Research Assistant

Starting salary: $43,892 (GS-5) to $54,370 (GS-7) + benefits, depending on education and experience and locality

Position Summary

Under the supervision of the Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC) Principal Investigator, Kelly Vranas, MD, the Research Assistant provides support to the research team and other principal investigators on multiple projects intended to advance the scientific understanding of issues related to common and important health care problems and conditions that affect Veterans. Current ongoing projects are related to Veteran-centric care and strategies to enhance Veteran-clinician collaboration, including research studies to develop smoking cessation interventions for patients with and at risk of lung cancer and to identify best practices for improving family-centered care in the Intensive Care Unit.

Responsibilities

The Research Assistant will perform a variety of tasks for the team. The employee’s primary responsibilities will be to support project objectives. Tasks will be commensurate with training and experience and may include any/or all the following:

• Screening of medical records for determination of eligibility
• Mailing of surveys, and/or calling participants
• Entering data from collected surveys
• Communicating with research participants about study procedures and requirements
• Managing participant databases and tracking of enrollment
• Facilitating participant reimbursement or compensation
• Assisting with Institutional Review Board approvals and data requests
• Helping with grant and report preparation
• Completing additional administrative tasks to support projects

Experience and Qualifications

Required Skills (address these in your Cover Letter or discuss transferrable skills)

• Bachelor’s degree
• Experience with research as an undergraduate or in a research setting – Or similar work experience, but in your Cover Letter, please address how your skills are transferrable
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral)
• Strong organizational skills and be able to attend to numerous details and multitask efficiently
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Strong computer skills and experience with Microsoft Office Suite database software such as Word, Outlook, and Excel
• Commitment to contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment – Consider addressing in your Cover Letter any experience working with diverse populations
• Must be a US citizen (US Federal Government-funded position)

Additional Skills (preferred, but not required to apply)

• Knowledge of medical terminology
• Experience using data management systems and/or electronic health records
• Experience in health services research or other health setting – Can include in your Cover Letter how prior work in a health care setting is transferrable in a research setting
• Basic project management skills
• Experience coordinating regulatory paperwork for human subjects research
• Experience writing and preparing reports

This position is eligible for early, late, or compressed work schedules, a transit pass if applicable, as well as paid vacation, sick leave, and a range of healthcare and retirement benefits.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation or expression, or any other characteristic protected by law. The Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC) is committed to sustaining a workforce that supports the professional growth of all people regardless of identities or expressions.

Within CIVIC and the broader VA and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) communities, there are many opportunities for continuing education, didactic and training related to a broad variety of topics. Such opportunities include OHSU Departmental Grand Rounds or larger events, research in progress meetings, CIVIC conferences, analyst drop-in sessions, qualitative forums, and more.

Please do your best to be comprehensive with your experience and education. This is a federal resume so it’s okay for it to be long. See the following for more guidance on writing a federal resume: USAJOBS Help Center | What should I include in my federal resume?