Mental Health Research Screener

at  Vitalief

WHY VITALIEF?

Vitalief is an innovative Healthcare consulting company, focused on empowering Research and transforming Clinical Trials. We are seeking a talented Mental Health Research Screener (Interviewer) to join our exceptional team (as full-time, fully benefited employees) to support our clients’ successful planning and execution of research and clinical trials.

Required Skills:

• Master’s Degree in a relevant science (i.e., psychology, public health) plus 2 years of related experience.
• Experience in mental health and interacting with and interviewing patients with Schizophrenia, bipolar or OCD in a clinical setting OR for a clinical study.
• Bilingual (English/native Spanish) speaking.
• Experience interacting with the diverse ethnic communities in New Jersey.
• Must being willing to accommodate a flexible work schedule and have access to personal transportation frequently commuting to different communities across Newark, New Brunswick and Piscataway NJ areas to conduct field activities and recruit subjects, then schedule time in office to interview subjects which will require occasional evening and weekend work.
• Good communication skills, both oral and written are mandatory.
• Demonstrated organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks.
• Ability to attend to detail, think logically and critically evaluate and solve problems

Preferred Skills:

• Pre-existing community relationships and/or ties with groups who face additional barriers accessing healthcare and social services, and/or have demonstrated such expertise in a similar setting in past professional activities.
• Clinical Research Experience
• Phlebotomy certification, or willingness to take phlebotomy training course.
• CHES® and/or MCHES® certification

Under the direction of the Director of the Center for Genomics of Psychiatric Health & Addiction (CGPHA), the interviewer responsible for the conduct of representative studies of persons with psychiatric illness and those with no mental health diagnosis, including recruitment and enrollment of participants from diverse ethnic communities through administration of screening and clinical diagnostic instruments and surveys. Current funded research studies focus on the enrollment of minorities under-represented in research, in particular those of Latinx and African ancestry.

• Participates as part of the enrollment team to conducting diagnostic validity and reliability standards for the use of diagnostic instruments including the DIPAD.
• Performs semi-structured diagnostic interviews relevant to ongoing investigatory activities of the CGPHA.
• Independently follows research protocols including administering study consent, study diagnostic instruments, providing compensation to participants and recording all data in the study database.
• Assists with instructing and training of lower-level study raters, recruiters and phlebotomists to develop the skills necessary to perform the required functions.
• Records all data in the study database and performs the necessary Q/C for data in the study database.
• Participates in and leads both on-site and off-site community engagement and study recruitment activities and will maintain and/or develop networking and community relationships.
• Designs recruitment activities to maximize access to potential participants, which may involve irregular work scheduling to match community needs and availability, requiring occasional evening and weekend work and off-site local travel.
• Keeps abreast of all pertinent federal, state and client compliance standards.

Required Skills:

• Master’s Degree in a relevant science (i.e., psychology, public health) plus 2 years of related experience.
• Experience in mental health and interacting with and interviewing patients with Schizophrenia, bipolar or OCD in a clinical setting OR for a clinical study.
• Bilingual (English/native Spanish) speaking.
• Experience interacting with the diverse ethnic communities in New Jersey.
• Must being willing to accommodate a flexible work schedule and have access to personal transportation frequently commuting to different communities across Newark, New Brunswick and Piscataway NJ areas to conduct field activities and recruit subjects, then schedule time in office to interview subjects which will require occasional evening and weekend work.
• Good communication skills, both oral and written are mandatory.
• Demonstrated organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks.
• Ability to attend to detail, think logically and critically evaluate and solve problems.

Preferred Skills:

• Pre-existing community relationships and/or ties with groups who face additional barriers accessing healthcare and social services, and/or have demonstrated such expertise in a similar setting in past professional activities.
• Clinical Research Experience
• Phlebotomy certification, or willingness to take phlebotomy training course.
• CHES® and/or MCHES® certification.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Standing, sitting, walking, visual perception, talking and hearing. Ability to travel to local sites in Newark NJ and surrounding areas. Lifting up to 25lbs.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Vitalief partners with clients such as major medical centers and academic institutions that requires all on-site resources such as prospective Vitalief consultants to be inoculated annually for Influenza and successfully pass a Mantoux Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) for Mycobacterium Tuberculosis.