Dentist - Public Research and Program Evaluation

Overview
We are seeking a dynamic and dedicated Dentist specializing in Public Research and Program Evaluation to join our team. This role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to impactful public health initiatives by conducting rigorous research, evaluating dental programs, and advancing evidence-based practices. The ideal candidate will bring a passion for improving community oral health through data-driven insights, innovative research methodologies, and collaborative project management. This paid position is designed to support the development of public health policies and improve dental care delivery on a broad scale.

Duties
. Lead and support research and evaluation projects related to oral health, chronic disease prevention, injury prevention, and violence prevention.
· Develop scientific hypotheses, conceptual frameworks, research questions, and evaluation strategies to guide public health investigations and program improvement.
· Design and implement epidemiologic studies, oral health surveillance activities, community assessments, needs assessments, and program evaluations using quantitative and qualitative methods.
· Analyze clinical, epidemiologic, behavioral, dental, and population health data to identify trends, risk factors, disparities, outcomes, and opportunities for intervention.
· Interpret research and evaluation findings and translate them into recommendations for public health programs, policies, prevention initiatives, oral health services, and community-based strategies.
· Coordinate project activities across multidisciplinary teams, including public health professionals, epidemiologists, data analysts, dentists, dental hygienists, clinicians, academic partners, community organizations, and government agencies.
· Prepare technical reports, manuscripts, abstracts, presentations, dashboards, briefing materials, and other products for scientific, programmatic, and stakeholder audiences.
· Monitor project timelines, deliverables, data quality, and compliance with applicable scientific, ethical, privacy, dental, and regulatory standards.
· Provide expert consultation on dental and public health issues related to oral disease, chronic disease, injury prevention, violence-related injury, health disparities, access to care, and health equity.
· Contribute to grant proposals, funding applications, evaluation plans, and strategic planning efforts that advance public health research and prevention priorities.

Required Qualifications
· Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree from an accredited dental school.
· Active, unrestricted dental license or eligibility for licensure, as applicable to the hiring organization and jurisdiction.
· Demonstrated experience in public health research, dental public health, epidemiology, program evaluation, clinical research, or population health.
· Expertise in chronic disease, injury prevention, violence prevention, oral health promotion, or related public health prevention programs.
· Experience developing scientific hypotheses, research protocols, evaluation questions, logic models, performance measures, or analytic plans.
· Proficiency in data analysis, interpretation, and reporting using statistical or analytic tools such as SAS, R, Stata, SPSS, Python, SQL, or comparable platforms.
· Strong understanding of study design, evaluation methodology, surveillance systems, data governance, ethical research practices, and Institutional Review Board processes.
· Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey complex scientific findings to technical and non-technical audiences.
· Strong project coordination skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, stakeholders, timelines, and deliverables.

Preferred Qualifications
· Advanced training in public health, dental public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy, preventive medicine, or a related discipline.
· Experience working with federal, state, local, academic, or community-based public health programs.
· Publication record or demonstrated ability to produce peer-reviewed manuscripts, technical reports, policy briefs, or scientific presentations.
· Experience evaluating prevention programs addressing oral disease, dental caries, periodontal disease, chronic disease, traumatic injury, opioid-related injury, interpersonal violence, suicide prevention, or community violence prevention.
· Experience with health equity frameworks, social determinants of health, community engagement, and culturally responsive public health practice.
· Demonstrated success collaborating with multidisciplinary partners and translating scientific findings into programmatic action.

Core Competencies
· Scientific leadership and hypothesis development
· Clinical expertise in dentistry, oral health, and population health outcomes
· Public health program evaluation and applied research
· Data analysis, interpretation, and evidence synthesis
· Chronic disease prevention and oral health promotion strategy
· Injury prevention and violence prevention expertise
· Project coordination and stakeholder collaboration
· Clear scientific writing and presentation skills
· Commitment to health equity, prevention, and community impact
Work Environment and Collaboration
This position may operate in an academic, governmental, nonprofit, healthcare, dental public health, or public health agency setting. The Dentist will work collaboratively with research teams, program staff, public health officials, clinicians, analysts, dental professionals, and community partners to strengthen the evidence base for prevention programs and improve outcomes for populations affected by chronic disease, injury, violence, and oral health disparities. Join us in advancing public dental health through innovative research! This role offers an engaging environment where your expertise will directly impact community well-being while providing opportunities for professional growth in a collaborative setting.

Pay: $165,000.00 - $200,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Dental insurance
Health insurance
Life insurance
Paid time off
Vision insurance
Experience:
Clinical research: 5 years (Required)
License/Certification:
DMD or DDS (Required)
Security clearance:
Confidential (Preferred)
Work Location: Remote