| POSITION TITLE |
Post-Doctoral Fellow |
| DEPARTMENT |
Centre for Nursing Excellence, Institute for the Science of Care and Innovation |
| EMPLOYMENT TYPE |
Temporary, Full-Time (18-24 months) |
| HOURS OF WORK |
37.5 hours per week |
| EMPLOYEE GROUP |
Non-Union |
| REPORTS TO |
Principal Investigator |
The Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital, a University of Toronto affiliated research centre, is one of the world's leading centres in biomedical research. With ground-breaking discoveries in research areas such as diabetes, genetic disorders, cancer and women’s and infants’ health, the Institute is committed to excellence in health research and the training of young investigators. Strong partnerships with the clinical programs of Mount Sinai Hospital ensure that scientific knowledge is used to promote human health. Your significant contributions will assist in maintaining our momentum in advancing our research.
FELLLOWSHIP OVERVIEW:
A post-doctoral fellowship position is available to a PhD trained individual with a desire to embrace the complexity of how care changed amid our COVID-19 pandemic and current human health resource crises, and how to transform care to ensure we meet the quintuple aim: (1) radically and rapidly accelerating improvements in population health, (2) enhancing care experience, (3) reducing cost, (4) improving workforce safety and well-being, and (5) optimizing equity and diversity in the workforce. This position will advance an understanding of the design, implementation, and evaluation of new models of care through knowledge synthesis and development of novel primary research studies.
The post-doctoral fellow’s program of work will align with the one or more of the streams of work being led by Dr. Lianne Jeffs, Nominated Principal Applicant of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research funded study entitled Exploring Evolving Models of Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic (CIHR Models of Care study). She also has been appointed as the Scientific Director, Institute for the Science of Care and Innovation of which the Centre for Nursing Excellence [currently at $10 million endowed] is situated in. To be successful in this role, the candidate will need to be resilient, passionate, and embrace the opportunities and challenges of real-world, pragmatic research, using innovative and rigorous research methodologies, alongside strong relational and collaborative skills needed to work in this high performing team.
ORGANIZATION AND DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION:
This role will primarily be housed at the Centre for Nursing Excellence, Institute of Science for the Science of Care and Innovation at Sinai Health, but may also involve travel to the study partner sites Providence Health, Scarborough Health Network, Sunnybrook Health Sciences, Trillium Health Partners, Unity Health Toronto, and University Health Network.
The Institute for the Science of Care and Innovation is located on the beautiful Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital campus of Sinai Health and is advancing new discoveries and innovation in how care is co-designed, implemented, and measured. The Institute for the Science of Care and Innovation is in a growth trajectory that builds on a strong foundation of an inter-disciplinary team of researchers, clinician-scientists, trainees and staff from our Collaboratory for Research and Innovation and Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute (LTRI) working together to produce high quality research to drive health system transformation. LTRI is a University of Toronto affiliated research centre and is one of the world's leading centres in biomedical and health systems research. Our Institute for the Science of Care and Innovation and affiliated Centre for Nursing Excellence and LTRI is committed to excellence in health research and the training of young investigators. Strong partnerships with the clinical programs in our hospitals and with our health system partners ensures that scientific knowledge is used to promote human health and health system improvement.
PROJECT AND POSITION OVERVIEW:
The rise in hospitalizations during the COVID-19 crisis has generated significant pressure on healthcare institutions to employ multiple human health resources (HHR) strategies to manage and augment hospital capacity. Throughout Canada, alternative models of care with inherent staffing strategies have become essential to increase HHR capacity in both acute and critical care settings. The most commonly implemented alternative model of care during the COVID-19 pandemic is the Team-Based Model of Care, which has supported patient care by enabling flexible team compositions. This model consists of a team of experienced health care providers (HCPs) from across different professions and roles, along with other unregulated team members providing care that may be different than their traditional scope.
Although alternative models of care were initially implemented as a temporary solution to ensure safe patient care, this approach may need to be used beyond the current COVID-19 pandemic as a contingency measure to manage future crises (e.g. predicted global HCPs shortage). Despite changes to models of care, no empirical literature on the impact of alternative team-based models of care on HCPs and patient outcomes, particularly in the context of COVID-19, were found. This gap in knowledge is problematic, as these new models of care and provision of care, which were initially intended to be temporary, are becoming normalized and standardized, without a strong evidence base to understand their impact on HCPs, health system, or patient outcomes.
