collection (CA-SCDC) program and Tracking California's environmental health datasets. This position is centrally focused on leveraging administrative health data including hospital discharge records, Medi-Cal claims, and vital records, to examine healthcare utilization, health outcomes, and the role of social determinants of health. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in health services research methods and experience working with large administrative datasets and can apply that expertise fluidly across both rare disease (sickle cell) and environmental health contexts, including the health impacts of drought, extreme heat, and air quality on chronic disease and mental health outcomes.

This is a remote, full-time position with a work schedule of 40 hours/week with a start date in July 2026. The incumbent must be based in California. The position may require travel for meetings (project meetings, program retreats, and conference) within CA and to different states. Orientation to the position will require travel to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Full salary range for this position: $71,843 to $104,153 per year. The typical hiring range for this position is from $71,843 (minimum) to $87,998 (midpoint), based on 100% FTE. The starting salary is determined using a variety of factors, such as the candidate's knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as internal equity consideration and budget availability.

Employment Type: Full Time

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

• Lead and collaborate on study design, statistical analysis, and interpretation of complex administrative health data across SCD and environmental health research
• Conceptualize and implement health services and outcomes research projects, including advanced analyses (e.g., survival analysis, regression, causal inference).
• Collect, link, and manage multi-source datasets (hospital discharge, Medi-Cal, newborn screening, mortality, environmental monitoring).
• Apply health services research frameworks to examine healthcare utilization, access, cost, and outcomes, both within the SCD population and in environmental health investigations using health admin data
• Maintain rigorous version control and reproducibility practices (e.g., Git/GitHub).
• Prepare and co-author manuscripts, research briefs, dashboards, and presentations for scientific and non-technical audiences.
• Provide technical assistance to community and agency partners to support data-driven decision-making.
• Document and validate methodologies, datasets, and codebooks.
• Actively participate in cross-disciplinary teams and professional development.
• Perform other essential duties as assigned.

NON-ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

• Attend internal and external workgroup calls, such as CA-SCDC partner meetings or Tracking California advisory sessions.
• Participate in optional training sessions, webinars, or professional development opportunities related to data analysis, health equity, or environmental health.
• Provide occasional support for dissemination activities, such as reviewing fact sheets, assisting with website or dashboard content, or contributing to social media posts.
• Assist with preparation of grant applications, letters of support, or conference abstracts, as time and workload permit.
• Participate in and contribute to team-building activities organized by Tracking California.
• Perform other non-essential duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5 years of research or data analysis experience with a focus on health services research, health outcomes research, or applied epidemiology
• Bachelor's degree in epidemiology, health services research, biostatistics, or a related field; or substitute with four additional years of relevant experience.

Other Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience conducting health services or outcomes research using large administrative datasets (e.g., claims data, hospital discharge records, vital statistics)
• Experience working with large datasets such as healthcare claims, vital records, and environmental monitoring.
• Proficiency in SAS, R, or Python for data management and analysis.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain findings to varied audiences.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple projects, and meet deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with probabilistic record linkage across administrative data sources
• Familiarity with environmental health data or research at the intersection of environmental exposures and chronic disease outcomes
• Experience with rare disease, hematologic conditions, or health disparities research
• Proficiency in SQL, GIS tools, and/or Tableau/dashboarding
• Familiarity with version control (Git) and reproducible research practices
• Master's degree (MPH, MS, or equivalent) in a relevant field
• Commitment to advancing health equity through applied research

FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA) STATUS

This position is classified as exempt based on the job duties. However, based on the FTE, salary level of the employee, or federal/state/local laws, the employee may be classified as nonexempt.

The Public Health Institute is committed to a policy that provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and to make all employment decisions so as to further this principle of equal employment opportunity. To this end, the PHI will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are offered employment and employees are treated during employment without regard to these characteristics.

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