Postdoctoral Fellow

Job Title: Postdoctoral Fellow
Location: Augusta University
Regular/Temporary: Regular
Full/Part Time: Full-Time
Job ID: 236669
Department Marketing Statement We invite applications for a postdoctoral fellow to work with the Georgia Prevention lnstitute/Georgia Cancer Center/Medical College of Georgia on the American Heart Association Strategically Focused Research Network projects in disparities in cardio-oncology. The project requires a postdoc to learn details regarding the field of cardio-oncology through the assigned curriculum and participate In cardio-oncology education. Learning by doing would involve working at the CDC (Atlanta) for 40% of the time to analyze the NHANES-Medicare-NDC merged data. Other specific tasks listed below may be completed on site or remotely.The postdoctoral fellow will be mentored and supported in future career goals and will have access lo an interdisciplinary mentoring team with expertise on the cancer, cardiovascular disease, epidemiology, health iniquities, and big data dimensions of data science, as well as to a group of stakeholders working towards epidemiological research in cardio-oncology. This community is committed to innovate to make the informal connections and research conversations that are part of the process of mentoring work continue smoothly in the new paradigm of virtual programing and communication.Required Qualifications MD, PhD, or MD/PhD or equivalent degree from an accredited college or university. Either remote work from Atlanta or commuting to Atlanta to work at the CDC would be required. The candidate should not have more than 1 year of formal post-doctoral experience.Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities Knowledge of SAS or STATA
Ability to maintain confidentiality
Ability to complete work and to meet deadlines
Ability to work independently with only general supervision
Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
Detail-oriented with strong prioritization and organizational skills
Proficient in Microsoft Office and other computer software/databases or willingness to learnPreferred Qualifications

• The post-doctoral fellow is expected to have published at least 1 first authors manuscript where they were the primary analyst.
• Ideal candidates would have experience in health services research including cleaning and analysis of electronic medical records-based dataset, Medicare data, NHANES data. Experience in genetic epidemiology. Knowledge of R and Python. Experience with machine learning methodologies.
• Required expertise in data science, epidemiology, biostatistics, medical economics, or those who have substantive training or expertise in analytical methodology that includes cross-sectional, longitudinal, and mixed modeling.

Responsibilities Study Details: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer often occur in the same patients, in part because of the shared risk factors such as obesity. As compared with European Americans (EAs), the prevalence of obesity is higher in African Americans (AAs) who in turn suffer from a higher burden of CVD and cancer-related mortality. The mechanisms whereby risk factors such as obesity change the natural history of cancer development in AAs with CVD remain to be determined. Identifying these mechanisms will facilitate prevention, screening and perhaps therapeutic approaches. Socioeconomic disparities due to systemic racism, chronic psychosocial stress and lack of access to affordable, high-quality food and healthcare may promote obesity. The resulting proinflammatory milieu is a significant risk factor for CVD and cancer, thus contributing to the higher burden of CVD and cancer in AAs. Additionally, biological factors that regulate systemic inflammation may be contributory. Mutations in ACKR1, otherwise known as the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC), confer protection against malaria and ~70% of AA express a mutation in this receptor resulting in loss of its expression on red blood cells. This loss of DARC expression, a chemokine receptor that sequesters chemokines and diminishes chemokine receptor activation, may contribute to the enhanced inflammation in AAs. AAs exhibit more pronounced inflammation than EAs, even when normalized to body mass index. Data from the Jackson Heart study have shown that DARC null status was associated with worse CVD outcomes in AAs. Moreover, our group data in a murine model indicates that global DARC gene deletion augments obesity-related metabolic disease and inflammation. We hypothesize that obesity and socioeconomic disparities, coupled with the loss of DARC, lead to augmented inflammation, thus predisposing AAs with CVD to cancer development. This hypothesis will be tested in longitudinal population studies that enroll large numbers of AAs. The project requires a post-doc to learn details regarding the field of cardio-oncology through the assigned curriculum and participate in cardio-oncology education. Learning by doing would involve working at the CDC (Atlanta) for 40% of the time to analyze the NHANES-Medicare-NDC merged data. Other specific tasks listed below may be completed on site or remotely. The duties include, but are not limited to:

• Perform the analysis on NHANES Medicare registry, which requires travel
• Analysis of cardio-oncology projects that are linked to SFRN projects
• Attend all AHA SFRN meetings and post-doctoral curriculum assigned for post-docs across 4 campuses
• Complete 2 first-author abstracts and 1 first-author manuscript is a requirement by the end of first year.
• Assist in development of local cardio-oncology registry
• Miscellaneous that include lab related tasks such as manuscript submission and peer review.
• Perform all other related duties as assigned.

Shift/Salary Shift: Days/M-F Salary: $38,000/Annually - $60,000/Annually Salary to be commensurate with qualifications of selected candidate within the established range (generally minimum-midpoint) of the position Recruitment Period: Until FilledConditions of Employment All candidates are required to successfully pass a Background Check review prior to starting with Augusta University.

All employees are responsible for ensuring the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of sensitive [patient, student, employee, financial, business, etc.] information by exercising sound judgment and adhering to cybersecurity and privacy policies during the course of their employment and beyond.Equal Employment Opportunity Augusta University is proud to be an equal opportunity employer welcoming applicants from underrepresented groups, including individuals with disabilities and veterans.Other Information This position is also responsible for promoting a customer friendly environment and providing superior service to our patients, students, faculty, and employees. "Augusta University is a patient-and family-centered care institution, where employees partner everyday with patients and families for success."

Augusta University is a tobacco free environment and the use of any tobacco products on any part of the campus, both inside and outside, is strictly prohibited.