Research Assistant, Pediatrics

at  Boston Medical Center

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Telehealth Epilepsy Care Collaborative (TECC) is seeking a Research Assistant to assist in the dissemination of grant-funded quality improvement project materials that were designed to improve mental health literacy, reduce stigma and foster resiliency in children and youth with epilepsy with comorbid mental illness served at Boston Medical Center (BMC).
Key activities include: conducting Plan-Do-Study Act cycles, maintaining databases on REDCap, performing various administrative tasks, assisting in grant preparation and progress reporting, performing literature searches, revising patient-facing materials, drafting website content, and supporting 3-5 volunteer researchers. May also assist the principal investigator with interpreting experimental results, and in preparing and writing presentation materials or manuscripts and other publication materials.

EDUCATION:

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree is required.

EXPERIENCE:

• Prefer experience in clinical research, public health experience or working with children and families.
• Previous experience with recruiting subjects, with an understanding of the ethical and technical conduct of research preferred

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Excellent English communication skills (oral and written).
• Bilingual candidate preferred, not required, fluent in spoken and written English, Spanish, and/or Haitian Creole.
• Cultural sensitivity and comfort with a wide range of social, racial and ethnic populations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (i.e. MS Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook) and web browsers. Experience with statistical software a plus.
• Must be able to maintain strict confidentiality of all personal/health sensitive information.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Completes thoroughly all standard training activities, orientation procedures, and ongoing skill development opportunities as provided by the Principal Investigator and senior research team
• Recruits subjects to participate in quality improvement projects by using approved methodologies, such as, reaching to healthcare providers for referrals, visiting clinics, sending mailouts, using approved advertisements, etc.
• Reviews the data collection forms for each assigned quality improvement project for completion and quality; checks work of junior staff performing data entry to ensure timely and accurate entry.
• Facilitates focus group and in-depth interviews with study participants with the assistance of a co-facilitator as appropriate.
• Assists in the analysis and interpretation of qualitative data collected throughout the study period.
• Trains, monitors, and provides feedback to approved BMC volunteers assisting in various elements of the project.
• Utilizes ongoing quality improvement (QI) / quality assurance (QA) methods such as fishbone diagrams, PDSA cycles, root cause analyses, etc. as needed to advance strategic objectives.
• Assist Investigators with manuscript and presentation preparation and research.