Associate Director, Clinical Research Informatics

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago provides superior pediatric care in a setting that offers the latest benefits and innovations in medical technology, research and family-friendly design. As the largest pediatric provider in the region with a 140-year legacy of excellence, kids and their families are at the center of all we do. Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is ranked in all 10 specialties by the U.S. News & World Report.

Location

Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center

Job Description

The Associate Director of Clinical Research Informatics leads Clinical Research Informatics Services (CRI) within the Quantitative Science Pillar (QSP). This role focuses on enabling and supporting the use of the Epic application to meet the research needs of our investigators. The Associate Director oversees, assigns, and prioritizes the work of a team of Epic Analysts who provide direct research support to the scientific community through consultations, grant development, and contributing to projects using a collaborative team science approach. The Associate Director will be familiar with the scientific and/or technical consultation process, developing scopes of work, triaging service requests, assigning projects to team members based on skillset and bandwidth, and maintaining clear and regular communication with researchers that is professional and customer oriented. The Associate Director is responsible for working with their team and the QSP Operations team to continuously refine and optimize service delivery to balance quality of work, timeliness of work, researcher experience, staff satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness. The Associate Director must have the technical and scientific skills to take on their own projects while also mentoring and advising team members on their assignments. The Associate Director serves as an Epic applications leader, educator, and advocate for the research community, and will have appointments to relevant committees and governing bodies, as well as opportunities to communicate more broadly across the institution. As a technical expert, the Associate Director will play a key role in advancing the organization’s research informatics strategy, contributing to the development of technical infrastructure, policies, and service offerings. The Associate Director will help foster a culture of innovation that can lead to meaningful contributions to the scientific and/or technical community, including through publications, open-source releases, public datasets, and commercialization opportunities. This position will work collaboratively with Information Management, the other scientific directors and operations within QSP under the direction of the Director of Operations for Quantitative Science and the CRIO of the Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute. 

Essential Job Functions:

• Lead and oversee Clinical Research Informatics (CRI) Services: Direct a team of Epic application analysts and supporting staff, ensuring the delivery of high-quality CRI services, including consultations, data discovery requests, grant development, Epic Research module and associated build maintenance, etc. using a collaborative team approach. 

• Manage and optimize service workflows: Coordinate the intake, triage, and assignment of research support requests, tailoring the allocation of projects, maintenance, optimization requests, and upgrade tasks to team members based on expertise and capacity while prioritizing timely and cost-effective delivery. 

• Develop and maintain stakeholder relationships: Cultivate strong, customer-oriented communication with researchers, ensuring regular updates on project progress, fostering trust and satisfaction through responsive and professional service. 

• Mentor and advise staff on technical and project-related matters: Provide hands-on support and guidance to team members, advising on complex Epic research projects while contributing to individual projects as a technical expert. 

• Support professional development: Facilitate workshops, trainings, and continuing education activities to foster the growth and development of Epic analysts and support staff. 

• Collaborate on strategic research informatics initiatives: Partner with institutional technology leaders, including the Chief Research Informatics Officer and Director of Research Operations and Conduct, and Information Management to design and implement infrastructure and policies that advance organizational research goals, and develop roadmaps to achieve those goals. 

• Contribute to institutional research informatics leadership: Serve as a key research informatics advocate, educator, and thought leader, participating in committees