Clinical Research Assistant I, Neurology

UT Southwestern Medical Center • Dallas, TX

16h

About The Position

The Department of Neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center is a nationally recognized leader in the comprehensive management of neurological conditions. Our vibrant department comprises more than 90 full-time faculty in 12 subspecialty sections, supporting a spectrum of complex and innovative approaches to neurological care, a broad range of novel research programs, and a panoply of educational opportunities for trainees. The department offers access to the latest innovative treatments in one of the most rapidly advancing fields of medicine and features an Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC), an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center and a Level-4 NEAC Epilepsy Center. Through collaborations with the O’Donnell Brain Institute, the department is building state-of-the art facilities for drug and device testing and bringing current and new faculty together for collaborative research on brain disease therapy.
Dr. Elan Louis, the Chair of the Department of Neurology, is interested in hiring a full-time, paid, post-doctoral trainee who will be involved in the Essential Tremor Brain Repository and COGNET studies. The goal of these clinical research projects is to understand the postmortem brain tissue changes that occur in essential tremor, comparing these changes to those seen in patients with other neurological diseases, and especially the degenerative changes that occur in the cerebellum. At the same time the COGNET study will allow for the assessment in cognition as the participants age. These studies, funded by the NIH, draw on the expertise of clinical neurologists, neuropsychologists, neuroscientists and neuropathologists, and partners with a motivated essential tremor community.
This position is perfect for a motivated person who is interested in obtaining additional clinical research training and experience. The clinical research program interfaces actively with a basic research program.
As part of their educational experience, the post-doctoral trainee will learn about the cause of neurological diseases, the development of methods for clinical evaluation of patients with a broad range of tremor disorders, methods of analyzing clinical human subjects’ data for research purposes, and tools available for clinic-pathological studies of human disease. The trainee will also shadow at the Movement Disorders Clinic and attend Neurology Grand Rounds. These meetings will allow the post-doctoral trainee to learn to recognize a range of involuntary movements in the study participants and to learn about the other research studies that are currently being conducted by the department.
The post-doctoral trainee will learn about numerous aspects of clinical research from study design and planning, questionnaire development, and selection of appropriate methods to evaluate and track study subjects. Opportunities for independent research will be available to the post-doctoral trainee and are strongly encouraged. Thus, the post-doctoral trainee will learn about statistical analyses methods to interpret study data and how to prepare and publish first author, peer-reviewed manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Their publication portfolio will center around the clinic-pathological findings that are elucidated during the execution of these projects.
It is expected that this educational experience will serve as an educational link between the trainee’s graduate experience and their future academic/educational advancement into a clinical research career.
These studies are not clinical trials but part of prospective clinical-pathological studies. The post-doctoral trainee’s activities will include the recruitment and enrollment of study subjects, data collection and management. The trainee will also act as the liaison between brain donors, their families and physicians, pathologists, and funeral homes to create personal brain donor plans that ensure that donation is carried out at the time of death. As well, the trainee will act as the liaison between the New York Brain and, the principal investigator, and the laboratory technicians. Miscellaneous administrative tasks will include conducting follow-up phone calls with brain donors who were previously home-visited, requesting and collecting deceased brain donors’ medical records. There will be opportunities to interface with a basic research program that utilizes the collected brain tissue

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree or higher degree in medical or science related field
• 1 year of clinical research experience
• May consider additional years of experience or advanced degree in lieu of education or experience, respectively.

Nice To Haves

• (BLS) BASIC LIFE SUPPORT Licensure may be required based on research study protocols or affiliate location requirements.
• (CPRAED) CPR AED Licensure may be required based on research study protocols or affiliate location requirements.
• ACRP or SOCRA certification a plus
• Candidates are required to provide a cover letter detailing their past experience/skills and interest in the position.
• Candidates must possess and be able to demonstrate the following preferred qualifications/experience:
• Candidates with MDs are preferred
• Must have excellent interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills
• Basic computer skills such as word-processing, database management and Internet research are required.
• Candidates must commit at least 2 years for this position
• Experience conducting phone interviews with neurological and elderly patients, preferred
• Experience handling sensitive information in a tactful and professional manner, preferred
• Prior clinical research experience, preferred
• Familiarity with SPSS and REDCap, preferred

Responsibilities

• Directly interacts with clinical research participants, as required, for the research study. Interacts via telephone, telehealth or in-person.
• Coordinate regulatory aspects of the trial including maintaining and developing regulatory information to comply with industry standards, University policies, FDA requirements or other hospital policies
• Coordinate and schedule study procedures as per protocol. Approved study protocols which have order sets built may be pended by the non-licensed coordinator with oversight by PI.
• When outside of protocol, presents evidence and provides options (within scope of protocol) to PI.
• Screen, recruit, enroll and follow subjects according to protocol guidelines. May also assist with the consent process
• Maintain and coordinate data collection information required for each study which may also include developing CRF's or data collection tools
• Assist in developing and implementing research studies to include writing clinical research protocols.
• Conduct study procedures according to the protocol with proper training and check offs to maintain scope of work
• Requires familiarity with research budgets to assist with or develop study budgets. May perform research billing activities, as needed, based on size of department (including linking patient calendars).
• May review and abstract information from medical records for verification of eligibility for trials, as needed based on size of department.
• Monitors patient safety by reviewing records and ensuring appropriate reporting per protocol and HRPP standards.
• Review research study protocols to ensure feasibility
• Assist in developing website or other social media for marketing/recruiting of clinical research study
• Develop proficiency in the clinical trial management system, electronic medical record and other required data entry systems
• Maintain subject level documentation
• Duties performed may include one or more of the following core functions: a) Directly interacting with or caring for patients; b) Directly interacting with or caring for human-subjects research participants; c) Regularly maintaining, modifying, releasing or similarly affecting patient records (including patient financial records); or d) Regularly maintaining, modifying, releasing or similarly affecting human-subjects research records.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage
• 100%25 coverage for preventive healthcare-no copay
• Paid Time Off, available day one
• Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
• Paid Parental Leave Benefit
• Wellness programs
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer
• Learn more about these and other UTSW employee benefits!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees