Postdoctoral Researcher in Health Economics evaluating colorectal cancer screening

Do you want to contribute to improving human health?

We are looking for a motivated postdoc to be part of our research group with a focus on health economics in colorectal cancer screening at the Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, and the Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics (LIME) at Karolinska Institutet. The position is placed in the research group of Johannes Blom in a project that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of colorectal cancer screening in the Swedish population.

Your mission

The primary purpose of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is to reduce death from the disease by finding the cancer at an early curable stage, but also to reduce the incidence of the disease by removing potential precursors (adenomas). In Sweden, until recently, there has been only one regional program for organized population-based CRC screening covering approximately 25% of the Swedish population. Starting in 2008, the screening program of Stockholm-Gotland invites men and women ages 60-70 (no exclusions) to submit stool samples every two years for detection of occult blood and individuals with a positive test are referred to a diagnostic follow-up colonoscopy. There is a lack of colonoscopy resources, and our hypothesis is that with an individual risk prediction model for CRC, the re-invitations to screening after a negative test or surveillance after screening colonoscopy could be tailored and, hence, generate a more cost-effective program with limited side-effects for the screening participants.

As a first step we are currently evaluating the effectiveness of the ongoing program on mortality and incidence and the overall objective of this postdoctoral project is to evaluate different health economic aspects of the program, e.g., its cost-effectiveness and cost of illness. Other health economic aspects are being discussed.

Your profile

The successful candidate will have a doctoral degree in health economics and strong experience with registry-based research and statistical methods for observational data analysis is required. Data management and analysis using, e.g., STATA, SAS or R, and experience with prediction modeling is meritorious. The candidate must be able to work independently, including formulating hypotheses and research questions, writing grant proposals, study protocols, and analysis plans, conducting data analyses, writing reports and manuscripts, and participating in publication processes and communicating results at scientific conferences. Teamwork with researchers from different disciplines is a matter of course, to have good collaboration and communication skills and ability to communicate well in English, both orally and in writing. In addition, personal suitability will be a factor in the selection process.

To be eligible for employment as a postdoc a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a doctoral degree is required. This eligibility requirement must be fulfilled at the latest at the time of the employment decision.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world’s leading medical universities. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. At KI, you get to meet researchers working with a wide range of specialisms and methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with the various scientific fields within medicine and health. It is the crossover collaborations, which have pushed KI to where it is today, at the forefront of global research. Several of the people you meet in healthcare are educated at KI. A close relationship with the health care providers is important for creating groundbreaking top quality education and research. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several benefits through our collective agreement.

Location: Södersjukhuset and Solna

Department of Clinical Science and Education Södersjukhuset

Cancer prevention and screening Johannes Blom

Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics

Application

An employment application must contain the following documents in English or Swedish:

• A complete resumé, including date of the thesis defence, title of the thesis, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work
• A complete list of publications
• A summary of current work (no more than one page)

Welcome to apply at the latest 6 September 2023.

The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

This position is for 2 years, with possibility of extension 1+1 year. 

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