| Full Description |
Overview
The fellow will lead and participate in clinical and health services research projects, with approximately 50% of effort dedicated to pediatric neurosurgery outcomes research and 50% to global neurosurgery research and program development. Responsibilities will include study design, project management, patient recruitment and informed consent, electronic medical record data collection, database development and maintenance, data analysis, statistical testing, literature review, manuscript preparation, and scientific presentations.
The fellow will work under the mentorship of Michael C. Dewan, MD, MSCI, Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery, pediatric neurosurgeon, Associate Vice Chair of Global Surgery, and Academic Director of the Global Neurosurgery Program at Vanderbilt. The fellow will collaborate with faculty, trainees, and research staff within the Department of Neurological Surgery, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, and the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, as well as national and international research partners.
Primary Responsibilities
Pediatric Neurosurgery Outcomes Research (50%)
- Lead and participate in retrospective and prospective clinical research studies involving pediatric neurosurgical patients.
- Investigate surgical outcomes, complications, treatment effectiveness, healthcare utilization, and long-term patient outcomes across pediatric neurosurgical conditions, including brain tumors, hydrocephalus, congenital disorders, neurovascular disease, and traumatic brain injury.
- Develop and maintain clinical research databases and patient registries, including electronic medical record abstraction, data cleaning, and quality assurance.
- Formulate research questions, conduct literature reviews, develop study protocols, and perform or coordinate statistical analyses.
- Prepare IRB submissions and maintain regulatory documentation for clinical research projects.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary investigators and participate in institutional and multicenter research initiatives.
- Prepare abstracts, presentations, and peer-reviewed manuscripts, with an emphasis on leading projects from conception through publication.
- Identify opportunities for new clinical research initiatives and quality improvement studies.
- Identify and evaluate potential funding mechanisms for pediatric neurosurgery clinical outcomes research, including federal, foundation, institutional, and philanthropic grant opportunities.
- Assist with the development, preparation, and submission of grant applications, including specific aims, research strategies, supporting documentation, budgets, and coordination with institutional research administration.
Global Neurosurgery Research and Program Development (50%)
- Manage the Vanderbilt Global Neurosurgery Program (VGNP) at the programmatic level, with direct oversight by Dr. Dewan, who serves as the Academic Director of VGNP
- Lead and participate in clinical, epidemiologic, and health systems research focused on improving access to neurosurgical care and patient outcomes in resource-limited settings.
- Investigate disparities in neurosurgical access, workforce capacity, surgical delivery, and clinical outcomes in low- and middle-income countries.
- Collaborate closely with the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health
- Coordinate collaborative research projects with international neurosurgical partners and academic institutions.
- Develop and maintain international research databases, study protocols, and collaborative research initiatives.
- Support educational programs, research capacity building, and sustainable partnerships with international collaborators.
- Collaborate with established Vanderbilt partnership entities, including NeuroKids, InterSurgeon, and the ISPN, conducting research and supporting education and training initiatives.
- Evaluate the impact of neurosurgical training, education, and capacity-building initiatives.
- Participate in meetings with international collaborators and contribute to program development, with opportunities for international travel as appropriate.
- Prepare scientific manuscripts, abstracts, presentations, and grant proposals related to global neurosurgery.
- Explore opportunities to integrate pediatric neurosurgery outcomes research with global neurosurgery initiatives.
- Identify and pursue funding opportunities to support global neurosurgery research, international collaborations, surgical capacity building, and educational intitiatives, including governmental, foundation, nonprofit, and philanthropic funding sources.
- Contribute to the preparation and submission of grant proposals, including project conceptualization, specific aims, research plans, budgets, letters of support, and coordination with international partners and institutional grant administration.
General Research Responsibilities
- Independently manage multiple concurrent research projects, including study timelines, deliverables, and coordination among investigators.
- Lead weekly lab meeting, outlining ongoing and future projects, including relevant action items
- Perform patient recruitment, informed consent, data collection, statistical analysis, and other research activities as appropriate to individual study protocols.
- Demonstrate initiative in developing novel research questions and advancing projects from initial conception to publication.
- Work collaboratively with faculty, residents, medical students, research staff, and international partners.
- Include and incorporate external students, trainees and other collaborators into new and existing scientific projects.
- Present findings at departmental meetings and regional, national, and international scientific conferences.
- Identify, prepare, and coordination submission of research grants.
- Maintain high standards of scientific rigor, research ethics, professionalism, and scholarly productivity.
Candidate Qualifications
- MD, DO, MBBS, or equivalent medical degree preferred.
- Open to both U.S. and international medical graduates, including individuals seeking dedicated research experience before applying to neurosurgery or other surgical/medical residency.
- Demonstrated interest in neurosurgery, clinical outcomes research, global health, or academic medicine.
- Prior clinical research experience, particularly involving study design, database management, statistical analysis, and scientific writing.
- Previous peer-reviewed publications or scientific presentations are strongly preferred but not required.
- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple research projects.
- English fluency.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary and international teams.
- Familiarity with REDCap, electronic medical records, statistical software, and reference management programs is advantageous.
Fellowship Structure and Mentorship
This is a full-time research fellowship with an expected minimum commitment of two years. The position is particularly well suited for U.S. or international medical graduates interested in pursuing neurosurgical residency training and developing a strong foundation in academic research. Candidates with other long-term academic or clinical research career goals will also be considered.
The fellow will receive close mentorship from Dr. Dewan, with opportunities to collaborate with additional faculty across pediatric neurosurgery, global surgery, clinical research, and public health.
Mentorship will focus on clinical research methodology, scientific writing, statistical analysis, project leadership, academic presentations, grant writing and submission, and professional development. For individuals pursuing neurosurgical residency, mentorship will also include guidance regarding residency preparation, academic career planning, and development of professional relationships within the neurosurgical community.
The fellow will be encouraged to assume increasing independence and leadership in research projects throughout the fellowship, with an emphasis on first- and second-author publications, collaborative scholarship, and presentations at major scientific meetings.
The overarching goal is to provide a rigorous, productive, and supportive research experience that prepares the fellow for a successful career in academic neurosurgery or a related field.
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