Provide analytical and technical assistance on projects primarily targeting sub-Saharan Africa, reporting to the Director of Field Programs, and working closely with Dr. Kavita Singh, Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Maternal and Child Health, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Provide data management and statistical analysis programming support on projects using Stata software and contribute to technical report and manuscript writing. Provide support for survey implementation and other data collection activities, including questionnaire design, calculation of indicators, and preparation of tables. Assist with programming and data analysis as needed to respond to special requests from the project’s funding agency and other branches of the U.S. Government and USAID missions in other countries. Provide programming for preparation of datasets for use in research and in research training workshops, and assist trainees in the use of these datasets to generate technical reports and policy briefs. Contribute to managing project data archives.

Analyst/Programmer for the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) coordinated by UNC’s Carolina Population Center. Initiated in 1994 and supported by three program project grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) with cofunding from 21 other federal agencies and foundations, Add Health is the largest, most comprehensive longitudinal survey of adolescents ever undertaken. Beginning with an in-school questionnaire administered to a nationally representative sample of students in grades 7-12, the study followed up with a series of in-home interviews conducted in 1994-95, 1996, 2001-02, and 2007-08. Add Health combines longitudinal survey data on respondents’ social, economic, psychological and physical well-being with contextual data on the family, neighborhood, community, school, friendships, peer groups, and romantic relationships, providing unique opportunities to study how social environments and behaviors in adolescence are linked to health and achievement outcomes in young adulthood. The fourth wave of interviews expanded the collection of biological data in Add Health to understand the social, behavioral, and biological linkages in health trajectories as the Add Health cohort ages through adulthood.

Worked in the Global Health Outcomes and Global Epidemiology groups on health outcomes studies documenting the value of GSK products to regulatory agencies, purchasers and providers. Wrote SAS programs to query large health care claims databases regarding utilization of GSK products to treat asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and allergic rhinitis. Reviewed the medical literature and summarized current information on the epidemiology, costs, and patient-reported outcomes of lupus erythematosus in order to help guide development and marketing of a novel therapeutic agent.

Worked in multidisciplinary teams of staff trained in health policy, health behavior/health education, epidemiology, social psychology, sociology, and urban planning in order to identify strategies that are effective in reducing the health and social problems associated with substance abuse. Conducted state- and community-level prevention needs assessments; evaluated initiatives to implement evidence-based prevention programs; provided technical assistance to states, communities, institutions, and local groups; participated in conduct of randomized, controlled effectiveness studies of indicated prevention interventions and of strategies to enhance the fidelity of program delivery; performed statistical analysis of data; prepared technical reports and manuscripts; and participated in national conferences and professional organizations.

Provided health outcomes research services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, in order to document the value of their products to regulatory agencies, purchasers and providers. Handled multiple, simultaneous projects with multidisciplinary research teams providing costing, economic modeling and epidemiological consultation on health economic and quality-of-life components of clinical trials, and on pre- and post-marketing studies. Generated high-quality deliverables under strict deadlines, within budget. Using SAS and Multitrait/Multi-Item Analysis Program-Revised (MAP-R) SAS-based software, evaluated the psychometric properties of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) instruments for urinary incontinence, macular degeneration, and psoriasis. Identified the minimal important change in the instruments. Systematically reduced and refined a health-related quality-of-life instrument for psoriasis, producing a valid, reliable, and responsive instrument (PQOL-12) for widespread use in clinical trials. Wrote numerous detailed, thorough, highly technical study reports, manuals, and literature review sections supporting client products across a variety of therapeutic areas. Prepared nine manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed scientific journals in 2½ years. Increased the number and quality of manuscripts over previous years. Prepared six abstracts and posters accepted for presentation at scientific meetings, further promoting diffusion and acceptance of client company products.

Conducted health outcomes research for a leading pharmaceutical contract research organization. Worked with multidisciplinary teams of epidemiologists, medical researchers, economists, biostatisticians, psychometricians and programmers on health outcomes and marketing research projects. Led statistical analysis on a $1 million Phase IV clinical trial with quality-of-life endpoints. Wrote the statistical analysis plan; designed tables, listings, and figures; supervised a team of programmers; programmed safety and efficacy tables; and summarized results for final clinical study report. Liaison with biostatistician of client company. Programmed and validated numerous data tables and listings in SAS for various pharmaceutical clients. Handled multiple projects, meeting all tight deadlines. Worked on NDAs and NDA Amendments as part of a team in the Biostatistics Division. Managed a 600-patient Phase IV clinical trial of a novel antipsychotic medication. Collected and tracked all health-care utilization and quality-of-life data.

Wrote articles and reports on prominent public health issues for a nonprofit consumer education consortium. Wrote a top-ranking publication titled "The Irreversible Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking."

Provided teaching and research support to departmental faculty, including the Deputy Director of the Sheps Center for Health Services Research. Coauthored a proposal for a multi-million dollar departmental grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Coauthored a successful grant proposal to GlaxoSmithKline to identify cost-of-illness profiles for selected chronic diseases.

Evaluated public health interventions and North Carolina laws, regulations, policies, and programs directed toward preventing cardiovascular disease and managing its major risk factors. Wrote summaries and recommendations that were incorporated into the Task Force Plan and ultimately included in several bills sent before the NC General Assembly.

Conducted neuroendocrinologic laboratory research supporting eight scientific studies that were published in peer-reviewed journals. Received a Performance Incentive Award for developing an innovative stress hormone immunoassay.