Clinical Research Technologist - The Center for Applied Digital Health and Optimization Methods - UTK

University of Tennessee•Knoxville, TN

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Center for Applied Digital Health and Optimization Methods (CADHOM) is a research center within the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (CEHHS) dedicated to advancing health outcomes through the application of digital health and optimization methods. The Clinical Research Technologist functions as a high-level technical collaborator and independent lead for the Center’s digital infrastructure. The position requires exercising independent judgment in identifying appropriate digital tools, and designing and implementing protocols to collect, process, and interpret data, and deliver intervention. The role also involves contributing to dissemination of research findings.

Requirements

Education: Master’s Degree - field associated with behavioral medicine (e.g., psychology, nutrition, exercise physiology), engineering, or computer science
Experience: Background in applied clinical research
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Foundational knowledge of digital health technology and platforms.
Ability to manage and manipulate complex data sets.
Ability to conduct basic data analysis to generate reports from data sets.
Knowledge of and ability to adhere to safe work practices related to use of digital health technology.
Good communication skills.
Able to prioritize work to meet time-sensitive deadlines.
Ability to train and work with faculty, students, and research staff.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Nice To Haves

Experience: Experience using digital health technology (e.g., wearable sensors, web and smartphone applications) in clinical research is preferred.

Responsibilities

In collaboration with the Center Director and study investigators. Identify and recommend hardware and software solutions for the Center’s digital health studies.
Conducting technical assessments of wearable sensors, mobile platforms, electronic data capture tools (e.g., for Ecological Momentary Assessment), etc. to ensure they meet the specific scientific objectives of each research project.
Maintains a current understanding of the scientific digital health literature and emerging commercial technologies to inform recommendations.
Partners with investigators to design and implement research protocols that integrate digital health technologies. This involves translating high-level scientific aims into executable technical workflow, and requires setup of systems for online data collection (e.g., online surveys, Ecological Momentary Assessment). It also involves training study teams to ensure the rigorous implementation of these protocols and systems, and providing ongoing, hands-on support to troubleshoot technical problems as they arise, which may require direct interaction with research participants to resolve device or software issues. This function requires serving as a primary technical liaison with technology vendors, and working with them to design protocols and resolve technical challenges.
Design and manage complex research databases for digital health studies, including the integration of high-frequency data streams from wearable sensors and mobile applications.
Conducts secure retrieval, organization, and storage of data.
Performs basic data processing and reporting (e.g., generating descriptive summaries of study data to monitor participant adherence and providing foundational data analysis to inform investigators of ongoing study progress and preliminary outcomes).
Serve as a strategic collaborator who identifies and cultivates multidisciplinary research opportunities that capitalize on digital health technologies.
Collaborate on the design and implementation of Center-led training initiatives to enhance technical proficiency of faculty, students, and staff.
Contributes to the scholarly output of the Center by assisting in the generation of research reports, technical documentation, and data summaries for peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.
Support grant writing by drafting detailed technical descriptions of digital health technology implementation and hardware configurations for proposals submitted to agencies such as the NIH.