Postdoctoral Fellow Position in Cost-Effectiveness of Food is Medicine Interventions to Improve Diet and Reduce Cardiometabolic Diseases

Description

The Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University (the Institute) seeks an outstanding postdoctoral fellow to work on an original research project funded by the National Institutes of Health, under the mentorship and guidance of Institute Director Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian. Bringing together research, training, patient services, policy development, and community engagement, the Institute aims to serve as a catalyst to drive change, improve health, reduce health disparities, and create a more equitable and resilient healthcare system that recognizes the power of nourishing food.  Its efforts are centered in health equity to work collaboratively with and improve the lives of traditionally marginalized, vulnerable populations. The Institute also hosts and builds networks with partnerships with stakeholders within and beyond healthcare to ensure that efforts advance well-being and policy broadly and reach the people who need them most.

 

The successful candidate will meaningfully contribute to advancing the grant’s aims and strategic objectives in several capacities.  This may include research and activities related to:

·      Health, equity, and cost impact evaluation of Food is Medicine (FIM) programs: Evaluate the impacts of different FIM program design options, including program dose and duration, types of food groups provided, and targeted conditions for intervention

·      Feasibility of scaling FIM programs: Explore the administrative and legal feasibility of expanding FIM interventions at larger scales, including via coverage for FIM under Medicare and Medicaid; Analyze integration for FIM into clinical care pathways, including social determinants of health modules in electronic medical records

·      Assessment of FIM intersections with other healthcare interventions: Investigate the potential synergies between FIM and new clinical drug treatments (e.g., GLP-1 agonists)

·      Model development and validation: Further develop and validate national and state-level microsimulation models to estimate cardiometabolic disease (CMD) benefits, costs, and cost-effectiveness of FIM; impact of food and nutrition insecurity on health and cost outcomes; the health and cost effects of novel drug treatments like GLP-1 agonists; among others.

·      Dissemination of findings: Disseminate research findings to relevant stakeholders, including the scientific community, healthcare sector leaders, legislative bodies, and advocacy groups and agencies. 

 

The fellow will work within a close-knit, collegial multi-disciplinary team of other trainees, students, and staff within the Institute. In addition to mentoring from Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, the fellow will interact with and gain knowledge and experience from a range of other expert faculty across various institutions, including the Institute, Tufts University School of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Harvard Law School, and New York University School of Global Public Health. The fellow will also benefit from meetings, seminars, and coalitions of multi-sector leaders in Food is Medicine including healthcare, community-based, retail, policy, and advocacy organizations. The training program will emphasize the design and publication of original analyses and manuscripts as first author, career development, and transition toward an independent research career.

 

Candidates must possess a relevant medical or doctoral degree in health sciences (e.g., medicine, nutrition, public health, health services, etc.), social sciences (e.g., economics, political science, sociology, etc.), or related professions (e.g., public policy, business, law, etc.).  Individuals who work well across disciplines, are collegial and collaborative, and have interest in the intersections of medicine, nutrition, health, and equity will particularly thrive in this role. Candidates must have a track record of successful interdisciplinary research as evidenced by multiple original, peer-reviewed research publications in a relevant field. The successful candidate will also have strong interest and experience in health equity, cultural relevance, and community-integrated efforts.  We seek candidates whose work is relevant to diverse stakeholders in public and health sectors.  Experience in clinical trials, quasi-experimental evaluations, healt