Graduate Student Assistant - Substance and Addiction Prevention

The Substance and Addiction Prevention Branch (SAPB) aims to reduce individual, social, and environmental harms caused by substance-related and addictive disorders through research-driven prevention, education, and treatment in California. The Overdose Prevention Initiative (OPI) works on the complex and changing nature of the drug overdose epidemic through prevention and research activities. OPI collects and shares data on fatal and non-fatal drug-related overdoses, drug-related overdose risk factors, prescriptions, and substance use. Through state and local partnerships, OPI supports substance use prevention programs, harm reduction tools and strategies, public awareness and education, and safe and effective prescribing and treatment practices.

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The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is seeking to hire a Graduate Student Assistant (GSA) to work in a hybrid capacity with both remote work and work completed at the Sacramento County Coroner’s office. Working u nder the close supervision and in a training capacity of the California Department of Public Health, Substance and Addiction Prevention Branch (SAPB), Epidemiology and Evaluation Unit. The GSA will be working with the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) team, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). SUDORS is a critical part of California’s fatal drug-related overdose surveillance. The GSA will abstract data from coroner, toxicology, and autopsy reports and enter this data into CDC’s secure cloud-based platform for the purpose of understanding the circumstances surrounding unintentional and undetermined overdose deaths.

This position is for Graduate Students only.

Conditions of Employment

This is a part-time, temporary, non-benefited, student position. Employment in all positions with University Enterprises, Inc. is dependent upon the mutual consent of University Enterprises, Inc. and the employee. This means that either University Enterprises, Inc. or the employee can, at any time, terminate the employment relationship at will, with or without cause.

Depending on the type of position you are applying for, a pre-employment background check consisting of one or more of the following may be conducted: employment history, professional references, criminal check: educational verification (degree, license, or official transcript) or DMV clearance. Applicants will be required to pass required pre-employment checks to the satisfaction of University Enterprises, Inc. (UEI) and the hiring Agency or Department.

UEI does not allow students to hold more than one UEI Job at a time, or work in more than one account per pay period. UEI employees who are considering leaving their current UEI student assistant position for a different UEI student assistant position should inform their supervisor in writing and provide at least a week’s notice.

UEI is not a multi-state employer. UEI only employs candidates who live and work in the state of California. If selected for the position you must reside in California and all work must be performed in the state of California throughout the course of employment.

Prerequisites

Must be a Graduate student attending classes during the regular term (fall, spring, and winter, if applicable) at a college or university.

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Graduate students must be enrolled in at least: four-semester units or six quarter units. Incoming graduate students are eligible and encouraged to apply.

Graduate students declared major must match the major(s) listed in the job posting.

Majors/Fields of Study

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biological Science, Criminal Justice, Health Science, Economics, Education, English, Humanities, Interdisciplinary Studies, Liberal Studies, Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, Psychology, Nursing, Social Science, Social Work, Sociology, or Public Health.

Work Schedule

F lexible workdays and work hours, Monday – Friday, between 8 AM – 5 PM. The final work schedule will be determined by the supervisor.

Additional Work Schedule

Graduate Assistant employees generally work up to 24 hours per workweek (Sunday – Saturday) during the academic year and up to 40 hours per workweek during breaks; (winter, spring, and summer).

Compensation

$20.50 - $24.00 per hour.

Minimum Qualifications

• Must be enrolled as a Graduate Student.
• Must be comfortable working with sensitive death-related data.
• Must be well organized with the ability to work independently to accomplish assigned tasks accurately and by established deadlines.
• Experienced with using Microsoft Excel and Word.
• Must have access to a computer, reliable internet, and a secure work space.
Must be able to perform in-person work at the Sacramento coroner's office.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience w ith data abstraction or data entry.
Individuals who are, or have been, a dependent child in foster care, a homeless youth or a formerly incarcerated youth as defined by Government Code section 18220 are encouraged to apply and will be given priority. Please note that prior to appointment, individuals claiming preference under one of these categories will be required to furnish documentation establishing their eligibility.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Participate as a member of the SUDORS team.
• Attend training on SUDORS data abstraction.
• Abstract data from death certificates, coroner, toxicology, and autopsy reports.
• Enter data into CDC’s secure cloud-based platform.
• Conduct quality control activities on previously abstracted data.
Assist with other Epidemiology and Evaluation Unit activities as needed.

Physical Requirements

Sit for extended periods; frequently stand and walk; manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination; corrected hearing and vision to normal range; verbal communication; use of office equipment including computer workstations, telephones, calculators, copiers, printers, and scanners with or without reasonable accommodation.

Working Conditions

Work is performed in a hybrid environment.

Students/employees will be required to work according to the current UEI remote workplace policy and sign a UEI Work from Home Agreement. The decision to permit an employee to work from home is at the discretion of the supervisor or employer and may, at any time and with or without cause, unilaterally terminate the option to work from home.

Application Instructions

Please complete all fields of the employment application. Include your educational history in the “Educational Experience” section and any employment history in the “Employment Experience” section of our application.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

Final Application Date: 8/31/2026

This position is for Graduate Students only.