Job Description
Title: Research Associate Injury Monitoring
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Department: Research
Primary Worksite: 6 West Colony Place, Durham, NC
Reports to: VP Research / Research Director
Start: asap
Pre-Requisites:
Background (Bachelor’s) in Public Health, Biostatistics, Sociology, Epidemiology, Demography or related field
Occupational Summary:
The DAN Research Department maintains an injury surveillance and information system from primary and secondary sources of data which collects and tracks data on fatal and non-fatal scuba injuries to analyze and disseminate information to promote safe diving. We work in multi-disciplinary partnerships to develop prevention strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality due to injury in scuba diving.
As the Research Associate for Injury Surveillance, you will collaborate with other DAN departments to manage, clean and analyze structured and unstructured data and maintain documentation of analytic processes. You will be asked to use your quantitative skills to summarize statistical findings and perform program evaluation. When needed you will implement improvement projects in response to evaluation findings.
You will implement a rigorous surveillance protocol and liaison with dive training agencies, dive operators, local, and state investigative organizations and coroner and medical examiner offices in order to facilitate data collection activities on fatal and non-fatal diving incidents. You will input complex high quality medical and accident information in an electronic database.
You will conduct systematic reviews of literature, medical, and administrative records and you will use your scientific communication skills to draft policy briefs and scientific reports as needed, as well as contribute to the DAN Annual Diving Report and other peer-reviewed and lay publications. Some travel and availabilities at weekends required.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Implement and monitor media for near misses, fatal and non-fatal scuba related events
• Conduct data entry and database management
• Obtain investigative and medical examiners’ reports and other health surveillance data on SCUBA related events
• Conduct record abstraction on all fatal and non-fatal SCUBA events
• Maintain database of investigative agencies and medical examiners
• Enter and clean all data related to SCUBA events
• Maintain REDCap and other tools for electronic data collection and analysis
• Communicate effectively with medical professionals and administrative personnel
• Read and interpret highly complex medical information from a variety of sources
• Act as survey coordinator for selected surveys deployed from the DAN Research Department
• Conduct data queries and statistical analysis using SAS, SQL, R, Python, Prism, or QGIS
• Produce data visualizations for varied audiences
• Assist with the implementation of preventative interventions
• Maintain compliance with IRB, HIPAA, and other federal research requirements
• Provide administrative support for IRB operations
• Coordinate activities with DAN staff and external stakeholders to document system/process weaknesses and undertake improvement activities in response to evaluation findings
• Draft periodic progress reports, and other data reports as needed
• Deliver presentations to varied audiences including dive community, hyperbaric physicians and scientific community at dive shows and scientific conferences
• Respond to inquiries from DAN members
• Follow-up with study participants to complete data collection
• Communicate with scientific collaborators and research volunteers
• Assist with administration of the DAN Internships

Required Qualifications/Experience

• Keen interest and knowledge in diving medicine, diving research, diving technology and safety
• Attention to detail
• Bachelor’s degree in public health, biostatistics, epidemiology, sociology, demography or other diving research related field
• Active certified diver and willingness to advance diving skills
• Strong personal and professional communication skills
• Basic knowledge in project- and database management
• Willingness to learn project coordination and management assisted by online tools.
• Survey development and implementation
• Willingness to conduct field data collection
• Ability to effectively search electronic resources
• Data management and cleaning
• Understanding of health surveillance systems
• Experience conducting descriptive analysis and analysis that measures variability, relationships, and significance
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite 365
• Experience promoting a culturally competent and diverse work environment

Desired Qualifications

• Scientific writing experience
• Basic knowledge of programming languages including SQL and Visual Basic
• Knowledge of population-based public health promotion strategies
• Demonstrate knowledge of medical records organization and management, including the principles of coding/classifications systems (ICD9 and ICD10)
• Proficient in data and spatial analysis software such as SAS, R, Python, Prism, and QGIS

Please submit a letter of motivation, an academic CV and dive resume, and contact details for two individuals that have worked with you professionally or otherwise and would be willing to provide a reference.

• Implement and monitor media for near misses, fatal and non-fatal scuba related events
• Conduct data entry and database management
• Obtain investigative and medical examiners’ reports and other health surveillance data on SCUBA related events
• Conduct record abstraction on all fatal and non-fatal SCUBA events
• Maintain database of investigative agencies and medical examiners
• Enter and clean all data related to SCUBA events
• Maintain REDCap and other tools for electronic data collection and analysis
• Communicate effectively with medical professionals and administrative personnel
• Read and interpret highly complex medical information from a variety of sources
• Act as survey coordinator for selected surveys deployed from the DAN Research Department
• Conduct data queries and statistical analysis using SAS, SQL, R, Python, Prism, or QGIS
• Produce data visualizations for varied audiences
• Assist with the implementation of preventative interventions
• Maintain compliance with IRB, HIPAA, and other federal research requirements
• Provide administrative support for IRB operations
• Coordinate activities with DAN staff and external stakeholders to document system/process weaknesses and undertake improvement activities in response to evaluation findings
• Draft periodic progress reports, and other data reports as needed
• Deliver presentations to varied audiences including dive community, hyperbaric physicians and scientific community at dive shows and scientific conferences
• Respond to inquiries from DAN members
• Follow-up with study participants to complete data collection
• Communicate with scientific collaborators and research volunteers
• Assist with administration of the DAN Internship