School

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Position Description

The Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health seeks to hire a Research Scientist for the India Health System project. The India Health System project is a four-year large scale study that aims to advance India’s goal of universal health coverage—providing affordable and equitable access to good quality health care for all without major financial hardship, through rigorous research, executive training and mentoring promising junior health policy/system researchers in India. The work portfolio includes in-depth engagement with two states in India to conduct evidence-based assessment of the state’s health system performance and experimentation of innovative models of health financing, health care delivery, strategic purchasing and governance. A baseline (and corresponding end-line) survey of 7,500 households (approximately 50,000 individuals) and providers that represent the state’s health care delivery system in both the public and private sectors, together with other routinely collected administrative data, form the base of the project’s empirical work.

In addition to state-level engagement, the project contributes to policy analysis and dialogues for the recently-announced Ayushman Bharat program at the national level. We are also the global partner of the newly-established, Delhi-based Health System Transformation Platform that collaborates with state-level institutes on a rich health policy and system research and training agenda to advance national and state health system innovations and implementation.

Led by the principal investigator, Professor Winnie Yip, the India Health System project brings together a team of senior faculty with disciplinary expertise in economics, evaluation science, management, clinical medicine, organization and political science. The project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Specific responsibilities:

• Lead the design and execution of health system performance assessment of the two study states
• Contribute substantially to the design, implementation and evaluation of experiments in innovative models of financing, health care delivery, strategic purchasing and/or governance
• Guide and supervise Boston-based research assistants in relevant areas of expertise
• Guide and train local collaborators if needed
• Write-up research results, including contributing to project reports and co/lead-authoring scientific papers and publishing in leading journals.
• Actively engage in dissemination activities and delivering effective presentations for various audiences
• Seek and develop new opportunities that are synergistic to the project objectives and priorities

Significant travel and time in India will be required, approximately 35% of effort, to work with local partners and liaise with stakeholders.

The initial appointment is three years with opportunity for renewal condition on funding and performance.

Basic Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in fields related to health policy/health system research with strong disciplinary training in economics, political economy or organizational behavior
• At least two years of postdoctoral or equivalent experience
• Major contributions to refereed publications beyond thesis papers
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively to fulfill the objectives and priorities of the project
• Demonstrated record of creative thinking and entrepreneurship
• Excellent methodological skills especially in quantitative evaluation methods
• Experience in conducting field research in lower and middle income countries
• Evidence of leadership in scientific administration, including the supervision of research staff
• Excellent interpersonal skills and be able to collaborate with and supervise diverse partners
• Ability to travel and work independently

Appointment as a Research Associate may also be possible for appropriate qualified applicants with less experience.

Additional Qualifications

• Prior experience designing surveys
• Prior experience working in India
• Strong writing skills

Contact Information

Elizabeth Osborn

Contact Email

eosborn@hsph.harvard.edu

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions or any other characteristic protected by law.