Postdoctoral Fellow at PurposeMed

Canada

About us: PurposeMed is a Canadian-founded healthtech company established in 2019 with a mission to improve access to complex care for underserved communities. We’ve combined our clinical roots with a drive to scale, and now our exceptional team provides specialized care to thousands of patients every month. PurposeMed consists of three complex care business units: Freddie, Frida, and Foria, and partners with Affirming Care Pharmacy. Freddie improves sexual health through education, prevention, and treatment with a focus on the LGBTQ2S+ community. As the #1 rated PrEP provider in North America, we’re proudly dismantling barriers to sexual healthcare for patients across both Canada and the USA. Frida transforms the lives of patients through easier access to adult ADHD diagnosis and fast, affordable treatment. Foria provides trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse Canadians with specialized, gender-affirming healthcare. Affirming Care Pharmacy provides discreet, specialty prescription delivery across North America. Operating from Calgary, Mississauga, Toronto, and San Antonio, they provide our patients with an integrated, end-to-end healthcare experience. We are proud to be ranked #2 on Deloitte’s 2024 list of Canada’s 50 fastest-growing tech companies and recognized as one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures for two consecutive years. Driven by a strong mission, our team is passionate about making healthcare accessible to those who need it most—and we make sure to have fun along the way! 1-2 years, full time (fixed term opportunity) Location - Remote (Canada) Though we have an office based in Calgary, this is a remote position that is open to candidates across Canada. PurposeMed's office is located on the unceded and traditional territories of the peoples of the Treaty 7 region which includes the nations of the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Îethka Stoney Nakoda which consists of the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Good Stoney Bands, and people of the Tsuut’ina First Nation. The city of Calgary is also homeland to the historic Northwest Métis and to the Otipemisiwak Métis government, Métis Nation Battle River Territory, Nose Hill Métis District 5 and Elbow Métis District 6. Who we hope to find: This 1–2 year fellowship is designed explicitly as a transition-to-industry opportunity. It bridges the gap between academic training and real-world application in digital health, clinical operations, and business analytics, while maintaining the academic rigour and publication support expected of a postdoctoral position. The Fellow will be formally affiliated with the University of Calgary and embedded within PurposeMed’s Data and Analytics team. This dual structure offers a rare professional advantage: a named academic home combined with direct industry immersion. Most uniquely, you will be supported by a three-person supervisory triad—academic, clinical, and technical—ensuring you grow in all three dimensions simultaneously through the mentorship of Dr. Ranjani Somayaji (U of C), Dr. Caley Shukalek (CMO), and our Director of Data Science. In this role, you’ll make an impact by: Elevating Patient Care & Health Equity Applying biostatistical methods including regression analyses, ROC curves, risk scoring, and survival analysis to real-world healthcare datasets Partnering with clinical, operations, and product teams to design and conduct analyses that drive decision-making and improve patient outcomes Participating in patient communication initiatives that make analytical findings accessible to the communities PurposeMed serves Bridging Data Rigor and Business Strategy Translating complex statistical insights into actionable recommendations for clinical, ops, and leadership teams Collaborating in the development, validation, and communication of metrics and KPIs for clinical, operational, and business performance Collaborating with PurposeMed's data engineering team to extract, manage, and transform data from cloud-based healthcare data warehouses Advancing Academic Research & Partnerships Contributing to peer-reviewed publications, white papers, and conference presentations in collaboration with Dr. Somayaji Collaborating with government agencies, non-profits, and community partners, including HIV CTN-affiliated organizations, on joint research initiatives Receiving structured mentorship in business analytics, product decision-making, and applied healthcare data science We need someone who has: A PhD in Biostatistics, Statistics, Epidemiology, or a closely related quantitative field (conferred or imminent, ABD candidates with a confirmed defense timeline are welcome to apply) Demonstrated experience with advanced statistical analyses: regression modeling (linear, logistic, mixed-effects), ROC curves, risk score development and validation, survival analysis (Kaplan-Meier, Cox proportional hazards) Proficiency in R, including tidyverse and statistical modeling packages Production-quality coding Working knowledge of SQL for querying healthcare data warehouses Excellent written and verbal communication skills and is able to present findings to clinical, operational, and non-technical audiences A proven ability to work independently and collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams It would also be great if you have: Experience using Python (pandas, scikit-learn, statsmodels) Familiarity with cloud data warehouses (Snowflake, BigQuery, or Redshift) and version control (Git) Prior experience with real-world healthcare or clinical research datasets, particularly those with missingness, selection bias, or irregular observation times Exposure to BI tools (Looker, Tableau, Power BI) or R dashboard frameworks (Shiny, flexdashboard) Awareness of dbt or similar data transformation frameworks An interest in or prior experience with LGBTQ+ health, HIV/sexual health, gender-affirming care, or chronic disease management A prior connection to the HIV CTN, Alberta Innovates, University of Calgary research networks, or Dr. Somayaji's research group Compensation: $80,000 CAD a year Please note that this role will be hired through the University of Calgary which provides a benefits package. This role will be contracted to PurposeMed and will not be eligible for the benefits listed below. Do you think you could be our next Postdoctoral Fellow? We look forward to seeing your application! #LI-Remote Why you should join us: Be part of a team of great people who don’t take themselves too seriously. While we’re serious about the problems we solve, we believe in having fun along the way. Make an impact, every single day. We’re providing compassionate, affirming care to many people who have never received the proper support before. Be confident in bringing your whole self to work. Inclusivity is core to how we take care of our patients, our teammates, and ourselves. We create spaces that are safe and affirming. What we’re offering (based on full-time, permanent roles in Canada): Work/life flexibility and time off: Work flexibly within a team that’s remote friendly; we believe that work should fit around your life* 20 vacation days and a team that will remind you to use them! Annual winter break closure Care for your physical and mental health: Extended medical, dental, and vision care starting on your first day of work! 8 wellness days $500 health and wellness spending account $2,000 mental health coverage with additional free online counseling through Inkblot Therapy and FeelingBetterNow mental health assessments $20,000 of lifetime coverage for gender-affirming care and procedures Investment in your learning and growth: $500 learning fund to use towards courses and other professional development Our unique People Potential program, in which you'll partner with your manager to identify opportunities to grow and achieve your full potential Family care: $3,400 lifetime coverage for fertility drugs Parental leave program for birthing and non-birthing parents–your choice of: Short term: 4 weeks off to use flexibly in your first year of parenting Long-term: 13 weeks EI top-up Eligible team members and their dependents** also receive no-cost access to PurposeMed’s services: Freddie: PrEP assessment and follow-up appointments Frida: ADHD assessment Foria: Gender-affirming care services If you are looking for a place that sparks your creativity, helps others, and will push you to be your best, then you’ll love PurposeMed. PurposeMed is committed to being an equal-opportunity employer, and we highly encourage those from excluded and marginalized communities to apply. This includes groups such as (but not limited to): Indigenous, Black, and racialized communities, trans and non-binary, LGBTQ2S+, disabled, and HIV-positive people. You don’t have to check every single box above. If the job description gets you excited and you think you could contribute your expertise to our team—we hope you’ll apply! *Most of our roles are performed virtually from home across Canada and the USA. Team members working onsite at Affirming Care pharmacies do need to be physically present. **Permanent team members (employees) and their dependents are eligible, however, the person receiving the assessment must live in a province or state in which Freddie, Frida, or Foria operates, and be over the age of 18. Additional restrictions apply.