Research Assistant

Overview

Starting salary: $42,571 (GS-5) to $52,734 (GS-7) + Benefits, depending on education and experience and locality

Full-time (1.0 FTE)

Position Summary

The VA Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC) is looking for a motivated candidate to join our team as a full-time Research Assistant. The candidate will assist the Principal Investigator (PI), Lauren Denneson with research projects intended to advance the prevention and treatment of common and significant mental health issues that affect Veterans. Current ongoing projects are related to suicide prevention, reintegrating service members and clinical trials designed to improve Veteran well-being. We are seeking candidates that can work independently within a research team to achieve project aims and deadlines.

 

This position is located at the VA Portland Health Care System’s Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC) (https://www.portlandcoin.research.va.gov/). CIVIC’s mission is to conduct research that empowers veterans to improve their health through engagement in self-care, engagement with VA and non-VA healthcare systems, and engagement in the research process.

CIVIC is a research center housed at the VA Portland Health Care System with strong ties to Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). The CIVIC community is committed to developing, fostering, and retaining a diverse workforce. We seek applicants who have experience working with diverse communities and on diverse teams. In addition, we seek candidates who have experience engaging, communicating with, and incorporating perspectives from multiple diverse or underrepresented communities into research.

CIVIC values individuals at all points in their career trajectories, and CIVIC is committed to fostering the professional growth of its staff. Within CIVIC and the broader VA and OHSU communities, there are many opportunities for continuing education and training related to a broad variety of topics. Such opportunities include OHSU Departmental Grand Rounds or larger events, research in progress meetings, CIVIC conferences, analyst drop-in sessions, qualitative forums, and more.

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the PI, the employee’s primary responsibilities will be to support project objectives for studies examining behavioral interventions, especially among patients at risk for suicide. Specific duties will be commensurate with training, qualifications and experience, but may include:

• Recruiting and consenting/enrolling participants via telephone and in-person in the psychiatric inpatient unit
• Administering assessments and entering data
• Managing participant reimbursements
• Developing standard operating procedures and ensuring that project activities are being conducted with fidelity to research protocols
• Communication and coordination with study staff, interventionists, co-investigators, and collaborators to complete study tasks
• Assisting with Institutional Review Board (IRB) and other regulatory compliance correspondence
• Managing participant enrollment and progress through study activities
• Ensuring data accuracy and confidentiality
• Contributing to the writing and preparation of scholarly manuscripts for scientific journals, grant submissions, and presentations of study findings at professional meetings in collaboration with the PI
• Additional administrative tasks as needed to support project goals.

 

Experience

Minimum Requirements (address these in your Cover Letter or discuss transferrable skills):

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field (e.g., B.S., B.A.)
• Experience with Human Subjects Research as an undergraduate or in a research setting
• Strong conceptual, analytic, oral and written communication skills, and ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Ability to multitask and prioritize project goals, ethics, and professional interactions with participants
• Rigorous attention to detail and record keeping
• Strong computer skills and experience with Microsoft Office software such as Excel, Word and Outlook
• Resourcefulness and sound professional/ethnical judgment
• Commitment to contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment
• Must be a US citizen (due to being a U.S. federal government-funded position)

Telework/remote work

This is a hybrid on-site/remote position. Some on-site work will be required. Telework options will be discussed with applicants.

 

Benefits

The VA offers paid vacation, sick leave, a transit pass if applicable, and offers a wide range of healthcare and retirement benefits (https://www.vacareers.va.gov/Benefits/EmploymentBenefits).

 

How to apply

Interested candidates should send both a Cover Letter and a resume/CV to Mesa Willis, by email at kelly.willis@va.gov with the subject line “Denneson Research Assistant.”

Please do your best to be comprehensive with your experience and education. This is a federal resume so it’s okay for it to be long. See the following for more guidance on writing a federal resume: USAJOBS Help Center | What should I include in my federal resume?