Society for Medical Decision Making

Learn about the ins and outs of the academic job market from recent candidates with diverse trajectories and backgrounds in medical decision making. Panelists will share their expertise and experiences, providing valuable insights into the academic job search process. Participants will be able to ask questions and engage in a dynamic conversation about current trends, challenges, and opportunities in academia.

This event is designed for and open to all graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career academics who are SMDM members. This event focuses predominantly on the North American job market. However, we welcome the participation of all trainees, regardless of geographic background or focus.

Panelists Include:

Natalie Smith
United States

Current title: Research Associate at the Harvard School of Public Health in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Future title: Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health in the Department of Health Policy and Management

Dr. Smith's work aims to advance public health by generating tools and evidence to inform program and policy decision-making. Her research program emphasizes applying a variety of decision science methods such as stated preference methods, economic evaluation, simulation modeling, and other decision analysis approaches.

Haoyang Yan, PhD
United States

Current affiliation: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Medical Social Sciences, senior research associate

Future affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, assistant professor

Short bio Haoyang Yan received her PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Michigan and Bachelor's degrees in Economics and Psychology from the University of Iowa. Her research focuses on real-life difficult decisions and interventions for making more effective decisions, including parental tracheostomy and end-of-life care decisions for critically ill children, decisions to learn genomic findings with limited medical actionability. In 2023, she received an NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00) to develop and test a behavioral intervention to promote uptake of genetic counseling and testing for people with a family history of Lynch syndrome.