Staff researcher - NLP expert

To an increasing extent, the Medicine for People with an Intellectual Disability (GMVB) research group analyzes textual data from the client files of people with an intellectual disability. Therefore, Carmenda is looking for a driven data scientist with experience in natural language processing (NLP), such as applying BERT models, spaCy, etc., to join our research team.

This position offers a unique combination of social impact, scientific research, and innovative algorithm development.

You will analyze various textual datasets originating from general practitioner information systems and electronic client files from healthcare organizations for people with an intellectual disability. With this, you contribute to gaining more insight into their care needs and to improving healthcare delivery.

Examples of research questions within Carmenda are:

• How do healthcare organizations for people with an intellectual disability record viral respiratory infections such as influenza and COVID-19 in their files, and how can we signal these at an early stage?
• How can we recognize swallowing problems in client files of people with an intellectual disability so that choking incidents can be prevented?
• Which characteristics in client files of people with an intellectual disability and a complex care need (care profile VG7 or VG7-plus) indicate that the care provided may not be appropriate?

In collaboration with subject matter experts, you will contribute to answering these research questions. Additionally, together with the Data and Technology Team, you will develop algorithms with which unstructured textual reports can be analyzed.

The exact scope of the assignment will be shaped in consultation, depending on the status of the research projects, the available data, and the knowledge, experience, and affinity of the candidate.

Your duties consist of

• Performing NLP analyses.
• Developing and fine-tuning specialized AI algorithms.
• Developing production-grade software with which the effectiveness of the algorithms can be demonstrated, in collaboration with the Data and Technology Team, and publishing this software on our GitHub.
• Supporting other researchers who are working on textual data analysis issues.
• Cleaning textual research data.
• Where necessary, in collaboration with the research team, drafting research protocols and ensuring pre-registration.
• Reporting results in (draft) scientific articles.
• Ensuring thorough archiving of research data in the Radboud Data Repository (RDR).
• Collaborating with co-researchers with an intellectual disability in the interpretation of results and communication about them, for example in the form of summaries in easy-to-understand language.

Within the Department of Primary Care at Radboudumc, the Medicine for People with an Intellectual Disability (GMVB) research group works together with six healthcare organizations for people with an intellectual disability within the academic workshop Sterker op eigen benen. Carmenda was created from this collaboration.

Carmenda focuses on improving the possibilities of using routinely collected care data for research into the health and care of people with an intellectual disability. Our activities include making data available for research, conducting scientific research, and organizing the necessary preconditions for responsible data use.

Additionally, we develop innovative digital solutions for healthcare organizations and researchers that enable secure secondary use of care data in long-term care. In this way, we contribute to better care, more knowledge about this target group, and a stronger data infrastructure for research.

Carmenda is funded by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS).

The Department of Primary Care
Primary Care is at the forefront of shaping integrated care in the fields of education, training, research, and patient care. Together with others, we work on people-centered, viable, and sustainable solutions for important issues surrounding the care of tomorrow and on the lasting employability of our (healthcare) professionals.

Our mission: 'We develop the medical-generalist care of the future'

The department consists of the units for research, education, training (for general practitioners, geriatricians, addiction physicians, occupational physicians, and insurance physicians), and patient care. More than 360 primary care professionals work across these units on the development of medical-generalist care. Thus, our department is the home for medical professionals, teachers, trainers, and researchers in primary care.

The department has a culture of low-threshold inspiration, pioneering, development, and connection that is characteristic of ELG and that we also ask of our employees. Integrated care, the unsiloing of care, is a priority for our department. We see this in our intensive collaboration with local, regional, and national partners and networks, both within and outside the hospital. This primary care synergy forms the basis for the continuation of our tradition of pioneering and further development of knowledge regarding primary care.

• An assessment may possibly be part of this application procedure
• A Certificate of Conduct (VOG) is required for this position.

We are recruiting for this vacancy ourselves. We do not appreciate acquisition; however, sharing within your network is welcome.