CSDE-eNews Bulletin

February 19, 2008

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CSDE WEEKLY SEMINAR: Neil Bruce -- Age, Mortality Hazard, and Life Expectancy: Some Simple Parametric Functional Forms
CSDE ANNOUNCEMENTS: CSDE Fellowships 2008-2009
CSDE AFFILIATE & FELLOW NEWS: Elaina Rose--Featured speaker at the University of Pennsylvania's Population Center
CAMPUS SEMINARS & EVENTS OF INTEREST: Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences Seminar -- Garett Glasgow; Environmental Anthropology Forum -- Lee Cerveny; IGERT Program in Evolutionary Modeling (IPEM) -- Joe Henrich; WCPC Seminar Series on Poverty and Public Policy -- Mark Edwards
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES: 2008 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award Program (DP2)
CALLS FOR PAPERS: International Sustainability Conference
CONFERENCES: 19th World Congress of Sexual Health; Pacific Lutheran University's Third International Symposium: Advances in Global Health; Globalization and Justice Conference at Seattle University; Decision-Making in Eating Behavior: Interacting Perspectives from the Individual, Family, and Environment
TRAINING & EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: UW Course -- Global Population Health, Department of Health Services; Dissertation Fellow application deadline -- Public Policy Institute of California; Training Courses -- Wetlands International; Associate Service Fellowship -- National Survey of Family Growth; Demographer -- Climate Change/Environment, Population Action International; Post Doctoral Research Associates -- Minnesota Population Center; Associate Service Fellowship Demography/Epidemiology -- National Center for Health Statistics; Junior Demographer Travel Grant -- IUSSP; Supervisory Statistician (Demography) -- U.S. Census Bureau; Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology and Demography -- Pennsylvania State University; Social Demographer Position -- NIH; Social Epidemiologist Position -- NIH; Dissertation Fellowships -- Institute of International Education; Research Scientist / Engineer -- UW, Department of Medicine/Division of Gastroenterology
OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST: Nigeria hosts national seminar on regional integration in West Africa; NIH Symposium on Behavior Change; The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation -- Stephen Gloyd; The Population Reference Bureau has added new content to its website

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CSDE WEEKLY SEMINAR

Neil Bruce -- Age, Mortality Hazard, and Life Expectancy: Some Simple Parametric Functional Forms

Friday, February 22
12:30 - 2:00 PM
Parrington Hall Commons

CSDE Seminar Schedule

CSDE ANNOUNCEMENTS

CSDE Fellowships 2008-2009

CSDE is pleased to announce the availability of fellowships for students with interests in population issues for the academic year 2008-2009. To be eligible, applicants must be current or prospective graduate students in one of the following departments or school of the University of Washington:

Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Sociology, Social Work, Statistics
CSDE fellowships fund graduate students with research interests in population issues from two sources:

Shanahan Fellowships are open to all students

NICHD Training Fellowships are restricted to US Citizens and Permanent Residents

We expect up to six fellowships from these two sources will be open for either incoming or continuing students. Fellowships are renewable after the first year.

Applications for these fellowships should include:

An application letter from the student stating academic and research plans.

Two letters of recommendation.

A current transcript.

Applications from current UW graduate students should include a statement of satisfactory progress from the director of graduate studies/graduate advisor in their home department or school.

Successful applicants will be expected to take the core sequence of courses in demography that include CSDE 502, CSDE/Sociology 513 and Sociology 433. In addition, they will enroll in and regularly attend the weekly CSDE seminar series (CSDE 501), and work for 15-19 hours per week with a CSDE faculty affiliate of their choosing on a mutually agreed topic. Students must be in continuous residence while holding the fellowship.

Completed applications must be received by 5 pm on Friday, March 14th, 2008

Please send applications to:
Scott Sipes
CSDE
206 Raitt Hall
Box 353412

Please send all inquiries to Wolf Latsch. This information is also available online.

CSDE AFFILIATE & FELLOW NEWS

Elaina Rose--Featured speaker at the University of Pennsylvania's Population Center

Elaina Rose, Associate Professor of Economics and CSDE Affillate, was the featured speaker at The Population Studies Center, the University of Pennsylvania, on February 11, 2008. Her talk was entitled: "Your Mamma Was Home and You Left? Parental Influence on Military Service."

CAMPUS SEMINARS & EVENTS OF INTEREST

Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences Seminar -- Garett Glasgow

Garett Glasgow, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara
"Attitude Instability Due to Ambivalence: A Reconsideration of Recent Evidence"

Wednesday, February 20
12:30 - 1:20 PM
Denny 401

Environmental Anthropology Forum -- Lee Cerveny

Lee Cerveny, Pacific NW Research Station, USFS
"It’s a three-ship day! How cruise ship visits alter local constructions of time"

Wednesday, February 20
3:30-5:00
Denny Hall 401

IGERT Program in Evolutionary Modeling (IPEM) -- Joe Henrich

Joe Henrich (U of British Columbia, Psychology & Economics)
"The evolution of norms and institutions (including cooperative ones): Ethnographic and experimental evidence from Fiji"

