phd wet lab doing postdoc in biostats/epi?

[Surgical FMG]

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hi.
im enquiring this on behalf of my wife

she is currently completing her phd from NUS, Singapore, one of the top 50 universities in the world, 3rd in Asia behind Uni of Tokyo and HK. (The Times)

stats:
Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (2nd upper class honors) GPA 4.25/5)
PhD Student (NUS Graduate School scholarship 4yrs)
- under MD/PHD supervisor
- completed 32 modular credits
- 1 first-author publication in "tier-1" journal (impact factor 4.6)
- 2 first-author papers in draft, aiming for "tier 1" journals
- currently completing 1-yr exchange in a top lab in Rochester NY

thing is, she's a little sick of biomedical research, "wet" benchtop research stuff, dont intend on going into academia as well

she's thinking of going into clinical research or biostat/epidemiology

just wondering if its ever possible to attain a post-doctoral fellow or position in a clinical research center / department in the hospital, doing biostats/epidemiology work for them, or in a place that does outcomes research.

presumably the work-life balance will prbably be better as well, hence the attraction.

any comments or advice?

 

[Stories]

Without any formal training in any of those settings, I would say that the chance of getting a post-doc is next to zero. If she were to supplement her current training with a MS/MPH or other fellowship then she could definitely get a epi or clinical research post-doc.

PIs want to hire someone who has the appropriate skill base to build a research portfolio. They don't want to train someone from scratch.

 

[MolBio]

hi.
she is currently completing her phd from NUS, Singapore, one of the top 50 universities in the world, 3rd in Asia behind Uni of Tokyo and HK. (The Times)
...
just wondering if its ever possible to attain a post-doctoral fellow or position in a clinical research center / department in the hospital, doing biostats/epidemiology work for them, or in a place that does outcomes research.

I'm not aware of any mechanism that would fit your wife's specific circumstances. For a non-US applicant it is difficult to get a postdoc in any discipline without a strong experience and training match.

One option for US citizens who have completed (or are imminently about to complete) their PhD in a wet lab doing health-related biomedical research, especially that has any relation to cancer: the national cancer institute has a competitive fellowship program that allows you to get an MPH as part of your post-doc. The program pays for the MPH and your stipend. Seems like a great way to transition into public health from wet lab and get your foot in the NIH door as well.

Information on the program can be found here:
http://www3.cancer.gov/prevention/pob/