Project Ice Storm
& The Iowa Flood Study
The effects of prenatal maternal stress on the developing child
Suzanne King, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator)

Seeking Full-Time Statistician or Post-Doc
Douglas Institute of McGill University, Montreal

We are seeking to hire a full-time statistician holding at least a Master’s Degree with a background in health research; this position could also be held by a post-doctoral fellow with strong statistical skills. The candidate will work on data sets from two Canadian Institute of Health Research projects exploring the effects of prenatal maternal stress on pregnancy outcomes and child development. Project Ice Storm has data from 120 families spanning 11 years. The Iowa Flood Study is a longitudinal study of 300 families begun in the summer of 2008. The successful candidate will assist the principal investigators in planning and executing higher order statistical models preferably using SPSS and in preparing presentations and scientific manuscripts. Experience using Mixed-Effects Regression Models is a bonus. A working knowledge of French is beneficial but not essential. Compensation will be based on education and experience and will be in line with recommendations established by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

BACKGROUND: Six months following the January 1998 Ice Storm, we started Project Ice Storm: a longitudinal study of the effect of prenatal maternal stress on pregnancy, birth outcomes, and subsequent child development. Our findings indicate that mothers who experienced moderate-to-high levels of stress during their pregnancies reported having more obstetric complications, had babies who were lighter and born earlier than mothers who experienced lower levels of prenatal stress. When the children were 2, 5½, and 8½ ¬¬¬years of age, we assessed their intellectual and language abilities and found that children of mothers who experienced high levels of prenatal stress performed poorer on both measures. We are presently collecting behaviour and magnetic resonance imaging data when the children are 11½ years of age. We have recently started collecting data on a new cohort of mothers and children where the vast majority of the mothers were pregnant at the time of the 2008 Iowa floods in conjunction with a colleague at the University of Iowa (Dr. Michael O’Hara). The mothers and children will undergo similar evaluations as the Project Ice Storm cohort.

The Douglas Mental Health University Institute has been recognized as a "model centre" by the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec. It is the largest research institute of the kind in Quebec, and one of the most dynamic partners in Quebec's mental health care network. The institute consists of 50 full-time scientists and clinician-researchers, 190 trainees, and has an annual budget of $17 million, 85% of which highly competitive national and international funding agencies.

Internet sites: http://www.mcgill.ca/projetverglas and http://www.douglasrecherche.qc.ca

Please send your curriculum vita and cover letter by June 30, 2010 to:

David P. Laplante, Ph.D. (Research Associate)
Douglas Mental Health University Institute
Psychosocial Research Unit
6875 LaSalle Blvd.
Verdun, Québec H4H 1R3
Fax: (514) 762-3049.
Email: david.laplante@douglas.mcgill.ca

For more information, please contact Dr. Laplante at david.laplante@douglas.mcgill.ca.

This position has been filled.
- Suzanne King