Thursday, February 21
3:30 - 5:00 PM
Denny 401

WCPC Seminar Series on Poverty and Public Policy -- Mark Edwards

Mark Edwards, Associate Professor Department of Sociology, Oregon State University
"The Rise of State Agency/NGO Collaboration Against Food Insecurity in West Coast States"

Monday, February 25
3:00 PM
Parrington Hall Commons

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

2008 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award Program (DP2)

The NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/innovator_award/) was created in 2007 to support a small number of new investigators of exceptional creativity who propose bold and highly innovative new research approaches that have the potential to produce a major impact on broad, important problems in biomedical and behavioral research. The research proposed need not be in a conventional biomedical or behavioral discipline but must be relevant to the mission of NIH. The New Innovator Awards complement ongoing efforts by NIH and its institutes and centers to fund new investigators through R01 grants, which continue to be the major sources of NIH support for new investigators. Thirty New Innovator Awards were made in 2007.

Request For Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-RM-08-014
Application Submission/Receipt Date: March 31, 2008
NOTE: On time submission requires that applications be successfully submitted to Grants.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. local time (of the applicant institution/organization).

For full details, click here.

CALLS FOR PAPERS

International Sustainability Conference

We would like to once again draw your attention to the International Sustainability Conference 2008, jointly organized by the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, School of Business and the University of Basel, Program Sustainability Research.

Due to numerous requests from authors, the submission deadline has been extended to March 9th, 2008. Abstracts can therefore still be submitted, using the online submission form: http://www.isc2008.ch/callforabstracts.htm. Authors will be informed about the acceptance of their abstracts by April 30th, 2008.

The conference will be held on Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd August 2008 at the University of Basel, Switzerland. The central theme of the conference is "Creating Values for Sustainable Development."

Currently, the following two keynote speakers confirmed their participation:

Professor Saskia Sassen, Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology, Columbia University, USA

Professor Klaus M. Leisinger, Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary General for the UN Global Compact and President and CEO of the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development

The organization committee encourages scientists, managers as well as decision makers from various disciplines to attend the ISC 2008 and present the outcomes of their research and/or case studies in line with the session themes.

For further details see conference website: http://www.isc2008.ch/.

CONFERENCES

19th World Congress of Sexual Health

June 21-25, 2009
Göteborg, Sweden

The conference theme, Sexual Health & Rights: A Global Challenge, reflects the 8 priorities of the WAS Declaration for the Millennium and echoes the urgent need for action to ensure sexual health and rights for all. The WAS Congress is held every two years, and brings together the outstanding clinicians, researchers, educators, activists and policy makers from around the globe to share knowledge on the diverse and often controversial issues of contemporary sexual health. Sweden has always played a pioneering role in promoting sexual education, health and equality. Furthermore, a grant from the Swedish Government will enable participants to attend from many developing countries where the AIDS crisis severely impacts sexual health, and where basic sexual rights in areas such as education, healthcare and individual choice are largely unrecognized. The lively city of Göteborg is the largest harbor in Scandinavia and offers everything you would expect to find in a major city: cultural events, historical and natural landmarks, beautiful parks, fine restaurants, shopping and entertainment.

For full details, visit the website here.

Pacific Lutheran University's Third International Symposium: Advances in Global Health

Thursday, February 21 - Friday, February 22, 2008
Pacific Lutheran University: Tacoma, WA
For more information, visit: http://www.plu.edu/wangcenter/global-health/home.html

Symposium presentations and seminars on campus Feb. 22 will feature representatives of NGOs and area leaders in science and business who will discuss how they have been involved in finding and delivering solutions – from active on-site intervention, to bench-mark research, to the formulation of public policy. The keynote address on Feb. 21 at the Tacoma Convention and Trade Center will be presented by Stephen Lewis, former United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. Participants will be introduced to ways in which they themselves might become more actively involved in finding global health solutions.

Keynote Address by: Stephen Lewis, former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS
Plenary Address by: William Foege, Senior Fellow on Health Policy, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Globalization and Justice Conference at Seattle University

Thursday, February 21st – Friday, February 22nd
Seattle University

Globalization and Justice Conference sponsored by the Center for the Study of Justice on the SU Campus. The Conference is Feb 21-22 and will focus on global health and development in the context of social justice. It is free to all faculty, students and interested community members. The full conference schedule can be found at: http://www.seattleu.edu/csjs/globalization_2008.asp

Decision-Making in Eating Behavior: Interacting Perspectives from the Individual, Family, and Environment

April 14-15 2008
National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland

Meeting Objective:
To discuss the state of research in decision making and examine those areas that can potentially be applied to the field of nutrition, especially in the area of sustaining positive behavior change and to stimulating research interest in this area.

Meeting Framework:
The meeting is being organized to provide significant audience participation. Each session will include a plenary speaker who will provide an overview of the session topic, followed by presentations by various panelists who will speak on the topic from their unique perspectives. A moderated question and answer session will follow the panelists’ presentation to allow full interaction among the speakers.

For full details, click here.

