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Advertising Summary: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU’s sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education.

Unit: School Of Medicine MBU

Department: Pediatrics

Duties & Responsibilities:

VCU's Department of Pediatrics invites all interested candidates to apply for our exciting Research Assistant position! At VCU, we Make it Real through learning, research, creativity, service and discovery - the hallmarks of the VCU experience. A premier, urban, public research university nationally recognized as one of the best employers, VCU is a great place to work. It's a place of opportunity, where your success is supported, and your career can thrive.

Position Primary Purpose and General Responsibilities

VCU's Department of Pediatrics invites all interested candidates to apply for our exciting Research Assistant position. Research Assistants perform a variety of routine, non-technical duties in assisting technical and professional personnel in a research clinical setting.

The Research Assistant will be expected to perform most components of data collection from human-subject volunteers required for multiple bio-behavioral and brain imaging research studies. The current position is to help us with data analysis on completed studies and subject recruitment and scheduling for active studies. The general responsibilities of this role are as follows:

Subject Recruitment - Participant/research subject recruitment, including placement of IRB-approved materials and media advertisements about research studies being conducted in the department, as well as collection and computer entry of responses and information furnished by potential research volunteers contacting the lab by phone, web or other means to identify possible participants. Scheduling of participants within protocol specific time frames.

Participant Consenting - Collection of informed consent and/or assent and permission from research volunteers, including describing the study to research participant candidates in simple language, and overseeing the signing of consent and assent forms.

Data Collection - Biological data collection, including collection and testing of urine and blood, saliva, and hair samples.  Data collection from neuro-imaging studies will also be required, as well as vagal stimulation studies both from stimulating and recording devices for heart rate variability analysis. 

Psychometric data collection, including administration, collection and scoring of paper-and-pencil or computer-driven questionnaires, as well as administration and recording of computer-driven cognitive performance tasks.

Maintain Study Data - Accurate and secure transmission and storage of study data, including to centralized databases or to physically secured case report forms for industry-sponsored clinical trials.

Participant Management - Accurate calculation of subject compensation. As part of the assessment, the employee will be expected to coordinate a busy study visit for the subjects, including escorting research volunteers to and from the different tasks and testing rooms and waiting rooms of the research facility

Other duties assigned by Lead Clinical Research Coordinator or Principal Investigator. Most work is done on-site with potentially some work done remotely.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's of Science degree or equivalent in any of the science subspecialties or psychology.
• Proficient in computer skills including word processing, data entry, spreadsheet, database management, and entry level statistical/programming skills required.
• Strong interpersonal skills such as establishing rapport, maintaining participant motivation, empathic responding, ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team, and ability to use clinical judgment in (rare) emergency situations.
• Strong organizational skills, including understanding of HIPAA regulations.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience conducting research in pediatric or adolescent populations.
• Experience recruiting, consenting, and carrying out study procedures with adult and youth participants
• Qualitative research experience, including data collection, coding, analysis
• Experience administering surveys in REDCap
• Experience in conducting mental health surveys with adults and youth
• Experience collecting biospecimens from research participants, including hair, saliva, blood, and urine
• Experience in mentoring and training student research trainees, incorporating them into research teams

Salary Range: Commensurate with Experience (up to $55,000)

Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

FLSA Exemption Status: Non-Exempt

Hours per Week: 40

Restricted Position: Yes

ORP Eligible: No

Flexible Work Arrangement: Hybrid

University Job Title: Clinical Research Assistant 1-3 (34001N, 34002N, 34003N)

Contact Name: Jewel Jefferson

Contact Email: jewel.jefferson@vcuhealth.org