[Hiring] Summer Research Fellow (PhD or Postdoctoral Summer Fellow Role) – Youth Mental Health Tracker @Surgo Health

Role Description

We are inviting applications for a Summer Research Fellow to join Surgo Health’s Youth Mental Health Tracker Initiative. This role is ideal for researchers who are excited to go beyond descriptive analysis and generate novel, high-impact, and actionable insights into the drivers of youth mental health.

As a Fellow, you will design and execute an independent research project using Surgo’s proprietary data and analytic infrastructure, with the goal of producing work that is policy-relevant, intervention-oriented, fundable, and publication-ready. You will work in close collaboration with Surgo’s research team, while maintaining academic independence in your work.

Applications must include a short concept note (3–5 pages) outlining your proposed research question, methods, and expected impact. Applications submitted without a proposal will not be considered.

What you’ll achieve:

• Develop a novel research study identifying actionable drivers of youth mental health
• Produce publication-quality research suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed journal
• Generate funder-ready and policy-relevant outputs that inform real-world decision-making
• Translate complex data into clear insights for policymakers, healthcare systems, and community organizations
• Contribute to Surgo Health’s growing portfolio of intervention-oriented research and thought leadership

We are particularly interested in proposals that explore:

• Policy and public systems (e.g., Medicaid, school-based services, telehealth, crisis systems)
• Social connectedness and community-level risk and protective factors
• Digital environments and their impact on youth mental health
• Structural drivers (e.g., economic insecurity, access to care, service deserts)
• Political and civic climate effects
• Targeted subgroup vulnerability (e.g., rural youth, boys/young men, marginalized communities)
• Early-warning signals and prevention opportunities

• Design and execute a research project using the Youth Mental Health Tracker dataset and, where relevant, external datasets (e.g., NSDUH, ACS, policy datasets)
• Identify novel mechanisms, risk levers, or protective factors that can inform intervention
• Articulate clear intervention pathways and decision-making use cases
• Develop outputs tailored to multiple audiences, including academic, policy, and funder stakeholders
• Collaborate with Surgo’s research scientists for methodological guidance and translational framing
• One submission-ready manuscript for a peer-reviewed journal
• One funder-ready research brief or concept memo
• One policy-facing summary or insight brief
• Clear, actionable recommendations for decision-makers

Qualifications

• PhD candidate, postdoctoral researcher, or early-career researcher in a relevant field (e.g., public health, economics, sociology, psychology, data science)
• Strong experience in quantitative analysis and working with complex datasets
• Demonstrated ability to produce rigorous, publication-quality research
• Interest in translating research into real-world impact and decision-making
• Experience or interest in youth mental health, public systems, or social determinants of health

Requirements

• Location: This role is remote friendly
• Travel: No travel expected

Benefits

• This fellowship is funded at $6,000 upon successful completion.
• Access to Surgo Health’s Youth Mental Health Tracker dataset and analytic infrastructure
• Methodological and analytic support from Surgo’s research team
• Guidance on funder positioning and grant development
• Support for publication and co-authorship (where applicable)
• Fellows will retain academic independence while benefiting from Surgo’s translational and strategic support.