Clinical Research Coord. II

This is an exciting opportunity for an entry- to mid-level research assistant who is interested in working on shared decision making and patient-centered research projects. Under the supervision of the Project Manager and Director and according to established policies, procedures, and detailed instructions, the incumbent will serve as Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) within the Health Decision Sciences Center (HDSC). This position is funded through external grants including the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).

The CRC will be involved in activities supporting two main research studies on shared decision making. The first is multi-site randomized trial in pediatrics that will examine a new program designed to reduce parent/caregiver burden for parents who are taking care of children with tracheostomies at home. The second study is a multi-site trial in cardiology that is examining the use of clinician training and patient decision aids to improve the quality of decisions about treatment of severe aortic stenosis.

To support these studies, the CRC will be responsible for screening patients for eligibility using the electronic medical record, administering surveys, entering study data into a database , following up with study participants by phone, identifying and handling issues with recruitment and retention, preparing study progress reports and presentations, and serving as a liaison to collaborators within MGH and across the external organizations. This position will provide support to higher-level administrative and project staff in the HDSC. In this multi-faceted role, the candidate will also perform administrative duties such as schedule appointments and meetings, process check requests, prepare survey mailings and coordinate conference calls and meetings for the team.

This is a full-time (40 hours/week) position. It is a hybrid position with expectation to be in office with the team on Mondays and Wednesdays and flexibility regarding office schedule on other days to support project needs. There may also be some early morning or evening hours required.

The candidate must demonstrate superior organizational, administrative, time management, and communication skills, as well as intellectual independence and initiative. The ability to work both independently and as part of a team is essential. He or she must maintain professionalism at all times. Other job duties and responsibilities are listed in detail below.

General research duties: The Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) will be responsible for assisting in the broad array of research and administrative responsibilities required to conduct research. The CRC will screen and support recruitment activities of study subjects across the grants, and maintain enrollment reports and study databases; prepare study mailings and reminders; conduct chart reviews; conduct data entry and quality checks on data entry; maintain human subjects committee documentation and assist with preparation of amendments and continuing reviews; support qualitative research; and coordinate research study meetings among collaborators, and assist with ongoing projects as needed. Further, the CRC may have the opportunity to conduct literature searches and generate summaries for use in grants, abstracts, and manuscripts; maintain bibliographic reference lists for grants and manuscripts; and assist in writing research papers based on his or her skills and developing interests within the various projects.

Specific duties: The CRC’s responsibilities include assisting the HDSC Director (Karen Sepucha, PhD), the project managers and the senior CRCs on the team. The CRC will assist with scheduling meetings, taking meeting minutes for distribution and coordination of action items among the study team. Once the studies open for enrollment, the CRC will focus on patient screening and recruitment of caregivers and patients. The CRC will assist with all study activities, including screening and inviting eligible participants to complete study surveys, preparing and sending survey packets (e.g. cover letters, questionnaires, mailers), maintaining a database of survey distribution and reminders, conducting chart review, scheduling interviews, and entering survey data into a database. The CRC will also troubleshoot recruitment and enrollment issues and assist with data entry and data management. The CRC will maintain IRB documentation, assist with preparing amendments and continuing review documentation as needed. Monthly collaboration with other site CRCs and project managers is expected.

Additionally, the CRC will assist with ongoing research (Knowledge and experience with human subjects research and IRB) and other HDSC shared decision making project work as appropriate, including qualitative research and projects in orthopedics and primary care.

Administrative duties: The Clinical Research Coordinator will also assist with administrative support for the Center. The CRC will help schedule meetings and coordinate conference calls, take notes for meetings, prepare and submit check requests and expense reports, order food and reserve rooms for meetings, and other paperwork that may need to be processed.

Performs general word processing: Duties will include letters, memos, manuscripts, grants, case study reports, and other types of correspondence.

Other duties:

• Provides administrative support and tracking of research project progress.
• Maintains research-related office files and record keeping procedures.
• Communicates as needed with principal investigators’ about the study participants’ concerns and preferences so appropriate follow-up can be arranged.
• Maintains regulatory compliance for studies, assisting with preparation of IRB applications, amendments and continuing reviews.
• Handles and protects confidential and sensitive data with integrity.
• Attend team meetings and project meetings and conference calls; prepare minutes of meetings when applicable. Some meetings may be held after normal business hours.
• Prepare PowerPoint presentations when applicable.
• Work with staff to meet grant deadlines for all new and competing grants, helping with typing, pagination, copying, references, etc.
• Experience with Microsoft Teams, Word, Access, Excel, Power Point and Outlook
• Assist with use of Reference Manager software (e.g. Zotero), perform literature searches using PubMed and other search engines, and perform Internet searches using various search engines.
• Experience with statistical software such as R, SAS, SPSS or Stata preferred

Performs all other duties or special projects that are unit/center specific and that are appropriate for this level.

Skills/Abilities/Competencies Required:

• Experience with common PC computer software including Microsoft Teams, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access and Outlook. Typing speed of 50 wpm.
• Excellent communication and writing skills.
• Superb proofreading skills.
• Ability to work well both independently and collaboratively as part of a research team.
• Ability and willingness to learn new research and administrative skills.
• Time management: Exceptional organizational skills and ability to organize time and priorities effectively, asking for direction when appropriate. Flexibility to handle multiple tasks and deadline pressures.

Working Conditions:

Normal office conditions. You will be provided with a carrel on the days in the office and a Partners standard laptop. As part of the position, the CRC will occasionally be required to attend meetings outside of regularly scheduled hours.

The team is typically in the office on Mondays and Wednesdays and is working remotely other days. For this position, the amount of time in office may vary with the specific project and from week to week. Patient enrollment or other study activities may require the candidate to be in person at our offices, the hospital or at satellite sites (e.g. MGH Waltham) on different days. We would expect the candidate to have flexibility regarding in office schedule to support project needs.Bachelors degree required, MPH or Masters degree preferred.
1 or more years of relevant job experience in health care, research or related field is required

Experience or relevant coursework in healthcare policy, shared decision making, survey research, and/or healthcare quality improvement is preferred

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