It's More Than a Career, It's a Mission.
Our people are the foundation of our success. By joining our growing team at Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI), a subsidiary of McKesson, you will have the opportunity to become part of one of the largest community-based cancer programs to advance oncology treatments and improve outcomes for cancer patients across the globe. We look for mission-driven candidates who have a desire to advance the fight against cancer and make a difference in the lives of patients diagnosed with cancer every day.
Our Mission
People who live with cancer - those who work to prevent it, fight it, and survive it - are at the heart of every decision we make. Bringing the most innovative medical minds together with the most passionate caregivers in their communities, we are transforming care and personalizing treatment. Through clinical excellence and cutting-edge research, SCRI is redefining cancer care around the world.
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The Ontology Scientist plays a vital role within SCRI's Personalized Medicine program, working closely with the Associate Director of Population Sciences. This position is responsible for curating, validating, and maintaining various ontology resources within SCRI's precision medicine software platform, Genospace. The Ontology Scientist will utilize their expertise in oncology to organize and categorize information inclusive of disease classifications, cancer drugs, and genomic variants to ensure that the knowledgebase accurately reflects the latest advancements in oncology research and treatment. This is a dynamic position that demands critical thinking, strong attention to detail, the ability to work independently, and collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams.
Duties include but are not limited to:
- Curate and maintain a comprehensive oncology knowledgebase within the Genospace production environment by systematically collecting, organizing, and updating relevant cancer ontologies related to oncogenic variants, tumor types, disease settings, and cancer drugs.
- Review and analyze information from diverse sources, including online databases, next-generation sequencing reports, scientific literature, and publicly available datasets to identify and extract key information for ontology curation.
- Classify germline and somatic variants according to the guidelines set forth by the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) for therapeutic significance, ensuring accurate and standardized classification of oncogenic variants.
- Ensure the accuracy, relevance, and currency of the knowledgebase by regularly verifying and validating the information collected and incorporating new discoveries and advancements in the field of oncology.
- Develop and implement standardized data curation protocols and quality control procedures to ensure consistency and integrity of the knowledgebase.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including personalized medicine scientists, oncologists, bioinformaticians and data scientists, to define and prioritize data requirements, and to address any data-related issues or challenges.
- Work closely with software engineers to optimize the structure, accessibility, and usability of the knowledgebase.
- Provide expert guidance and support to users of the knowledgebase by answering queries, offering scientific insights, and facilitating data requests.
- Stay abreast of the latest developments in oncology research and clinical practice, attend relevant conferences and workshops, and actively participate in professional networks.
- All other duties as assigned.
Mandatory: The following are mandatory expectations of all SCRI employees.
- Practices and adheres to the "Code of Conduct" philosophy and "Mission and Value Statement."
- During your employment with SCRI, you will be routinely assigned training requirements. You are expected to complete any training assignments by the due date.
Knowledge: A body of information needed to perform tasks; May be obtained through education, training or experience.
- Excellent knowledge of molecular biology, genetics, genomics, and biomedical research, including genomic technologies and clinical assays used for molecular analysis of patients with cancer
- Extensive knowledge of key biological signaling pathways and processes of cancer biology, especially those influencing response of targeted agents
- Detailed knowledge of ontologies relevant to clinical and molecular data
- Familiarity with medical terminology and ICD-10 diagnosis codes as well as FDA-approved therapies and clinical practice guidelines
Skills: The proficiency to perform a certain task.
- Excellent attention to detail in analyzing scientific and medical data
- Ability to process, analyze, integrate, and display different data types (e.g. clinical, molecular, etc.)
- Excellent communicator with well-developed interpersonal skills; ability to develop collaborative relationships; excellent oral, written and presentation skills
- Excellent problem solving skills
- Strong oral and written communication skills proven to be clear and appropriate for the audience
- Healthcare informatics/Bioinformatics
Abilities: An underlying, enduring trait useful for performing duties.
- Detail-oriented and highly aware of the impact of their analyses not only within a particular business area, but across the entire enterprise
- Proactive approach
- Commitment to individual and team success
- Commitment to continuous learning
Minimum Qualifications:
- Master's degree in cancer biology, pharmacology, or related; Doctorate degree highly preferred
- 3+ years of relevant experience within clinical research
- Excellent knowledge of molecular biology, genetics, genomics, and biomedical research, including genomic technologies and clinical assays used for molecular analysis of patients with cancer
- Extensive knowledge of key biological signaling pathways and processes of cancer biology, especially those influencing response of targeted agents
About Sarah Cannon Research Institute
Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI), a subsidiary of McKesson, is one of the world's leading oncology research organizations conducting community-based clinical trials. In 2022, SCRI formed a joint venture with former US Oncology Research to enhance clinical trial access and availability across the country. Focused on advancing therapies for patients over the last three decades, SCRI is a leader in drug development. It has conducted more than 600 first-in-human clinical trials since its inception and contributed to pivotal research that has led to the majority of new cancer therapies approved by the FDA today. The combined research network brings together physicians who are actively accruing patients to clinical trials at more than 250 locations in 26 states across the US. Please click here to learn more about our research offerings.
We care about the well-being of the patients and communities we serve, and that starts with caring for our people. That's why we have a Total Rewards package that includes comprehensive benefits to support physical, mental, and financial well-being. Our Total Rewards offerings serve the different needs of our diverse colleague population and ensure they are the healthiest versions of themselves. For more information regarding benefits through our parent company, McKesson, please click here .
As part of Total Rewards, we are proud to offer a competitive compensation package. This is determined by several factors, including performance, experience and skills, equity, regular job market evaluations, and geographical markets. In addition to base pay, other compensation, such as an annual bonus or long-term incentive opportunities may be offered.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.