TRAINING & EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

UW Course -- Global Population Health, Department of Health Services

Global Population Health
GH 514 (formerly Hserv 534) Spring Quarter 2008
Tuesdays & Thursdays, from 12:00 to 1:20 pm
3 credits (I-132 of Health Sciences Center)

This three-credit, course guides students in understanding what produces health in populations. They work to disseminate these ideas focusing on the PBS series: Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making US Sick? NO PREREQUISITES

Discover what makes a population healthy looking at various countries around the world and recognize how that is different from what individuals do for their health.

Come to grips with why the USA is less healthy than the other rich countries, despite spending half of the world's health care bill

Grapple with ways to engage others in the course ideas

Students discuss great readings with other classmates, write a critical paper and inform the public. No exams.

Stephen Bezruchka: Email

There is also a 2 credit non-graded spring undergraduate introductory course occasionally taken by graduate students http://courses.washington.edu/hserv482/, Hserv 482 (SLN 13645) M/F 10:30 to 11:20

Dissertation Fellow application deadline -- Public Policy Institute of California

The Public Policy Institute of California's (PPIC) Dissertation Fellow position is designed for doctoral candidates whose dissertation topic and career goals are related to public policy issues. In particular, scholars whose research will benefit from access to PPIC's databases and consultation with PPIC staff are encouraged to apply. Qualified applicants should be in a Ph.D. program that will lead to a career in public policy research. Examples of eligible fields of study include demography, economics, education, geography, political science, psychology, public policy, sociology, social welfare, and urban planning.

The application deadline is February 29, 2008.

For more details on the Dissertation Fellow positions visit this link.

Training Courses -- Wetlands International

Four training courses are being offered in 2008 through designated training centre partners, namely the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe, Uganda (for the Anglophone training) and the Centre de Forets in Thies, Senegal (For the Francophone training). Individuals interested in participating in these courses are requested to carefully select the training course of their choice out of the four offered this year. However, in terms of response to the applications, priority will be given to the 3rd Anglophone Training course in April and the 2nd Francophone training course in late March 2008.

The training aims to foster cross-sectoral dialogues and working partnerships to ensure that all sectors consider appropriate management approaches in their interaction with wetlands. Therefore this training opportunity is open to individuals in a wide range of sectors including water resources, development, gender equity, and conservation sectors from in governments, NGOs, CBOs, IGOs, Training / Research centres, Universities and other relevant agencies working at the project level, policy related fields or in programmes with direct interaction with stakeholders and communities in wetland areas.

For full details, click here.

Associate Service Fellowship -- National Survey of Family Growth

Fellowship Overview: The Associate Service Fellow, working closely with The NSFG Team, will contribute to all aspects of conducting the survey and disseminating the survey data. Associate Service Fellow will develop and formulate questionnaire specifications and review training materials; plan and conduct methodological and evaluation studies related to data collection; provide technical consultation and advice to users of the data; and prepare reports of survey activities and results for NCHS reports and scientific journals. These reports include discussion of statistical methods.

Qualifications: This fellowship is open to all citizens of the United States or legal permanent residents with a work authorization. Applicants are responsible for obtaining the necessary work authorization. Applicants must have successfully completed a master's degree or higher in demography, survey methodology, epidemiology, public health, or a related field. Experience and/or applied coursework in (a) sampling, (b) collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and (c) applying statistical techniques such as simple and multiple correlation, regression modeling, analysis of variance, and significance testing is highly desirable. Skill in using SAS, STATA, SPSS, SUDAAN, or other statistical software for complex survey data is also expected. Strong speaking, writing, and interpersonal skills are also highly desirable.

This position in demography or epidemiology is open to citizens of the United States or legal, permanent residents with a work authorization. Details about the fellowship program are available at: http://www.cdc.gov/employment/pubhealth.htm

Application Process: Applications will be accepted through April 30, 2008. Interested applicants should submit their curriculum vitae, official transcripts of all graduate and undergraduate credits, and three reference letters to Stephanie Ventura, Chief, Reproductive Statistics Branch at the mailing address below.

Mailing address:
Mrs. Stephanie Ventura, Chief
Reproductive Statistics Branch
Division of Vital Statistics
National Center for Health Statistics
3311 Toledo Road, Room 7418
Hyattsville, Maryland 20782

Inquiries or questions regarding this fellowship can be directed to Mrs. Ventura at sventura@cdc.gov

Demographer -- Climate Change/Environment, Population Action International

Demographer - Climate Change/Environment is being sought by Population Action International (PAI), an organization that works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs. Through research and advocacy, PAI seeks to strengthen public awareness and political and financial support worldwide for population programs grounded in individual rights. At the heart of PAI's mission is its commitment to universal access to family planning and related health services, and to educational and economic opportunities, especially for girls and women.

This position will provide demographic expertise to a well-established organization that researches and advocates for evidence-based policies on population and reproductive health/family planning and women’s centered development. Primary responsibilities include: Job Announcement: Demographer - Climate Change/Environment, Population Action International Lead PAI’s demographic research efforts to assess the links between population and climate change and the environment. Conduct relevant demographic analysis in collaboration with climate change experts, including staff and consultants.

