Healthcare Research Scientist

About the role

Joint Commission seeks a Healthcare Research Scientist with deep expertise in causal inference and healthcare data analytics to advance our enterprise-wide research and improvement agenda. The ideal candidate will apply rigorous statistical methods to observational data, including electronic health records (EHRs) and administrative claims, to generate actionable insights that support health system improvement, quality improvement strategy, and public accountability. This role involves collaboration across Joint Commission’s certification, accreditation, and performance measurement programs to extend the organization's analytic capabilities and promote quality in healthcare delivery.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead applied research studies that estimate associations and causal effects from non-randomized healthcare data, contributing to Joint Commission’s priorities in quality measurement, accreditation, certification evaluation, and system-level learning.
• Develop and implement advanced analytic methods, including instrumental variables, difference-in-differences, regression discontinuities, marginal structural models, propensity score-based techniques, synthetic controls, and machine learning.
• Work with Joint Commission’s diverse data resources, including accreditation survey findings, patient-level data (PLD) from participating health systems, and external sources such as Medicare and Medicaid claims.
• Build relationships and consensus across operational, clinical, and business functions to support the development, execution, and dissemination of research that advances Joint Commission priorities.
• Translate research findings into accessible, policy-relevant insights for diverse audiences, including business leaders, regulators, hospitals, and the public.
• Ensure public-facing research outputs and communications reflect the strategic and reputational interests of the Joint Commission.
• Publish findings in peer-reviewed journals and contribute to internal strategic products, performance improvement resources, and external stakeholder briefings.
• Develop non-technical memos, briefs, and other materials to inform internal leadership decisions and support external stakeholder engagement.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams within the Joint Commission, the National Quality Forum (NQF), and external partners to inform accreditation standards, quality improvement engagement, benchmarking, and outcomes-driven certification.
• Provide direction to and oversight of data analysts and research assistants assigned to support project work, ensuring high-quality and timely execution of analytic tasks.
• Contribute to a culture of rigor, transparency, and equity in research planning, execution, and dissemination.

Requirements

• PhD or equivalent in economics, health services research, epidemiology, biostatistics, public policy, or a related quantitative field.
• 2 years post-doctoral experience applying causal inference methods to real-world healthcare data, especially administrative claims.
• Peer-reviewed publication record in areas such as healthcare economics, outcomes, delivery, policy, quality, or safety.
• Demonstrated success communicating analytic findings and familiarizing non-researchers with research methods.
• Ability to independently code, execute, and troubleshoot statistical analyses in R, Stata, or Python.
• Commitment to Joint Commission’s mission to continuously improve healthcare for the public, in collaboration with key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated track record of designing and overseeing analytic projects from concept through execution, including managing scope, timelines, and outputs in research or applied settings.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Joint Commission’s quality process and outcome measures in prior work.
• Experience conducting research with or within an organization where outputs must align with institutional mission and communications strategy (e.g., ASPE, CMS, AHRQ, VA, state agencies, consulting companies, etc.).
• Familiarity with predictive modeling or statistical learning methods, especially when integrated with causal inference approaches and natural language processing (NLP).
• Familiarity with regulatory, payer, or policy contexts (e.g., CMS Conditions of Participation, state Medicaid programs, or alternative payment models).
• Experience working in cross-functional teams, including collaborating across roles and managing project-based responsibilities without direct supervisory authority.

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefit package. For a complete overview, please visit our Joint Commission Career Page.

Pay

Min USD $99,000.00/year
Max USD $134,000.00/year