Research Assistant, Health Policy and Practice

AcademyHealth offers a collegial environment, challenging work that makes an impact, excellent benefits including comprehensive medical and dental, professional development funds, tuition assistance, 403(b) contribution and match, paid leave, and a competitive salary. Because we offer remote and hybrid work arrangements, candidates do not need to be physically located in the Washington, DC area.

Us: The professional home and leading national organization for health services researchers, policymakers, and health care practitioners and stakeholders. AcademyHealth – together with its members and partners – increases the understanding of methods and data used in the field, enhances the professional skills of a vibrant and diverse community of researchers and research users, supports the implementation of evidence to improve policy and practice, and advocates for the use of evidence to improve health and health care for all. Our core priorities include supporting the people (through trainings and resources), strengthening the systems (through capacity building and advocacy), and ensuring evidence gets used (through policy and practice implementation). We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment for all and transforming our field to achieve higher impact, more equitable research.

You: An early career professional who is kind, self-motivated, curious, highly organized, flexible, a strong writer, and eager to take on new challenges.

We believe that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills. As such, you do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position – applications are welcomed from a broad range of applicants.

How you’ll contribute:

The Research Assistant will help to support programmatic efforts for AcademyHealth’s programs that advance the use of evidence-based research and promote health equity in health policy and practice. Specifically, this role will conduct literature reviews and environmental scans, summarize findings in a variety of products (e.g., memos), coordinate meetings and communications, and support engagement with stakeholder communities and networks.

• Conduct and summarize online research related to health ecosystem transformation, health policy, social determinants of health, health equity, community health, and other topics.
• Contribute to research, analysis and synthesis, implementation, and dissemination activities and products, such as environmental scans, literature reviews, semi-structured interviews, and data visualizations.
• Assist and provide technical support to engage with online stakeholder communities and learning networks.
• Provide logistical and administrative support for collaborative working groups, workshops, conferences, including scheduling meetings and conference calls, helping invited speakers and experts with travel and logistics, preparation and dissemination of materials, note taking at meetings, creating, updating, and maintaining organized files and records, and other related tasks.
• Conduct other administrative and research activities in support of AcademyHealth projects.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with diverse and representative partners and stakeholders.
• Maintain and update project websites, online tools, and databases.
• Draft articles for online newsletters, blogs, and other Web content.
• Create and format tables, charts, presentations, and other graphics.
• Conduct agenda development, presenter coordination, and materials preparation for small and large meetings and briefings.

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from accredited college or university required.
• 1 - 2 years of relevant work experience preferably in a health care policy or research setting, with a professional interest in health policy, collective impact, public health, health equity, social determinants, or other health care and community health issues.
• Commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to inclusive working and/or learning environments.
• Strong written and oral communications skills.
• Demonstrated project management experience, including demonstrated ability to efficiently plan, organize, and manage complex, multiple projects simultaneously with limited supervision or direction.
• Strong organizational skills; ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and maintain a system of tracking, monitoring, and prioritizing tasks and projects.
• Experience with balancing and supporting the administrative needs of multiple individuals.
• Strong analytic and critical thinking skills.
• A can-do attitude and willingness to pitch in as needed do what it takes to provide high quality products and services.
• Mature, detail-oriented individual able to work both independently and in teams.
• Demonstrated experience using the Word suite, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

What you should know:

• AcademyHealth is a hybrid work environment, with options for remote and office work.
• Applicants outside the metropolitan DC area are encouraged to apply.
• We will be conducting our hiring process virtually and conducting interviews via phone or video. We will provide candidates selected for interviews with all the required instructions.

The salary range is $52,000- $54,000 and is commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Applications:

Qualified applicants should submit a resume and analytic writing sample to Human Resources via email: jobs@academyhealth.org. For more information, please go to www.academyhealth.org.