Develop methodologies to assess quantitative aspects of population and reproductive health/family planning that build public and policymaker awareness of, and contribute to, advocacy for sound population policies, programs and funding.

This position requires a Master’s Degree or PhD in population studies, demography or related social science with 5-10 years experience in demographic/population research, including research related to climate change and/or environmental issues. Other qualifications include: excellent research and analytical skills; ability to communicate complex technical issues to a policy and advocacy-oriented audience; experience conducting demographic research; working knowledge of public health, epidemiology and international development, ability to identify important demographic/population issues and related-policy trends and challenges; and fluency in English. Overseas field experience in public health or development and fluency in a second language are pluses. In addition, a team player with a sense of humor, collaborative spirit and creativity is needed for this position.

PAI is a family friendly organization, offering a highly competitive benefit package. PAI is an equal opportunity employer and encourages people of color to apply for this position. Resumes with cover letter and salary requirements can be e-mailed or fax to (202) 728-4177 Attn: Rachael Murray Rakestraw.

Salary: Commensurate with experience

Deadline for applications: Open until filled

Post Doctoral Research Associates -- Minnesota Population Center

The Minnesota Population Center (MPC) anticipates openings for Post-Doctoral Associates (Job Code 9546) for the 2008-2009 academic year. Positions would begin fall 2008.

Post-Doctoral Research Associates will work on IPUMS-USA, IPUMS–International, or related projects. The aim of these projects is to create, document, and distribute datasets of U.S. and international census microdata.

Major Functions/Needs
Researchers will investigate methodology, data quality, and compatibility of data on MPC data infrastructure projects, most of which are funded by NIH and NSF. The researchers will report to a Research Associate or Coordinator for the appropriate project. MPC Post-Doctoral Associates are expected to participate in the intellectual life of the center, presenting research at workshops and scholarly conferences and publishing related research in academic journals.

Qualifications
Required: Ph.D. in a population-related field (e.g. Sociology, Economics, History, Geography, and Public Policy). Excellent written and oral communication skills; mastery of at least one major statistical software package (SAS, Stata or SPSS); and excellent computer skills. (IPUMS-I has additional required qualifications. See full announcement.)

Preferred: Competency in quantitative methods and use of statistical software package. For work on IPUMS – USA: experience using IPUMS – USA or any other large collection of census or survey data. For IPUMS- International: research experience that combines data from multiple countries or applicants with knowledge of household structure issues.

Application Procedures
Applicants must apply using the U of M online system (IPUMS-USA requisition number 153005; IPUMS-International requisition number 153003). Please include a CV and cover letter. Also, please send three letters of recommendation to: Kathy McKee, 50 Willey Hall, 225 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Contact Kathy McKee with any questions. We will begin reviewing application March 15, 2008, and will continue until positions are filled.

Download PDF announcement of the IPUMS-USA position.
Download PDF announcement of the IPUMS-International position.

Associate Service Fellowship Demography/Epidemiology -- National Center for Health Statistics

Position and Organization: The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), located in Hyattsville, Maryland, is seeking an Associate Service Fellow to work with the National Survey of Family Growth Team. NCHS is the nation’s principal health statistics agency. One of the eight Centers and Institutes that comprise the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NCHS’s mission is to compile accurate, relevant, and timely statistical information to guide actions and policies that improve the health of the nation. Within NCHS, the Division of Vital Statistics (DVS) coordinates the National Vital Statistics System and conducts the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). Within DVS, the Reproductive Statistics Branch coordinates the National Birth statistics system and conducts the NSFG. For more information about NCHS, see http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about.htm.

Information about the National Survey of Family Growth is available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nsfg.htm.

Fellowship Overview: The Associate Service Fellow, working closely with the NSFG Team, will contribute to all aspects of conducting the survey and disseminating the survey data. The NSFG Team is responsible for collecting, processing, and disseminating data on a variety of topics related to birth and pregnancy rates; contraception and fertility; marriage, divorce, and cohabitation; sexual activity; and HIV risk behaviors. Under the guidance of other members of the NSFG team, the Associate Service Fellow will develop and formulate questionnaire specifications and review training materials; plan and conduct methodological and evaluation studies related to data collection; provide technical consultation and advice to users of the data; and prepare reports of survey activities and results for NCHS reports and scientific journals. These reports include discussion of statistical methods.

Qualifications: This fellowship is open to all citizens of the United States or legal permanent residents with a work authorization. Applicants are responsible for obtaining the necessary work authorization. Applicants must have successfully completed a master’s degree or higher in demography, survey methodology, epidemiology, public health, or a related field (e.g. sociology, medicine, biological or health sciences, etc). Experience and/or applied coursework in (a) sampling, (b) collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and (c) applying statistical techniques such as simple and multiple correlation, regression modeling, analysis of variance, and significance testing is highly desirable. Skill in using SAS, STATA, SPSS, SUDAAN, or other statistical software for complex survey data is also expected. Strong speaking, writing, and interpersonal skills are also highly desirable.

