Job description: Epidemiologist / Statistician / Project Manager


 


Introduction


 

ART-LINC (Antiretroviral Therapy in Low-Income Countries) is an international scientific collaboration whose objective is to measure the impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)on patient prognosis in settings with limited resources, and to compare treatment outcomes between different healthcare settings, delivery modes, and types of monitoring. It currently consists of 19 clinical centres treating 15,000 people living with HIV/AIDS  in Africa, Asia and South America. The "Institut de santé publique, épidémiologie et développement" in Bordeaux (France) and the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine in Bern (Switzerland) coordinate the research and offer epidemiological leadership and expertise.

 

During the last 10 months, the collaboration set up a retrospective pooled database with information on 9,000 treated patients and analysed preliminary treatment outcomes, including disease progression and patient survival. It now plans a prospective data collection and analysis phase.

 


Details of the post


 

The successful applicant will be responsible for the general management, coordination, and scientific supervision of the study.

 

The tasks include

*       Liasing with the collaborating centres, including coordination, communication and problem-solving with and between them 

*       Where required, provide or facilitate training and capacity-building for centers (e.g. basic epidemiology/study design, basic statistics, data management 

*       Contribute to the elaboration and management of the database (, selection and definition of variables, piloting and implementation of a standardized database system, data transfer and cleaning, keep operations manual updated ) 

*       Propose hypotheses and contribute to data analyses Provide leadership and support for the  publication and dissemination of results in peer-reviewed fora (journals, conferences) in addition to communicating results back to affected communities 

*       Organise central meetings for the members of the collaboration 

*       Prepare reports and grant applications for funding agencies 

*       Establish appropriate mechanisms for scientific review, quality control of data, and community input. 

*       Ensure that due diligence has occurred regarding all necessary Ethics forms and processes related to the study, including development of model informed consents 

*       Monitor major trends and issues, including the identification of issues at sites, and those with financial implications 


Required qualifications


Essential


*       Degree in social sciences, statistics or medicine 

*       Significant training (MSc or PhD) in epidemiology or related fields, particularly in the area of observational and/or operational research 

*       Thorough knowledge of the medical, cultural, and social aspects of HIV/AIDS, in particular antiretroviral therapies, opportunistic infections, population health and factors influencing access to treatment and care 

*       Experience in applied statistics, including survival analysis and multivariate modelling 

*       Fluency in English and French, with excellent verbal and written communication skills 

*       Ability to work in an international environment and in a scientific community 

*       Willingness to travel 

*       Ability to work independently and as part of a team 

*       Experience organizing multi-day, multi-stakeholder meetings  


Desirable


*       Established publication record 

*       Proven ability in the successful submission of peer-reviewed grant applications 

*       Experience in or knowledge of international health 

*       Experience working with marginalized communities 

*       Familiarity with the statistical package Stata® or SAS®


Start, duration and place of work


 

*       1 January 2005 

*       Full-time employment, two years initially, with possible prolongation to five years 

*       Bern (Switzerland)


How to apply and closing date


 

Further information on this position is available from Professor Matthias Egger (  <mailto:[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask]). Applicants are requested to send their CV, publication list and list of references to Gian Töny, Department of Social & Preventive Medicine, University of Berne, Finkenhubelweg 11, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland. Closing date for applications is Monday, September 20, 2004.