CADTH Contractor Opportunities

CADTH has requirements for independent contractors, including clinical reviewers, clinical experts, horizon or environmental scan authors, ethics contractors, qualitative research authors, research information specialists, health economists, and scientific advisors. Typical roles and qualifications are listed as follows. 

If you would like to apply, please send your resume to [email protected], and indicate the role you are interested in.

Clinical Reviewers

Researchers to conduct evidence-based analyses on drugs; diagnostics; and medical, dental, and surgical devices and procedures, and to prepare reports on the findings.

Requirements include:

  • a graduate degree in a health-related discipline, with a minimum of 2 to 4 years of research experience
  • training in epidemiology and biostatistics, as well as pharmacy experience (for pharmaceutical topics); these are considered assets for most, but are mandatory for contractors undertaking an analysis of complex network meta-analysis studies
  • experience in the critical appraisal of medical literature
  • an understanding of research principles and evidence-based medicine principles
  • an understanding of medical and scientific language, and concepts of experimental design
  • knowledge of the drug formulary decision-making process (for pharmaceutical topics).

Clinical Experts

Clinical experts to ensure the rigour and scientific quality of CADTH’s research. Clinical experts participate in teleconferences to provide expert advice on research, review CADTH drafts, and write sections of the reports as required.

Requirements include:

  • a postgraduate degree in a health-related field and study in a wide variety of medical specialties.

Horizon or Environmental Scan Authors

Researchers or medical writers with an aptitude for locating information in obscure places. This work may involve contacting federal, provincial, and territorial sources, or industry, for information not publicly available or published in traditional sources.
Minimum requirements include:

  • an undergraduate degree in a research-related health discipline, plus at least 2 to 4 years of health-sector research experience. 

Assets include:

  • a graduate degree in a health-related field
  • experience with survey design.

Ethics Contractors

Ethicists or researchers experienced with analyses of ethical issues as part of health technology assessments (e.g., related to pharmaceuticals, medical devices, or procedures).

Minimum requirements include:

  • a graduate degree in ethics, social sciences, or a health-related discipline, and 2 to 4 years’ experience developing empirical, normative, or applied ethics work.

Other requirements include:

  • a clear writing style and an ability to translate complex medical and ethical issues into easy-to-understand language
  • experience synthesizing ethical arguments or positions, drawn from the literature
  • the ability to engage with multi-disciplinary literatures and ideas in the health and social sciences
  • knowledge of a range of empirical and normative claims or positions as they relate to ethical issues in health technologies
  • understanding of the principles of evidence-based medicine and clinical and economic study designs as they relate to health technology assessment
  • understanding of the Canadian health policy and practice landscape.

Rapid Review Authors

Researchers to quickly conduct literature reviews on pharmaceuticals, medical devices, procedures, and other health technologies. It is important to have strong abilities in the critical appraisal of published scientific and medical literature, as well as the ability to meet tight timelines.

Requirements include:

  • at minimum, a graduate degree in epidemiology, pharmacy, pharmacoepidemiology, health services research, or another health-related field
  • the ability to draft reports and complete revisions within a short time, as well as same-day responsiveness to email
  • experience in the critical appraisal of clinical evidence
  • strong analytical and critical thinking skills
  • an understanding of medical and scientific language, the principles of evidence-based medicine, and concepts of study design.

Qualitative Research Authors

Researchers experienced in qualitative evidence syntheses, with:

  • the minimum level of knowledge normally acquired through a graduate degree in a social sciences or health-related discipline, and 2 to 4 years of experience conducting primary or secondary qualitative research
  • experience in the critical appraisal of qualitative health-related evidence
  • a working knowledge of a range of qualitative data analyses techniques
  • an understanding of rigorous qualitative research design and strategies
  • an understanding of the principles of evidence-based medicine and study design.

Health Economists

Health economists with experience in one or more of the following areas:

  • critically appraising existing economic evaluations
  • designing and undertaking economic evaluations, budget impact analyses, and reviews of economic evidence
  • developing computer-based economic models for performing economic evaluations and budget impact analyses
  • at minimum, a graduate degree in economics, mathematics, or equivalent; training in the economic evaluation of health technologies; and 1 to 2 years of experience in health services research
  • intermediate-level skills in performing health economic and/or pharmacoeconomic analyses, skills in computer-based economic and statistical modelling, and solid analytical skills.

Research Information Specialists

Research information specialists experienced in analyzing research questions and implementing literature search strategies to find and manage evidence from a range of biomedical sources. This includes:

  • at minimum, the completion of a master’s degree in library science or library and information studies (professional librarian designation) from an American Library Association–accredited university, and 3 to 5 years of experience in a health sciences library or related field
  • the ability to critically interpret research questions and translate them into search strategies for CADTH’s systematic reports and other complex projects
  • critical appraisal skills to assess study designs and retrieve relevant evidence
  • the ability to analyze information needs and select appropriate information sources and evidence.

Scientific Advisors

Scientific Advisors to provide advice on health technology evaluation methods, including protocol development, data collection, data analysis, statistical analysis, and guidance in the planning and interpretation of statistical analyses. The scientific advisor contractor will have:

  • a PhD in a health-related research methods discipline (e.g., biostatistics, epidemiology, health outcomes research, health research methods)
  • experience in health-related research (research conducted in Canada will be considered an asset)
  • a broad knowledge of and experience in the research methods used in the assessment of health technologies for reimbursement, appropriate use, and other health technology decisions
  • a broad knowledge and expertise in traditional and complex clinical trial designs and related research methods combined with extensive experience in the critical appraisal of clinical trials for pharmaceuticals
  • a broad knowledge of key methodological guidance reports and guidelines related to the conduct of syntheses of different types of evidence and the ability to apply that knowledge pragmatically and efficiently when conducting reviews.

Real-World Evidence (RWE) Data Analyst Authors

Researchers to conduct and critically appraise real-world data received from various sources for the evaluation of drugs; diagnostics; and medical, dental, and surgical devices and procedures; and to prepare reports on the findings.

Requirements include:

  • a graduate degree in a health-related discipline, or training in epidemiology and biostatistics, or pharmacy experience (for pharmaceutical topics)
  • 2 to 4 years of research experience, and experience with publications and peer-reviewed journals
  • experience in the critical appraisal of real-world data and network meta-analysis
  • an understanding of research principles and evidence-based medicine principles
  • an understanding of medical and scientific language, a clear writing style, and an ability to translate complex medical issues into easy-to-understand language.