Terms of Appointment: The Associate Service Fellow will be offered an initial 13 month appointment, which may be extended up to 10 years by mutual agreement. A starting date will be determined by mutual agreement. An initial salary of $48,108 - $90,698 will be offered based on education and experience. Salary increases will be commensurate with performance. Associate Service Fellows are eligible for sick leave, annual leave, thrift savings (401(k) equivalent), and health and life insurance. A flexible work schedule is also available. Free parking is available on-site or a transportation subsidy can be obtained for using the metro area subway station, which is nearby.

Application Process: Applications will be accepted through April 30, 2008. Interested applicants should submit their curriculum vitae, official transcripts of all graduate and undergraduate credits, and three reference letters to Stephanie Ventura, Chief, Reproductive Statistics Branch at the mailing address below. Inquiries or questions regarding this fellowship can be directed to Mrs. Ventura at sventura@cdc.gov.

Mailing address:
Mrs. Stephanie Ventura, Chief
Reproductive Statistics Branch
Division of Vital Statistics
National Center for Health Statistics
3311 Toledo Road, Room 7418
Hyattsville, Maryland 20782

Junior Demographer Travel Grant -- IUSSP

The IUSSP Scientific Panel on Historical Demography invites applications for junior demographers to attend the upcoming IUSSP Seminar on the Emergence of Social Differences in Mortality: Time Trends, Causes, and Reactions, to be held in Alghero, Italy, 29-30 May 2008.

Deadline for applications: 24 March 2008

The Junior Demographer Travel Grant provides an opportunity for a young demographer to meet leading specialists in the field. The grant covers roundtrip transport to the meeting as well as accommodation during the meeting. In return the junior demographer may be asked by the seminar organizers to write up a summary of the meeting or help with other organizational tasks during the meeting.

The working language at the seminar will be English only. Candidates interested in attending this seminar should read the call for papers: http://www.iussp.org/Activities/hisdem/call08.php

Conditions of eligibility

Candidates are expected to be a recent recipient (within 5 years) of an advanced degree in a subject related to population or who works in the field of population.

All applicants for the junior demographer award should be IUSSP members (non-members wishing to apply can apply for membership online on the IUSSP website).

Each candidate for the award must be sponsored by two academic references. To avoid the appearance of conflict of interest, the references should not be members of the Scientific Panel organizing the meeting.

In the case of equal qualifications, preference will be given to a candidate from a developing country.

Application procedure
Candidates should submit a short letter explaining why they are interested in attending the seminar, what they expect to gain from it, and how they could contribute to it. The candidate’s letter, curriculum vitae, and letters of recommendation from each sponsor should be sent by email to Jacqueline van der Helm before 24 March 2008. The subject of the email must be "Junior Demographer."

Supervisory Statistician (Demography) -- U.S. Census Bureau

Who May Be Considered:
Current competitive service Census Bureau employees on a permanent or term appointment; status applicants (i.e. Current and former government employees); CTAP/ICTAP eligible employees; veterans who are preference eligibles or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of continuous active service; and individuals eligible for non-competitive appointment under a special appointing authority.

Job Summary:
This position is a Supervisory Survey Statistician, GS-1530-14, in the Health and Training Surveys Branch, Economic Planning and Coordiantion Division (EPCD), located at the U.S. Census Bureau Headquarters in Suitland, Maryland.

Click here for full details.

Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology and Demography -- Pennsylvania State University

The Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, College of Agricultural Sciences, seeks applicants to fill a tenure track appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor. The position is co-funded with Penn State’s Children, Youth and Families Consortium. This is a 9-month, full-time appointment with a 75% research and 25% teaching responsibility. The successful candidate will be expected to develop a nationally recognized research program on the social demography of immigrant children and families living in rural and urban areas of the United States. In addition to expertise in immigration, a demographer is sought who has expertise in one or more of the following specialty areas within the field: family demography, the demography of population health, and spatial demography. Candidates with strong quantitative skills are especially encouraged to apply. It is expected that the appointment will include a formal affiliation with Penn State’s Population Research Institute and participate in its research infrastructure and intellectual community. Teaching responsibilities will include two courses per year at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and graduate and undergraduate advising. The candidate would be expected to contribute both to the Department’s new undergraduate program in Community, Environment and Development, as well as our dual-degree graduate program in Rural Sociology and Demography.

Qualifications: Ph.D. in rural sociology, sociology, demography, or related field.

Application: Applicants should submit a letter of application, resume, names and contact information for three professional references, a photocopy of graduate transcripts, a sample of professional writing, and evidence of teaching (if available), to:

Prof. Leif Jensen, Chair
Search Advisory Committee
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology
The Pennsylvania State University
106 Armsby Building
University Park, PA 16802

Closing date for applications: Review of applications will begin March 15, 2008, and continue until a qualified candidate is identified.

