Occupational Health Services Research Fellowship – ORISE Center for Workers’ Compensation Studies

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Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)

POSTION: This ORISE fellowship will be located at the Center for Workers’ Compensation Studies (CWCS) within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Cincinnati, Ohio.

BACKGROUND: The mission of the CWCS is to support the use of workers’ compensation data and systems to improve workplace safety/health and injured worker care. Workers’ compensation (WC) claims may be filed after a worker is injured or becomes ill due to their job. Claims data include the nature of injury/illness, how the injury/illness occurred, the type and cost of medical care received, cost of partial wage replacement, the number of days off work, and injured worker characteristics (occupation, age, sex, length of employment). Insurers also collect employer data on workplace safety, ergonomic, and industrial hygiene exposures and controls. See the CWCS Website for more information about the center: www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/workerComp/CWCS/.

 

DUTIES: The Occupational Health Services Research Fellow with be responsible for the following duties:

  • Conduct WC claims analyses to understand trends by industry, occupation, employer size, geographical area, injury cause, injury part of body, injury diagnoses, medical and lost-time costs, treatment type, prescription drug use (including opioids), care management (access, quantity/quality, and coordination), and worker characteristics (age, gender)
  • Support research studies to understand the link between opioid use/misuse and worker industry and occupation, injury types and worker demographics
  • Support research studies to identify evidence-based programs and practices that reduce opioid use/misuse and protect workers who may be exposed to opioids on the job
  • Support research studies to assess the impact of healthcare factors on worker health outcomes (functional status, return-to-work, pain levels, opioid use)
  • Develop materials and distribute information on the most effective prevention approaches to insurers, state workers’ compensation bureaus, and state departments of health. This includes interventions to prevent injuries and best practices for treatment of worker illness and injury, worker recovery and return-to-function.

 

SKILLS AND ABILITIES –The following background is preferred:

 

  • Experience with Microsoft office tools – Excel, Access, SQL,
  • Experience with statistical software (SAS), and data visualization software (Tableau, Power BI)
  • Experience with medical claims and survey-based data analyses
  • Experience in occupational health services practice and research
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

 

A master’s level degree in Occupational Health Services Research, Occupational Safety and Health, Health Economics, Public Health, or a closely related field is preferred.

 

This is a one-year fellowship. Anticipated start date is flexible, July to October 2019. Salary is commensurate with education and experience. ORISE is an equal opportunity employer. Contact cwcs@cdc.gov for more information.

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