Research Study Coordinator

Department: MED-Medical Social Sciences
Salary/Grade: NEX/11

Target hiring range for this position will be between $19.89-$24.86 per hour. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Job Summary:

Coordinates collection, analysis, processing & reporting of data & assists Principal Investigator (PI) in judging the validity of test data obtained regarding biomedical &/or social-behavioral research study(ies) of limited complexity involving co-investigators, multiple campuses &/or universities. Completes all activities by strictly following Good Clinical Practices (GCP) & all relevant current local, state, & federal laws, regulations, guidance, policy & procedure developed by the NU Institutional Review Board (IRB), Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), & the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH).

Program Description

The Center for Computational and Social Sciences in Health (COMPASS) within the Institute of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (I.AIM) is a research center that seeks to foster connection between data science, social science and population health to increase the capacity for cutting-edge research that uses social and behavioral science and computational methodology to understand and enable the health of populations (https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/sites/compass/). COMPASS is directed by Dr. Birkett and Dr. Janulis (Associate Director) and builds upon their decade of scientific work leading the Complex Systems and Health Disparities (CONNECT) Research Program within Northwestern's Impact Institute that was focused on elucidating the complex mechanisms driving the health disparities of stigmatized populations, in particular gender and sexual minorities. COMPASS extends this work through three interrelated priorities: building transdisciplinary collaborations; training the next generation of population health scholars; and conducting cutting-edge research on the social and structural drivers of population health. The Center houses several NIH-funded studies that seek to further understanding on how contextual and multilevel factors influence health outcomes through the use of complex modeling - including network analysis and simulation - as well as by building tools to improve the collection and measurement of complex data for social and behavioral health research.

Project Description

The SILOS (Structural Inequities across Layers Of Social-Context as Drivers of HIV and Substance Use) project, directed by PI Dr. Birkett, will conduct innovative observational research across five US cities in order to better understand the social contexts which drive HIV and substance use. Through in-depth remote network surveys of 2,700 racially diverse young men who have sex with men and transgender women (YMSM-TW), the Northwestern team will examine how an individual's social position determines the people and the places they have access to, how supportive or risky these social and contextual environments are, and how these connections might pool risk and provide fewer resources to those with marginalized and multiple marginalized identities. Within each of the five target cities, the team will establish local Community Advisory Boards of racially diverse YMSM-TW to help guide the development of recruitment outreach plans shaped by the consideration of key venues, locations, and apps important within the community context as well as provide lived experience input on model development and data interpretation activities. The project's unique emphasis on both sophisticated computational approaches and the integration of community voices will help produce tangible targets for public health intervention as well as transform the scientific understanding of the social and structural drivers of health.

NOTE: This is a hybrid position only with the expectation of 3 days a week in the office in downtown Chicago.

Supervisor provides objectives, deadlines and specific instructions only for new, difficult, and/or unusual work. Work is reviewed upon completion and only occasionally to verify technical accuracy and compliance with practice, policy, and procedures. EE informs supervisor of on-going progress and/or potentially controversial matters.

Specific Responsibilities:

Technical

• Participates in the planning & conduct of research study including participant recruitment and retention.
• Obtains informed consent.
• Administers tests &/or questionnaires following protocols.
• Collects, compiles, tabulates & processes responses.
• Gathers information.
• Extracts & analyzes data from medical charts

Administration

• Collects, records, reviews & summarizes research data.
• Collates relevant mathematical results & prepares tables, charts & graphs reflecting relationships of multiple tests.
• Prepares reports for investigators and sponsors on recruitment status and other pertinent study data.
• Completes documents associated with current local, state, & federal regulatory guidelines, requirements, laws & research protocols.

Finance

• May process payments for research participants per study protocol
• Coordinates reimbursements for expert panel travel, consultant pay, additional gift card orders, etc. & ensure costs remain within allotted grant budget.

Supervision

• May provide work direction &/or train other research staff to interview/test participants.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a major such as social or health science or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience and 2 years' research study or other relevant experience required; OR

• Successful completion of a full course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a master's or higher degree in a major such as social or health science or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.

• Must complete NU's IRB CITI training before interacting with any participants & must re-certify every 3 years.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Strong organizational, written, verbal, communication, and interpersonal skills.

• Effective time management skills.

• Excellent attention to detail.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with and interest in the LGBTQ+ population.

• Experience working in and knowledge of public health.

• Experience working within a research or healthcare environment.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Working knowledge of REDCap.

• Knowledge of responsible research conduct.

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.

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