For information on the department and its programs, see: http://www.aers.psu.edu/

Social Demographer Position -- NIH

Be a part of the effort to advance social and behavioral research affecting the health and well-being of older Americans. The National Institute on Aging (NIA)’s Behavioral and Social Research Program seeks a social scientist with expertise in social demography of aging. As a Program Officer, you will be responsible for planning and organizing national and international grant and contract programs in the demography of aging, with an emphasis on social demography. In this position, you will have the opportunity to influence the direction of scientific research in areas such as:

The causes and consequences of population aging in the US and other societies.

The causes and consequences for health and well-being of the elderly of changes in marital status, family, household size and household structure.

Social inequalities in health at older ages.

The relationships among neighborhoods, social networks, social capital and health and well-being of the elderly.

The development of future research directions of large population-based studies supported by the NIA such as the Health and Retirement Study, Mid-Life in the US II, the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics.

The impact of socioeconomic and health factors over the life course on health and well-being at older ages, with emphasis on racial, gender, and socioeconomic disparities.

The development of new multi-level methodologies for the analysis of complex longitudinal data.

Cross-national studies on comparative social demographic issues.

The facilitation of interdisciplinary collaborations among demography, epidemiology, economics, biology, genetics, medicine, public health.

The development of research collaborations with federal agencies such as the US Census Bureau and the National Center of Health Statistics.

The training of future cohorts of demographers and other population scientists through support of fellowships and institutional training programs.

Come work in a dynamic and intellectually stimulating environment with a multidisciplinary team that shares your passion for social science research on aging and life course processes. NIA is located in Bethesda, MD, accessible by metro and convenient to the exciting restaurants and shopping of Washington DC. The salary range for the GS-13 position is $82,961 to $107,854 and the range for the GS-14 position is $98,033 to $127,442. A full Civil Service package of benefits is available.

To apply and to review details about the position and qualification requirements, please visit http://www.usajobs.gov and apply on-line to announcement NIA-08-244979-CR-DE (open to all U.S. citizens) and/or NIA-08-244979-CR-MP (open to current and former competitive service Federal employees) or contact Lauren Carroll Tedesco at 301-594-2288 or carrollla@mail.nih.gov.

Applications must be submitted by March 21, 2008.

Social Epidemiologist Position -- NIH

Be a part of the effort to advance social and behavioral research affecting the health and well-being of older Americans. The National Institute on Aging (NIA)’s Behavioral and Social Research Program seeks a social epidemiologist who will be responsible for planning and organizing national and international grant and contract programs in social epidemiology as it relates to aging the life course. In this position, you will have the opportunity to influence the direction of scientific research in areas such as:

The influence of society, social conditions and social organizations on the health and well-being of older people.

Social inequalities in health at older ages.

The application of epidemiology and biostatistics to important questions regarding the health status of older adults, including causes and consequences of chronic diseases, co-morbidity, functional decline and disability.

Longitudinal data analysis of population-based studies to determine the causes of adverse health outcomes among the elderly and potential successful social or behavioral preventive approaches.

Cross-national studies on comparative social epidemiology issues.

The development of public health and community interventions, from a social science perspective, to prevent late-life disability and functional decline.

The measurement of burden of illness.

The impact of socioeconomic and health factors over the life course on health and well-being at older ages.

Interdisciplinary research combining approaches, concepts and techniques from epidemiology, demography, sociology, economics, biology and medicine.

The training of future cohorts of epidemiologists and other population scientists through support of fellowships and institutional training programs.

Come work in a dynamic and intellectually stimulating environment with a multidisciplinary team that shares your passion for social science research on aging and life course processes. NIA is located in Bethesda, MD, accessible by metro and convenient to the exciting restaurants and shopping of Washington DC. The salary range for the GS-13 position is $82,961 to $107,854 and the range for the GS-14 position is $98,033 to $127,442. A full Civil Service package of benefits is available.

To apply and to review details about the position and qualification requirements, please visit http://www.usajobs.gov and apply on-line to announcement NIA-08-244988-CR-DE (open to all U.S. citizens) and/or NIA-08-244988-CR-MP (open to current and former competitive service Federal employees) or contact Lauren Carroll Tedesco at 301-594-2288 or carrollla@mail.nih.gov.

Applications must be submitted by March 21, 2008.

Dissertation Fellowships -- Institute of International Education

IIE Announces: Dissertation Fellowshps in Population, Reproductive Health, and Economic Development

The Institute of International Education (IIE) is now accepting applications for the Dissertation Fellowship in Population, Reproductive Health, and Economic Development. The two-year fellowships of $20,000 per year will be awarded by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and IIE. The fellowships are open to students currently enrolled in Ph.D. programs in the United States and Canada. Students in economics, economic demography, geography, and epidemiology are especially encouraged to apply.

These fellowships will support dissertation research on topics that examine how population dynamics and family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) influence economic development, including economic growth, poverty reduction, and equity. Dissertations that address population and development issues pertinent to the African continent are especially encouraged. The research must include a strong quantitative component, with an emphasis on rigorous data analysis. We encourage the development or use of new statistical methods. Finally, the research must have a strong policy-relevant component, demonstrating an interest in communicating research results with program managers, planners, and policymakers.

