Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Health Research Analyst

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires a highly motivated and intellectually curious Health Research Analyst to join our dynamic team. In this pivotal role, you will be at the forefront of our mission to improve health outcomes through data-driven insights. You will leverage your expertise in statistics, epidemiology, and data analysis to design, execute, and interpret complex research studies. The ideal candidate is a detail-oriented analyst who can transform large-scale healthcare data (such as claims, EMR, and survey data) into clear, actionable recommendations for clinical leaders, policymakers, and strategic partners. This is an excellent opportunity to make a tangible impact on healthcare by uncovering trends, evaluating interventions, and contributing to cutting-edge research.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Research Assistant / Associate
Data Analyst / Junior Data Analyst
Clinical Research Coordinator

Advancement To:

Senior Health Research Analyst
Research Scientist or Health Data Scientist
Manager, Health Analytics or Research Manager

Lateral Moves:

Healthcare Policy Analyst
Health Economist
Senior Data Analyst (in a different industry)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design and implement robust research studies using appropriate methodologies (e.g., cohort, case-control, cross-sectional) to investigate key health questions and outcomes.
Conduct comprehensive literature reviews and environmental scans to synthesize existing evidence, identify research gaps, and inform study design.
Perform complex data management, cleaning, and manipulation on large-scale healthcare datasets, such as administrative claims, electronic health records (EHR), and patient registries.
Apply advanced statistical techniques, including multivariable regression modeling, survival analysis, and propensity score matching, using software like SAS, R, or Python.
Analyze and interpret complex quantitative and qualitative data to identify significant trends, patterns, and correlations related to health behaviors, treatments, and outcomes.
Develop and validate predictive models to forecast disease progression, identify at-risk populations, and project healthcare resource utilization.
Create compelling data visualizations, interactive dashboards, and executive-summary reports using tools like Tableau or Power BI to communicate findings effectively.
Translate complex analytical results into actionable insights and strategic recommendations for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Author and co-author manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed journals, and prepare abstracts, posters, and presentations for scientific conferences.
Prepare detailed technical reports, white papers, and briefing documents that clearly summarize research methodologies, findings, and limitations.
Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including clinicians, epidemiologists, data scientists, and program managers, to successfully execute research projects.
Ensure the integrity and quality of research data through rigorous validation checks, quality assurance processes, and adherence to data governance protocols.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of advanced research methodologies, statistical methods, and relevant developments in the public health and healthcare landscape.
Assist in the development of grant proposals and funding applications by contributing to the research design, methodology, and statistical analysis sections.
Provide analytical consultation and expert support to internal teams and external partners on study design, measurement, and appropriate statistical analysis.
Manage project timelines, key deliverables, and resources for multiple research projects simultaneously, ensuring timely completion and high-quality results.
Develop and maintain clear, comprehensive documentation for all data sources, analytical code (e.g., in R or Python scripts), and research processes to ensure reproducibility.
Ensure all research activities are conducted in strict compliance with institutional, ethical, and regulatory guidelines, including HIPAA and Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to inform rapid-response decision-making.
Contribute to the organization's broader data strategy and analytical roadmap.
Collaborate with business units and IT to translate data needs into technical and engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and other agile ceremonies within the data and analytics team.
Mentor junior analysts and research assistants, providing guidance on analytical techniques and professional development.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

High proficiency in at least one statistical programming language, such as R, SAS, or Python (with libraries like Pandas, NumPy, SciPy).
Strong experience writing complex queries and manipulating data with SQL.
Demonstrated expertise in working with large, complex healthcare datasets, including medical claims, electronic health records (EHR/EMR), pharmacy data, and patient registries.
Advanced knowledge of biostatistics, epidemiology, and health services research methodologies (e.g., regression modeling, survival analysis, study design).
Proficiency in creating reports and interactive dashboards with data visualization tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Qlik.
Familiarity with common medical terminologies and coding systems (e.g., ICD-10, CPT, NDC).
Experience with version control systems, such as Git, is highly desirable.

Soft Skills

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving: Exceptional ability to analyze complex problems, identify key variables, and develop creative, data-driven solutions.
Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to distill complex technical findings into clear, concise, and compelling narratives for diverse audiences.
Attention to Detail: Meticulous and highly organized, with a commitment to accuracy and quality in all aspects of data analysis and reporting.
Project Management: Strong ability to manage multiple projects concurrently, prioritize tasks effectively, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Collaboration: A collaborative team player with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders across different functions and levels of seniority.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s Degree in a quantitative, scientific, or health-related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s Degree (e.g., MPH, MS) or PhD in a relevant field is strongly preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Public Health
Epidemiology
Biostatistics
Health Informatics
Health Economics
Statistics or Data Science

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3-5+ years of hands-on professional experience in a health research, healthcare analytics, or similar data-intensive role.

Preferred:

Direct experience analyzing real-world healthcare data (claims, EHR, etc.).
A track record of contributing to published research or presenting at scientific conferences.
Experience in a health plan, hospital system, life sciences company, or public health organization.