Public Health Research Coordinator I - Palliative Medicine

Location: St. Louis, MO 63110 | Scheduled Hours: 40

About the Role

Assists investigators as coordinator of a basic to moderately complex public health research study; may be responsible for multiple research studies simultaneously, acting as a liaison with the school, sponsoring agency, community, and study participants; may be responsible for managing and recording all phases of study protocol as required by sponsoring agency to ensure compliance.

Dr. Jacquelyn Benson’s research lab at Washington University School of Medicine seeks a Public Health Research Coordinator to join a growing portfolio of research on family caregiving, serious illness, and implementation science. Dr. Benson’s program studies how families and clinicians care for people living with serious and life-limiting illness, and how evidence-based support for these caregivers can be delivered well in everyday health and community settings. The lab holds funding from the National Institutes of Health along with other federal and institutional sources. The Public Health Research Coordinator will support the day-to-day conduct of the lab’s funded studies, with primary emphasis on an NIH-funded randomized trial testing peer caregiver navigation for families of people living with Alzheimer’s disease. Responsibilities span participant recruitment and retention, data collection and management, regulatory and IRB tasks, and study documentation, working closely with senior research staff and the principal investigator. Assignments will depend on the lab’s active grants, so the role offers exposure to a range of study designs, populations, and methods. This is a grant-funded position. It offers real mentorship and career development in a collaborative and productive research environment. Spanish-language proficiency is a plus and would support work with Spanish-speaking participants and families. It is not required.

Responsibilities

• Routinely implements and manages all phases of study/protocol; ensures compliance with protocol guidelines and requirements of regulatory agencies; may establish record-keeping systems.
• Makes assessments and determinations of participants’ progress in the study and records progress into database; may analyze, investigate, and report adverse events.
• Makes decisions as when to notify investigator of emergent issues, when to recommend stopping participant inclusion, and/or to make and/or recommend adjustment of the protocol of particular participants.
• Works with investigator and HRPO to resolve IRB/protocol management issues and recommends corrective action as appropriate; may serve as liaison with funding or sponsoring agency.
• Routinely recruits and enrolls study participants; makes and/or participates in making determinations of eligibility based on diagnostic criteria, medical record review, and/or observations/analysis in participant interviews.
• Develops and prepares informed consent packets for study participants; confers with participants to explain purpose of study and obtain completed informed consent packets; explains study processes and procedures to address participant/family concerns.
• Administers/scores tests and/or evaluates all assessments to ensure they are completed in a timely manner.
• Routinely ensures timely completion of all protocol requirements (assessment, testing, procedures and treatments), including scheduling and facilitating the participant’s timely completion of protocol requirements.
• May evaluate, analyze, and interpret qualitative and/or quantitative data of low complexity in conjunction with investigator as applicable and appropriate; in conjunction with the investigator, may prepare oral or written presentations or reports and analyses setting forth progress trends and/or provide recommendations or conclusions of the same.
• May conduct literature reviews under the supervision of the investigator.
• May assist Investigator with grant and manuscript preparations.
• Routinely collects public health data under public health research protocols.
• Performs other duties incidental to the work described herein.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or combination of education and/or experience may substitute for minimum education.
• No specific work experience is required for this position.
• No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.
• A driver's license is not required for this position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Spanish-language proficiency, particularly to support adapting interventions for Spanish-speaking populations.
• 1 year of experience in Public Health, Epidemiological, Behavioral Medicine, Psychological, Sociological, Anthropological, Clinical, or Urban Planning Research.
• Skills in analytical solutions, big data analytics, communication, computer literacy, data management, interpersonal relationships, organizational leadership, public health research, qualitative analysis, and quantitative analysis.

Working Conditions

• Normal office environment.
• Typically sitting at desk or table.
• Equipment: Office equipment.

Benefits

• Up to 22 days of vacation, 10 recognized holidays, and sick time.
• Competitive health insurance packages with priority appointments and lower copays/coinsurance.
• Free Metro transit U-Pass for eligible employees.
• Defined contribution (403(b)) Retirement Savings Plan, combining employee contributions and university contributions starting at 7%.
• Wellness challenges, annual health screenings, mental health resources, mindfulness programs and courses, employee assistance program (EAP), financial resources, access to dietitians, and more.
• 4 weeks of caregiver leave to bond with your new child; family care resources for continued childcare needs; adult care resources available.
• Tuition coverage for you and your family, including dependent undergraduate-level college tuition up to 100% at WashU and 40% elsewhere after seven years with us.

Pay

Salary Range: $49,200.00 - $73,800.00 / Annually