The objective of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation/IIE Dissertation Fellowship is to produce sound evidence on the role of population and reproductive health in economic development that could be incorporated into national and international economic planning and decision making.

Research Objectives: The Hewlett/IIE Dissertation Fellowship will stimulate and define an interdisciplinary field of research that crosses the health-economics divide. The primary outcomes in the analysis should be economic. Listed below are examples of specific research questions that could fulfill program objectives. These examples are not intended to be comprehensive.

Microeconomic Analyses: How do reproductive health outcomes affect economic outcomes at the individual and household levels? Outcomes of interest could include:

Labor: productivity, labor force participation.

Savings: savings behavior of women, children, and households.

Sectoral investments: for adolescents or adult women.

Education: investments in male or female education and expected returns.

Macroeconomic Analyses: How will projected trends in fertility, mortality, and migration affect economic growth and income distribution and the incidence of poverty? Linkages of interest could include:

Policy variables, such as those influencing labor force participation and savings, and their effect on the relationships among population change, economic growth, and the incidence of poverty.

Fertility and mortality impacts on growth and poverty.

National and regional level modeling of how reproductive health investments in sub-Saharan Africa relate to labor supply and savings.

Eligibility: Students currently enrolled full-time in Ph.D. programs in the United States and Canada are eligible to apply. Applications are especially sought from students in economics, economic demography, geography, and epidemiology. Applications from students in other disciplines will be considered if their dissertation research meets the methodological requirements of the program. Students are eligible to apply if they have a dissertation proposal in progress or completed and all coursework completed by the beginning of the fellowship program.

Fellowship Award: The Hewlett/IIE Dissertation Fellowship in Population, Reproductive Health, and Economic Development will support up to 8 two-year fellowships starting August 2008, with awards announced in June. Fellowship recipients are awarded $20,000 per year for two years to cover expenses incurred while working on their dissertation, including tuition, travel for research purposes, acquisition of data and research materials, and personal living expenses. Fellows will become part of a network of researchers supported by the WFH Foundation, IIE, PRB and other funders.

Network activities during the two-year fellowship period will include an annual research conference in the winter, a workshop on advanced methods in population-economic analysis, and a writing workshop.

Application Requirements: The deadline for applying is April 1, 2008. Please submit the following:

Completed application cover sheet.

Curriculum Vita with full list of educational and other professional activities.

Statement of intent to pursue a dissertation examining the linkages of population-family planning/reproductive health and economic development. Please identify the specific question to be addressed; provide a brief synopsis of the relevant literature demonstrating how your research will contribute to the Fellowship Program's research objective; describe the data you expect to use and how you expect to use it; and summarize expected outcomes (maximum of twenty pages).

Schedule for completing the dissertation.

Budget for use of the fellowship award.

Two letters of recommendation. One from your academic adviser and one from another faculty member.

Essay describing how you believe your work, when complete, will affect policy and improve people's wellbeing (maximum of two pages).

Please submit all application materials electronically and in hard copy to:
Ms. Dinika Mirpuri
Dissertation Fellowships in Population
Institute of International Education
809 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Telephone: 212-984-5388
Fax: 212-984-5458
E-mail: popecondissfellows@iie.org

US Call - Hewlett - IIE Population Fellowship Announcement.pdf

Research Scientist / Engineer -- UW, Department of Medicine/Division of Gastroenterology

This individual will work with a multidisciplinary team of physicians and social scientists. The project will use health care claims data to examine the quality and outcomes of colonoscopy procedures in Medicare beneficiaries. These projects will both involve analysis of large secondary databases, including the AMA Masterfile and Census database, and Medicare claims files, such as the MedPAR, Carrier, and Outpatient Files. The Research Scientist must have expertise in the analysis of large databases.

The Research Scientist will work in a collegial and collaborative environment under the direct supervision of a team of physicians, requiring excellent communication and collaborative skills. The Research Scientist will also collaborate closely with other Research Scientists and biostatisticians in developing the analytic databases. The Research Scientist must be able to work independently and take the lead on assigned database development and data analyses.

Open Until Filled.

For full details, click here.

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Nigeria hosts national seminar on regional integration in West Africa

Nigeria hosts the 15th and last national seminar of UNESCO's project on the challenges of regional integration in West Africa

UNESCO and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are organizing a seminar from 26 to 28 February 2008 in Lagos (Nigeria) on the subject of "Nation-states and the challenges of regional integration in West Africa: the Nigerian case."

The opening ceremony will be chaired by Pierre Sané, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, in the presence of representatives from the project's different partners, who have implemented it over the past three years within the framework of UNESCO's Management of Social Transformations programme: West African Economic and Monetary Union, African Union, OECD, ECOBANK, the United Nations University and Trust Africa.

