Pediatric Genetic Eye Coordinator

University of Iowa • Iowa City, IA

11h • Onsite

About The Position

The Pediatric Genetic Eye Clinic and Research Coordinator supports the Pediatric Genetic Eye Disease (PGED) service and related inherited eye disease research programs in the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences. The position is structured as approximately 60% clinic coordination and 40% research support. In the clinical role, the coordinator assists faculty, the genetic counselor, and clinic staff with organizing and coordinating PGED clinics, patient preparation, record review, scheduling coordination, patient and family communication, and documentation support. In the research role, the coordinator supports translational and clinical research activities related to inherited eye disease and ophthalmology, including study coordination, data collection and organization, research documentation, and, as applicable, animal model and basic science research under the direction of the principal investigator and research team.

Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree in health, biological sciences, or human services, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 1-3 years of experience in an acute care, ambulatory clinic, healthcare, research, or academic research setting with patient, clinical, laboratory, or research interaction.
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as a cooperative team member.
• Demonstrated ability to provide excellent customer service and communicate effectively with patients, families, providers, staff, trainees, and collaborators.
• Ability to analyze information and situations, prioritize tasks, anticipate workflow needs, and develop practical solutions to challenges.
• Proficiency with computer software applications, including Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat, Excel, and database or data-entry software.
• Understanding of and ability to apply statistical analysis to research statistics.
• Ability to maintain detailed, accurate, and confidential records in clinical and research settings.
• Ability to use sound judgment while working in a team setting and independently.
• For roles involving animal model studies, the ability and willingness to handle and work with small animals after appropriate training

Nice To Haves

• Experience working in a clinical eye care setting, ophthalmology clinic, or inherited eye disease clinic.
• Experience as an orthoptist, registered nurse, clinical coordinator, research assistant, or other role involving patient care or clinical research support.
• Experience with Epic or other electronic medical record systems.
• Knowledge of medical terminology, ophthalmology terminology, human genetics, and genetics terminology.
• Experience with genetic eye diseases and patients with inherited eye disease.
• Experience with human clinical research, animal research, ophthalmology research, or prior coursework in the research process.
• Experience working with data, databases, imaging, clinical testing results, and/or research datasets.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and excellent organizational skills.
• Knowledge of University policies, procedures, and regulations.
• Demonstrated ability to resolve issues related to patient/family concerns, workflow changes, scheduling challenges, or research operations.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate care and interact with pediatric patients with inherited eye disease and their families as part of the PGED service.
• Collaborate with PGED faculty, the genetic counselor, scheduling staff, medical staff, and other health professionals in planning, delivering, and evaluating care for pediatric genetic eye patient populations.
• Acquire, collate, and review prior medical records, ophthalmic imaging, genetic test results, visit notes, procedures, and other data relevant to upcoming clinic visits.
• Create concise documentation summaries of patient history, prior testing, procedures, and pending needs in preparation for clinic days.
• Support uniform procedures for the management of inherited eye disease patients, including referral processes for low vision rehabilitation, genetic counseling, testing, and other services.
• Triage new referrals and determine the appropriate service, timing, and level of urgency.
• Ensure patients are scheduled for timely initial evaluations and follow-up visits.
• Coordinate PGED visits with other departmental services, imaging, testing, or hospital appointments.
• Adjust clinic schedules to support efficient patient flow, appropriate staffing, and manageable clinic volume.
• Schedule and prepare PGED clinical team meetings before clinic days; document planned testing, imaging, and anticipated care needs for each patient.
• Serve as a liaison between families, internal clinical team members, referring providers, and ordering institutions under the direction of PGED staff.
• Respond to clinical and research-related inquiries from UI Health Care and non-UI Health Care providers and patients within the scope of the role.
• Assist families interested in clinical trials by providing contact information, obtaining signed releases, and coordinating transfer of medical records and test results to clinical trial sites.
• Provide specialized health education and logistical support to inherited eye disease patients and families, and support educational experiences for ophthalmology residents, fellows, students, and other learners.
• Ensure PGED visits meet established documentation expectations and comply with departmental and institutional regulations, including proficiency and competency requirements as appropriate.
• Provide feedback to management and faculty regarding workflow, patient access, documentation, scheduling, and service improvement opportunities.
• Assist with translational, clinical, and/or pre-clinical research studies related to inherited eye disease, ophthalmology, and visual function under the direction of the principal investigator and research team.
• Support research study preparation, study coordination, participant/patient record review, data collection, data entry, and maintenance of accurate research documentation.
• Collect, organize, and analyze data from human ophthalmology studies, which may include electroretinogram, optical coherence tomography, visual fields, imaging, genetic testing results, motility/strabismus measures, and other clinical or research data.
• Maintain detailed and accurate records, including study files, source documents, lab notebooks, databases, and regulatory or compliance documentation as assigned.
• Assist with research grants, abstracts, presentations, reports, and manuscripts by organizing data, preparing summaries, and supporting literature or background review as needed.
• Work independently and collaboratively with faculty, research staff, clinical staff, trainees, and external collaborators to complete research tasks and maintain project timelines.
• Perform day-to-day research and laboratory support tasks, including supply organization, data management, file maintenance, and other duties necessary for study operations.
• When assigned and appropriately trained, support animal model research activities, which may include mouse husbandry, laboratory organization, electroretinogram, visually guided swim assay, OCT, histology, intraocular injections, and related experiments.
• Follow applicable institutional policies, research protocols, human subjects protections, animal care requirements, biosafety procedures, and other regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with internal and external constituents, including healthcare providers, ordering institutions, research collaborators, and clinical trial sites, under the direction of faculty and PGED staff.
• Enhance delivery of care and research operations through effective teamwork, timely communication, and proactive identification of workflow needs.
• May provide input or suggestions regarding policies, practices, workflows, and programs that improve patient care, clinic operations, research quality, and staff environment.
• May provide informal coaching or guidance to department personnel regarding PGED workflows, documentation needs, or study processes; administrative supervision is not exercised in this role.
• May perform other duties as assigned

Benefits

• University of Iowa Health Care—recognized as one of the best hospitals in the United States—is Iowa's only comprehensive academic medical center and a regional referral center. Each day more than 12,000 employees, students, and volunteers work together to provide safe, quality health care and excellent service for our patients. Simply stated, our mission is: Changing Medicine. Changing Lives.®

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level