Clinical Research Coordinator

Mass General Brigham•Boston, MA

4d•$20 - $29•Hybrid

About The Position

The Mass General Brigham Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research (CHOIR) within the Department of Psychiatry is seeking a full-time Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) to support community-engaged clinical research led by Tony V Pham, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Staff Psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital. CHOIR is an interdisciplinary clinical research center committed to developing, testing, and implementing innovative behavioral and psychosocial interventions that address mental and physical health across hospital and community settings. The CRC will coordinate day-to-day activities across two related, community-engaged behavioral clinical trials. The CRC will work closely with Dr. Pham, CHOIR colleagues, study clinicians and investigators, community navigators, lay group instructors, and community partners. The successful candidate will be expected to work independently while maintaining frequent communication with the study team, manage multiple time-sensitive priorities, and follow detailed study protocols, human-subjects protections, and data-security procedures. Typical work hours will be weekday business hours. Some early evening, occasional weekend, and off-site work may be required to accommodate participant schedules, community events, intervention sessions, and study visits. This is a 2-year mentored position offering hands-on experience in community-engaged clinical research, behavioral intervention trials, health disparities, chronic pain, depression, aging, early cognitive decline, and community responsive adaptation of evidence-based care. The position is well suited to candidates considering future training in clinical psychology, public health, social work, medicine, nursing, neuroscience, health services research, or related fields. The CRC will receive structured supervision and opportunities to develop skills in research operations, participant engagement, clinical-trial coordination, REDCap-based data collection, regulatory documentation, literature review, qualitative and quantitative research support, and scientific communication. Depending on contributions, performance, project needs, and institutional policies, the CRC may have opportunities to contribute to abstracts, presentations, and manuscripts and to receive mentoring related to professional development and graduate or professional-school applications. The CRC will primarily support two related community-engaged pilot randomized controlled trials conducted with older Black adults in the Greater Boston area: The Quiet Focus Project is a feasibility randomized controlled trial of a community tailored mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)-based program for older Black adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain and mild to moderate depressive symptoms. The study compares the adapted MBCT program with the Health Enhancement Program (HEP), a time- and dose-matched active control. The study is designed to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, participant engagement, and intervention fidelity in preparation for a future efficacy trial. The Feeling of Being Project is a feasibility randomized controlled trial of a community tailored MBCT-based program for older Black adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain and early cognitive decline. The study compares the adapted MBCT program with HEP and evaluates feasibility, acceptability, participant engagement, and intervention fidelity in preparation for a future efficacy trial. Both studies were developed in partnership with Greater Boston Area older Black community members, community navigators, and community-based organizaitons. In-person activities are expected to occur in community settings in the Roxbury area with options for some study activities to occur remotely. Each study enrolls approximately 60 participants who are randomized to an 8-session intervention or control program and complete assessments at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. The CRC will be responsible for coordinating protocol-defined study activities; supporting respectful community-based recruitment; screening and consenting prospective participants under appropriate supervision; administering and tracking research assessments; maintaining frequent participant contact to support retention; coordinating participant scheduling, study materials, and compensation; assisting with intervention-session logistics; entering, monitoring, and reconciling data in REDCap and other approved systems; maintaining regulatory and study records; and supporting communication with community-based organizations, community navigators, lay instructors, and other study partners. The CRC will participate in regular individual supervision, study-team meetings, CHOIR meetings, trainings, and presentations. Successful candidates will be organized, conscientious, culturally humble, attentive to detail, comfortable communicating with older adults and community partners, and able to balance a warm participant-facing approach with rigorous adherence to research procedures. Prior experience working with older adults, Black communities, community organizations, behavioral-health populations, chronic pain, depression, cognitive aging, or clinical research is preferred but not required. Candidates from diverse backgrounds in research and medicine are strongly encouraged to apply. Please submit a cover letter describing your interest in community-engaged clinical research, your experience working with diverse communities and/or older adults, and the skills you would bring to a participant-facing research-coordination role. Please also describe your interest in the Quiet Focus and Feeling of Being studies and your longer-term educational or professional goals. Applications submitted without a cover letter will not be considered. More information about CHOIR and current research is available on our webpage: https://www.mghchoir.com/activestudies

Requirements

Bachelors required
Some relevant research project work 0-1 year preferred
Demonstrate excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, reliability, and the ability to manage multiple competing priorities.
Demonstrate strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills with the ability to build respectful, professional relationships with older adults, community partners, and multidisciplinary research teams.
Be comfortable with participant-facing work conducted in person, by telephone, by video, and through secure electronic communication.
Demonstrate an interest in community-engaged research, health disparities, and working respectfully with Black older adults and other communities with health disparities.
Be able to follow detailed written protocols, maintain confidentiality, document activities accurately, and recognize when to promptly escalate participant safety concerns or protocol questions to the Principal Investigator or designated clinician.
Be able to work both independently and collaboratively, take initiative, respond to feedback, and meet time-sensitive deadlines with minimal supervision.
Be proficient with Microsoft Office applications, especially Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint, and comfortable learning research databases and electronic data-capture systems such as REDCap.
Be willing and able to travel locally to approved community research sites in the Boston area and to work occasional early evening or weekend hours as required by participant and intervention schedules.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience in clinical, behavioral, community-based, aging, mental-health, or health-disparities research
Experience recruiting and retaining research participants
Familiarity with REDCap, eConsent, or IRB processes
Experience working with older adults and/or community-based organizations
Experience with qualitative or quantitative research methods
Experience with chronic pain, depression, cognitive aging, mindfulness-based interventions, or group-program coordination is desirable but not required.

Responsibilities

Coordinate daily operations for the Quiet Focus and Feeling of Being community-engaged behavioral clinical trials.
Support community-based recruitment through approved outreach materials, communication with community-based organizations and other community partners, and timely responses to prospective participant inquiries.
Conduct protocol-defined pre-screening, screening, informed-consent, and enrollment activities under the supervision of the Principal Investigator and in accordance with IRB-approved procedures.
Administer and track research assessments by telephone, video, secure electronic survey, and in person, including baseline, post-treatment, and follow-up assessments.
Maintain participant contact, scheduling, reminder, and retention systems; document outreach attempts; and coordinate transportation-related support and participant compensation in accordance with approved study procedures.
Coordinate group-program logistics, including participant schedules, community-site arrangements, virtual-meeting support, study-material preparation and distribution, attendance tracking, and communication with lay group instructors and study staff.
Enter, review, reconcile, and manage research data in REDCap and other approved systems; conduct routine data-quality checks; resolve missing or discrepant data; and maintain accurate screening, enrollment, retention, and protocol-deviation logs.
Assist with the secure handling and organization of study documents, recordings, and research materials in accordance with Mass General Brigham, IRB, HIPAA, and study-specific confidentiality requirements.
Follow study safety and escalation procedures. Promptly communicate participant concerns, adverse events, protocol deviations, potential safety concerns, and any indication of self-harm or suicidality to the Principal Investigator or designated licensed clinician; the CRC will not independently provide clinical assessment or treatment.
Assist with IRB submissions, amendments, continuing reviews, regulatory binders, study manuals, training documentation, and other required research records.
Support intervention-fidelity and quality-assurance activities, including organizing session recordings and attendance data, preparing materials for supervisor review, and documenting follow-up actions.
Conduct literature searches and assist with research products such as abstracts, posters, presentations, manuscripts, reports, and grant-related materials, as appropriate.
Participate in individual supervision, study-team meetings, CHOIR meetings, training activities, and community-partner meetings.
Perform other study-related administrative and operational duties as assigned.