For more information on this event or to contact with the scientific coordinators in the ECOWAS countries, please see below:

Boubacar Barry, MOST regional coordinator: bbarry@orange.sn, tél. : (221) 824 93 01 / (221) 605 34 86

Abayomi Akinyeye, MOST coordinator in Nigeria: yakinyeye@yahoo.com, tel.: (234) 802 337 66 25 / (234) 803 362 32 20

Quick link to the UNESCO-SHS webpage on the event: www.unesco.org/shs/most/regional_integration/nigeria

NIH Symposium on Behavior Change

The National Institute on Alchol Abuse and Alcoholism
The National Cancer Institute
The National Institute on Drug Abuse
The NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Present

SPRING 2008 Symposia Series on Mechanisms of Behavior Change

The first symposium of the three-part series is entitled:
Getting At Why People Change

Matthew K. Nock, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Harvard University
"Getting Back to Basics: Using Basic Behavioral Research to Study Mechanisms of Clinical Change"

Marsha E. Bates, Ph.D., Research Professor, Center for Alcohol Studies, Rutgers University
"Translation Science Framework: Using Basic Behavioral Research to Identify Clinically Significant Mechanisms of Behavioral Change"

Wednesday, February 27
1:00 – 3:00 PM
Neuroscience Center Building
6001 Executive Boulevard
Room C

Webcast at: http://videocast.nih.gov
Moderator: Mark L. Willenbring, M.D., Director, Division of Treatment and Recovery Research, NIAAA, NIH

In case you missed the first symposium in the series the videocast is archived at http://videocast.nih.gov see "Past Events" – "Special", Podcast at: http://videocast.nih.gov/podcasting

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation -- Stephen Gloyd

Stephen Gloyd, Professor, Department of Global Health, Department of Health Services, University of Washington
"Improving Health Care using Operations Research: Examples from Mozambique"

Thursday, February 21
4:00 - 5:30 PM
2301 5th Ave. Suite 600

The Population Reference Bureau has added new content to its website

U.S. POPULATION

U.S. Population Could Reach 438 Million by 2050, and Immigration Is Key
A new report from the Pew Research Center projects that immigration will propel the U.S. population total to 438 million by 2050, from 303 million today. Along with this growth, the racial and ethnic profile of Americans will continue to shift—with non-Hispanic whites losing their majority status. Carl Haub, senior demographer at PRB, wrote this article summarizing the findings.
http://www.prb.org/Articles/2008/pewprojections.aspx

PopWire: In U.S., Higher Share of Young Women Than Men Have Earned B.A.s
About one-third of women ages 25 to 29 had a bachelor's degree or higher in 2007, compared with one-fourth of their male peers, according to data recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
http://www.prb.org/Articles/2008/popwirefeb2008.aspx

CHILD HEALTH

Finding Ways to Improve Child Health
On Feb. 13, Dr. Nils Daulaire, president and CEO of the Global Health Council, conducted a PRB Discuss Online on improving child health. Read the transcript of the questions and answers. For example, in his answer to a participant’s question about the impact of a mother’s health on her child’s health, Dr. Daulaire responded, “Without a doubt, a critical determinant of the health of children is the underlying health of their mothers… The area where maternal health care has the greatest potential to impact the health of children is in the care of HIV-positive mothers.”
http://discuss.prb.org/

Improving Early Childhood Nutrition Has Long-Term Economic Benefits
At a Population Reference Bureau policy seminar sponsored in part by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Reynaldo Martorell discussed the effects of a nutrition intervention during early childhood on human capital assets and on the economic productivity of Guatemalan adults. Dr. Martorell is the Robert W. Woodruff professor of international nutrition at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. Also view a 10-minute webcast interview with Dr. Martorell.
http://www.prb.org/Articles/2008/childnutrition.aspx

CHINA

Why Do Older Chinese Face Higher Death Rates in Rural Areas?
Death rates for Chinese ages 50 and older are about 30 percent higher in rural areas than urban ones. Why are rural Chinese at such a disadvantage? According to an article in the Journal of Gerontology, cadre status, which is more common in urban areas, is a powerful determinant of mortality. Chinese adults who are cadres, or public officials who hold responsible or managerial positions in the party and government, had a significantly lower risk of death, according to the article's findings. Toshiko Kaneda, a policy analyst at PRB, was one of the authors of the study.
http://www.prb.org/Articles/2008/olderchinese.aspx

PRB IN THE FIELD

Improving Data Use in Mongolia
In 2007, program officers at United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Mongolia and at the National Statistical Office (NSO) of Mongolia asked the Population Reference Bureau to help them take advantage of a rich but little-used store of data on social programs. In particular, they wanted to help mid-level policymakers and program planners better use data to create policies and to evaluate existing policies and programs. With funding from UNFPA's Mongolia office and the Fred H. Bixby Foundation, PRB's Erin Sines, policy analyst, and Lori Ashford, technical director of policy information, helped the NSO find out how their data were being used and create a plan to enhance data use.
http://www.prb.org/Articles/2008/mongolia.aspx

TAKE A NUMBER

Population, Health, and Environment News You Might Have Missed
This month: Number of female smokers doubled in Russia since fall of Soviet Union; U.S. Asian adults do better than white adults on several health indicators; and U.S. maternal grandparents are more likely to visit with their grandchildren.
http://www.prb.org/Journalists/TakeANumber.aspx