Research Assistant

Research Assistant II

Location: Boston, MA

Schedule: 40 hours per week, hybrid/on-site

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Research Assistant II (RA2) will participate in domestic research projects under the direction of project managers, senior managers/directors and Principal Investigators. The RA2 will be responsible for supporting the management of research studies focused on substance use and infectious disease in community, clinical, and carceral settings. Specifically, the RA will implement activities as part of multi-site research study developing, testing, and optimizing an academic detailing toolkit and intervention focused on providing Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to patients in the hospital who use drugs. PrEP is a highly effective and safe medication available as pills or a long-acting injectable. Hospitalization is a reachable moment for people who use drugs (PWUD) yet hospitals rarely prescribe PrEP. The overarching goal of the project is to shift the paradigm of PrEP delivery for PWUD by integrating PrEP into routine inpatient care. In this study, we will develop, refine and pilot an inpatient PrEP academic detailing toolkit (PrEP-Talk), evaluate the effectiveness of PrEP-Talk on PrEP uptake among hospitalized PWUD, and evaluate the overall sustainability, including costs, of PrEP-Talk.

The RA2 will oversee the daily and administrative aspects of the research projects, which include interactions with study participants, research coordinators, study investigators, work study students and other research staff. Duties include but are not limited to, assisting with recruitment, scheduling study visits, administering questionnaires, creating and filing case report forms, entering and updating data, maintaining databases, running reports, and performing other administrative tasks. Administrative tasks include but may not be limited to IRB reporting and documentation, supporting grant submissions and reporting, manuscript and presentation writing, scheduling meetings, quality control, and more.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Supports administrative aspects of the research study, including managing program/participant records and handling communication needs of the program.
• Schedules meetings involving the director, departmental staff, and individuals from other agencies. Plans logistics for meetings. Prepares presentations, notices, agendas and reports related to specific projects
• Assists in data collection and provides feedback on study progress.
• Recruits subjects to participate in the study by using approved methodologies
• Conducts the enrollment of study participants, including explaining research procedures, and obtaining informed consent of subjects and/or their families, and completing randomization procedures.
• Schedules appointments of study participants; conducts reminder phone calls and/or sends mailouts.
• Reviews the data collection forms for each enrollee for completion and quality; checks work of junior staff performing data entry to ensure timely and accurate entry. Provides technical guidance to junior staff.
• Obtains and distributes participant reimbursements for participation.
• Performs administrative duties associated with the study’s safety monitor, tracking and reporting adverse events and collecting data specified by the lead site. Responsible for all other administrative duties related to research activities.
• Supports preparation and maintenance of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals and correspondence, with both the Boston Medical Center IRB, as well as the central IRB used for the multi-site trial, including amendments and renewals as necessary.
• Conducts literature searches. Assists Investigators with manuscript and presentation preparation and research.
• Provides assistance in the development of reports, presentations, and data analysis.
• Makes independent judgements of suitability of potential participants for clinical trials.
• Develops and implements participant recruitment strategies.
• Recommends changes to protocols and evaluates data.

Other ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITIES:

• Uses reference database software (e.g., Reference Manager) to incorporate and edit references into grants and manuscripts as needed
• Records and distributes minutes at research- and clinical-oriented meetings
• Supports coordination process of research grant submissions as needed
• Prepares narratives, budgets and tables as necessary
• Assists with reporting to NIH and other government agencies
• Maintains and updates Supervisors CVs, bibliographies, and related documents as needed

OTHER DUTIES:

• Training and orienting new research assistants and other staff

The above statements in this job description are intended to depict the general nature and level of work assigned to the employee(s) in this job. The above is not intended to represent an exhaustive list of accountable duties and responsibilities required.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor's degree in related discipline is required. Master's degree a plus.

EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's requires 1+ years of experience in research or clinical program activities.
• Master's degree, no work experience required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of medical terminology required.
• Experience with recruiting subjects, with an understanding of the ethical and technical conduct of research.
• Excellent English communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills.
• Cultural sensitivity and comfort with a wide range of social, racial and ethnic populations.
• Excellent interpersonal skills needed to work with human subjects.
• Bilingual or multi-lingual skills (beyond that of English) appropriate to the patient population served is a plus. Cultural sensitivity and comfort with a wide range of social, racial and ethnic populations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, and Access and PowerPoint.
• Ability to perform basic data management tasks (coding, data entry, data cleaning, retrieval). Experience with statistical analysis tools a plus.
• Analytical skill and ability to resolve technical problems and interpret acceptability of data results.
• Experience using quantitative data analysis software helpful (e.g., SPSS, SAS, Minitab).

This position is grant funded through April 2027. There may be opportunity beyond this grant funding for position integration into ongoing operations.

JOB BENEFITS:

• Competitive pay
• Tuition reimbursement and tuition remission programs
• Highly subsidized medical, dental, and vision insurance options
• Career Advancement/Professional Development: Access a wealth of ongoing training and development opportunities that will not only enhance your skills but also expand your knowledge base especially for individuals pursuing careers in medicine or biomedical research.
• Pioneering Research: Engage in groundbreaking research projects that are driving the forefront of biomedical science.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT:

As the primary teaching hospital for Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and BU schools of public health and dentistry, intellectual rigor shapes our inquiries. Our research is led by a belief that skin color, zip code, and financial circumstances shouldn’t dictate health.

Boston Medical Center is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. If you need accommodation for any part of the application process because of a medical condition or disability, please send an e-mail to View email address on click.appcast.io or call View phone number on click.appcast.io to let us know the nature of your request.

Compensation Range: $18.27- $25.72

This range offers an estimate based on the minimum job qualifications. However, our approach to determining base pay is comprehensive, and a broad range of factors is considered when making an offer. This includes education, experience, skills, and certifications/licensures as they directly relate to position requirements; as well as business/organizational needs, internal equity, and market-competitiveness. In addition, BMCHS offers generous total compensation that includes, but is not limited to, benefits (medical, dental, vision, pharmacy), discretionary annual bonuses and merit increases, Flexible Spending Accounts, 403(b) savings matches, paid time off, career advancement opportunities, and resources to support employee and family well-being.

NOTE: This range is based on Boston-area data, and is subject to modification based on geographic location.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Disabled/Veterans

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