There is an urgent need to build our evidence base on optimal models of care and interprofessional collaboration. In this context, a series of nested studies are being undertaken as part of the CIHR Models of Care study is using an embedded case design using a realist evaluation approach guided by RE-AIM and Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the International Learning Collaborative’s Fundamental of Care Framework (https://ilccare.org/the-framework/).
The Post-doctoral fellow will work under the supervision of Dr. Lianne Jeffs. In addition to pursuing an independent line of inquiry within the research program, the fellow may also support ongoing projects that align with the overall research program on organizational learning and system performance which Dr. Jeffs leads. Part of the postdoctoral opportunity also includes training junior staff and trainees, and participating in Science of Care learning offerings (e.g. Research 101, Implementation 101, Design thinking 101). This will require the fellow to work with a diverse group of project co-Investigators, research coordinators, assistants, graduate students, collaborators, leaders, and policy makers. Opportunities to attend appropriate training, conferences and symposia, as well as work with an internationally-recognized team of researchers will be available to the successful candidate.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Develop an independent research plan over the post-doctoral fellowship [18 month to 2-year period] which includes identification of new lines of inquiry within the PI’s streams of work. The candidate will be expected to craft research questions and pursue a study that will advance the PIs research program streams.
- Support all steps in the development and pursuit of a research study including, knowledge synthesis, protocol development, ethics applications, organizing and collecting data, and analysis and helping to coordinate with the support team of research assistants and staff to support these activities.
- Support and lead publications and report writing as well as support other knowledge translation activities (e.g., symposia, newsletters, website content) related to the research question being pursued by the candidate. The candidate may also support publications and sub-studies on other ongoing projects being led by the PI.
- The candidate will also be expected to apply to relevant project and salary grants to support their work.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
- PhD degree in a related field (within past 3 years) or scheduled defense date.
- Experience working directly with patients and providers in hospital settings.
QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS
- Demonstrated ability to thrive in a collaborative team environment.
- High personal motivation, self-management, and detail-orientation; ability to take responsibility in meeting deadlines.
- High degree of comfort with change, and the ability to be agile and adaptable as the project evolves in two large complex health systems and their health technologies.
- Strong relational and collaboration skills and be able to exert influence and work across sectors (hospitals, primary care and community).
- Ability to work independently and without direct supervision, and problem solve technical and methodological issues that arise during the course of the research.
- Knowledge and experience in the use of computer software applications, including Microsoft Office programs. Experience with research software including EndNote and NVivo an asset.
- High level interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
- Must be able to exhibit a high level of professionalism, judgement, ethical conduct, discretion and diplomacy.
The successful candidate will have a strong record of academic achievement during their doctoral studies, and evidence of scholarly outputs such as peer reviewed publications and conference presentations. Applicants should have a strong interest in implementation science, models of care, and knowledge translation.
Interested candidates should forward a letter of interest, curriculum vitae and the names and contact information for two academic referees to: lianne.jeffs@sinaihealth.ca
Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.
In accordance with Institute’s policy and legislated health and safety requirements, employment is conditional upon the verification of credentials, completion of a health review, and demonstrating proof of immunity and vaccination status of vaccine-preventable diseases. All employees and affiliates will follow safe work practices and comply with health and safety policies, procedures, and training. Successful candidates will be required to provide two (2) written reference letters from their former employer(s)/supervisor(s).
To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our people and patients, Sinai Health has made it a priority to support everyone in getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Consistent with this, our Staff Immunization & Surveillance Policy was recently updated to include the requirement for full vaccination – currently defined as receiving two doses and serving a 14-day waiting period following the second dose – in order to be able to work at Sinai Health. To be compliant with our updated Policy, you must provide proof of dual COVID-19 vaccination, as indicated on the Prospective Immunization and Surveillance Policy Information Sheet, in order to be eligible for employment at Sinai Health. If you believe you are one of the very few people who may require an exemption from vaccination, supporting medical information must be submitted to our Occupational Health department, who will review and assess.
We are a fully committed to fairness and equity in employment and our recruitment and selection practices. We encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups, members of racialized groups, women and any others who may contribute to the further diversification of our Sinai Health community. Accommodation will be provided in all parts of the hiring process as required under our Access for People with Disabilities policy. Applicants need to make their requirements known in advance.
The Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute is a scent sensitive environment, and all members of the community are expected to refrain from wearing or using scented products while visiting or working at the Institute. We also support a barrier-free workplace supported by the Institute’s accessibility plan, accommodation and disability management policies and procedures. Should you require accommodation at any point during the recruitment process, including accessible job postings, please contact the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Human Resources Department.
| Posting open until October 12, 2022. We thank all candidates for applying. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted. |
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