Clinical Research Assistant

Intro to program and role:

The Briscoe research program in the Department of Neurology at Boston Children's Hospital studies how to make pediatric epilepsy care more equitable. We work alongside families to build tools that help children get the right care faster. Current projects include a proactive education program for families of infants at high risk of infantile spasms, funded by the American Epilepsy Society and the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium. We are also testing SALUD, a social needs screener for epilepsy clinics available in English and Spanish. The Clinical Research Assistant will be a full-time, central member of a small bilingual team, supporting studies from participant recruitment through data analysis and publication.

Key responsibilities:

• Coordinate study activities across several funded projects, including recruitment, scheduling, and participant tracking
• Organize and support meetings with our caregiver research partner group (English and Spanish)
• Build and manage surveys and study databases in REDCap
• Screen clinic and inpatient schedules to identify eligible patients
• Schedule, conduct, and support interviews and focus groups with families and clinicians
• Assist with qualitative coding in Dedoose and basic quantitative analysis
• Manage participant payments, study documentation, and IRB submissions and amendments
• Help prepare grant progress reports, final reports, abstracts, and manuscripts

Minimum requirements Education:

• A Bachelor's degree is required
• Professional fluency in Spanish and English is required
• Coursework or a degree in public health, psychology, sociology, education, or a related field Interest in a career in medicine, public health, or research is preferred

Experience:

• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage several projects at once
• Clear written and verbal communication with families, clinicians, and research staff
• Comfort working independently in a mostly self-directed role
• Prior experience in clinical, public health, or social science research is preferred
• Experience with REDCap, qualitative research, or focus groups is preferred
• Experience working with Spanish-speaking or other underserved communities is preferred
• Familiarity with human subjects research and IRB processes is preferred