Research Assistant /Technician 4 (Tucker)

Staff - Non Union

Job Category

Non Union Technicians and Research Assistants

Job Profile

Non Union Salaried - Research Assistant /Technician 4

Job Title

Research Assistant /Technician 4 (Tucker)

Department

Tucker Laboratory | Department of Paediatrics | Faculty of Medicine

Compensation Range

$4,558.75 - $5,354.67 CAD Monthly

Posting End Date

August 16, 2023

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above.

Job End Date

Aug 15, 2024

This position is expected to be filled by promotion/reassignment and is included here to inform you of its vacancy at the University.

This offer is conditional upon successful completion of a Criminal Record Check.

This position is located within a health-care facility, therefore, the successful candidate will be required to provide verification of full vaccination against Covid-19 provided prior to the start date, as required by a provincial health mandate.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary

To manage research activities of the Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics. The primary focus will be the coordination of at least 2 clinical trials. This will involve taking charge of the startup procedures that include drafting a study summary submission with consent forms etc. for ethics approval with UBC and facilitating contract negotiations between UBC and the pharmaceutical companies. Following implementation for the clinical trial at our site, to coordinate all aspects of the study including supervision of co-op students for patient screening, obtaining consent from eligible patients and tracking study visits to ensure adequate and timely data collection and data entry; this will be done in collaboration with the physicians who are the site PI’s for each clinical trial. Once the clinical trials have been implemented, there is likely to be low volume numbers of patients, and if time is available the research assistant will assist the research manager and other study coordinator with other divisional research projects as described under “work performed”.

Job End date:

Working relationships:

Position to whom this person reports: Division Head (for overall function) Dr Lori Tucker, individual investigators within the Division including Dr David Cabral and Dr Andrea Human (for specific clinical trials initially) and the Division Research Manager Else Bosman.

Positions with whom this person works: The Research Assistant (RA) will work directly with study investigators and all Division members, including physicians, health professionals, research staff, post-graduate students working on specific projects, and divisional clerical support staff.

Contacts (internal and external to the University): The Research Assistant will interact with patients and parents attending the Rheumatology Clinic at BC Children’s Hospital. The RA will also work with individuals who are working in equivalent research positions either in the institution or in other collaborating institutions.

Working conditions:

Shared office space in the Division of Rheumatology, Ambulatory Care Building, BC Children’s Hospital (Rm. K4-134). Desktop computer and telephone access available. Flexibility in work hours may be required. Work will be performed predominantly ‘in-person’ with half a day working from home; other arrangements could be accommodated.

Work Performed

• Ensure accurate and timely data collection. This will involve participation in the rheumatology clinic to screen and recruit subjects (children and parents), collect and enter study data from subjects and physicians.
• Provide summary reports of clinical trial details to present to rheumatology team members.
• Facilitate contract negotiations between UBC and Pharma for clinical trials.
• Recruiting coop students to assist with clinical trials and supervise them in screening of patients for potential recruitment to clinical trials or other projects.
• Writing ethics applications for clinical trials
• Assist other search coordinators in the division with supervision of co-op students who are working on provisional research projects
• Develop workflow strategies and procedures related to logistics of research operations in the clinic to improve logistical recruitment and retention of patients in at least one clinical trial or investigator study.
• Assist individual investigators and Division Research coordinator to implement other new studies in the Division.
• Triage the optimal study/trial for individual patients to request participation.
• Coordinate with other research assistant/coordinator in preparing agendas, and provide presentations for the whole rheumatology team research meetings - to share pending and current research projects
• Other duties as required.
• Overall responsibility for Startup, implementation and management of least 2 pending clinical trials with the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology.
• Management of data including accrual, maintenance of data logs and study documentation, and data entry into study databases as necessary.
• Provide supervision to co-op students for their own individual research projects that might include editing of a research newsletter for patients and families that reports in divisional research
• Assist with other research activities of the Division. Research projects include local and collaborative (national or international) longitudinal outcome studies of childhood rheumatic diseases, and translational research studies. This might include data management and curating, establishing payments due to external sites based on tracking of patient recruitment and data provision, and arrange periodic payments.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

Accuracy, timeliness, and sound judgment are required to maximize the effectiveness of the research program (for example, ensuring that data accurately reflects the patient’s clinical profile). All research activities must be conducted an ethical manner in accordance with University of British Columbia. Strict confidentiality of all study participants must be adhered to. The individual will at times need to exercise independent judgment and feel comfortable working with a large and diverse team including physicians, nurses, allied health personnel, trainees, and clerical staff. Errors in judgment may result in a decrease in productivity of the Divisional research program and might lead to concerns about research credibility and integrity.

Supervision Received

The individual reports to the Division Head directly, to individual investigators within the Division for specific projects, and senior research co-ordinators.

Supervision Given

The research assistant may provide supervision to undergraduate Co-op students or summer students.

Minimum Qualifications

• Completion of a relevant technical program or a university degree in a relevant discipline and a minimum three years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own.
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in science or health-related discipline preferred (i.e. nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychology, pharmacy). Knowledge of medical terminology an asset.
• Skills:
• Excellent oral and written communication in English, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
• Experience: Minimum 2 years experience in clinical research preferred. Previous experience with clinical trials is an asset. Experience working with parents and children for clinical research setting is preferred.
• Ability to work independently and to participate in a collegial manner with a clinical team. Ability to work on multiple tasks simultaneously, with ability to exercise initiative and prioritize workload with minimal direction.
• Understand the basic principles of conducting research.
• Reliability and ability to follow and carry out written and verbal instructions.
• Ability to maintain accuracy and attention to detail.
• Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office applications (Word. Excel), Zoom, data management software specifically REDcap
• Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds and to exercise tact, discretion and confidentiality.