Research Assistant/Research Specialist, CSP #595 and MVP Studies - VA Puget Sound Health Services Research & Development

LOCATION: Seattle, WA

CLOSING DATE: open until filled

OPPORTUNITY TYPE: Job

JOB #: 19376

POSTED: February 28, 2023

Description:

Research Specialist

Health Services Research & Development

VA Puget Sound Health Care System

Seattle Division

Are you interested in helping to improve the healthcare of our United States Veterans through meaningful work in a collaborative environment?  The VA Research and Development department is currently hiring a research assistant to support work on two research studies: 1) VA Cooperative Studies Program (CSP) #595, “Service and Health Among Deployed Veterans” which is an observational epidemiological study to understand the impact of air pollution exposures during deployment to Southwest Asia and Afghanistan on current respiratory health ; and 2) the Million Veteran Program - Measures Investigating Neuropsychiatric Disorders (MVP-MIND), which will examine how?genes, lifestyle, and military exposures affect mental health and substance use with?the aim of better understanding the?onset, development, and treatment of mental health conditions.

Nature of Work:

The Research Specialist position provides research support at 100% effort (40 hours per week). We seek candidates with experience conducting human subjects research with Veterans, with the ideal candidate having experience with research methods, implementing clinical trials, conducting data input, and conducting detailed assessments. They will have strong interpersonal skills needed to work with study participants and other project staff, and organizational skills to manage the exacting requirements of clinical research. The candidate will receive training to perform spirometry and other procedures with Veterans. This position will work closely with the principal investigators and other study staff to conduct these research projects.

Primary responsibilities include assisting the principal investigator and study coordinator with subject screening, recruitment, scheduling, data collection, data management, data entry, assessments, regulatory documentation and other research related tasks. This position will be located in the Seattle Division of the VA Puget Sound.

 

Key duties:

  • Assist in recruiting by screening medical records, contacting subjects, and scheduling appointments.
  • Conduct clinical research informed consent procedures, as per all human subjects regulations.
  • Staff will receive training to perform spirometry and other procedures, following all biohazard and COVID-mitigation policies and procedures.
  • Conduct clinical assessments with Veterans, accurately completing case report forms, as per study protocol, including questionnaires and spirometry testing.
  • Maintain critical document binders and assist with all regulatory documentation and record keeping in adherence to the protocol and all relevant R&D and IRB regulations.
  • Responsible for the internal monitoring of case report forms, including the identification of missing data and apparent discrepancies and inaccuracies, and assisting with the reconciliation of queries.
  • Conduct data entry for all studies across multiple data entry platforms and provide extracted data as requested.
  • Responsible for the storage and shipping/handling of all laboratory samples, as well as other study materials, in compliance with all IATA regulations.
  • Identify and respond to adverse events and serious adverse events working with the PI to collect information as needed to report events as per IRB guidelines.
  • Prepare and track study mailings.
  • Prepare documents and reports for annual audits.
  • Manage, administer, and ensure data quality, security, and maintenance of data files and database systems for current and past studies
  • Some local travel using a federal agency car may be required.

Qualifications:

  • Applicant must be a US citizen.
  • Bachelor’s degree in a relevant scientific and/or research-related field.
  • Experience in clinical, epidemiological, or health services research preferred.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft office.
  • Strong organizational skills with attention to detail.
  • Data entry experience.
  • Excellent time management skills and the ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
  • Ability to engage in a professional manner with both with study participants and other professionals.
  • Trained phlebotomist preferred (there may be an opportunity to train to perform phlebotomy if the candidate is not already trained).

Ideal candidates should be flexible and adaptable as tasks will be varied and may change periodically and should demonstrate a desire to learn new tasks as well as a desire to investigate and develop best practices to be shared with the study team.

Salary:

This is a full time, GS-5 - GS-7 position. The General Schedule (GS) salary table for Seattle can be found on the Office of Personnel Management website at opm.gov

Candidates must be U.S. citizens. Education and experience will be evaluated by Human Resources to determine if the top candidate meets the criteria for grade level.

 

How to Apply:

To Apply:

Position open until filled.  Send resume and cover letter to amanda.wood@va.gov to apply.

Diversity enriches research and promotes the best healthcare. We are committed to building and sustaining an equitable and inclusive environment for our Center. We encourage individuals whose backgrounds or interests align with this commitment, as well as individuals from all backgrounds that are underrepresented in research, to apply

Please format your resume according to the following guidance for federal submission:

    • The USAJobs website has tips on submitting a resume for a federal position. Some of the following items come from that guidance. 
    • List all relevant and previous employment in an easy-to-read format
    • List all degrees and years obtained (i.e., MPH or MS, BA or BS, etc.)
    • For each past job or position held, include the following information:
      1. Employer name and address
      2. Salary (if unpaid, list as “$0/hour”) and number of hours worked
      3. Supervisor name and contact information
      4. Permission to contact supervisor: Yes/No
      5. Internships that you received academic credit for should also be listed
      6. Any internships that were not paid and you did not receive academic credit for should be listed in a separate volunteer section
    • Highlight and elaborate on your research and healthcare experience and related academic and presentation/publication achievements, spelling out abbreviations and explaining any terms and jargon from your background. Consider a non-research audience when describing your experiences. It is acceptable for your resume to be longer than 1-2 pages as federal resume are typically quite thorough and detailed.
    • Please provide as much detail as you can.