Visiting Graduate Student (Academic Credit) - Simpkins Lab - Department of Neurology - Per Diem (On-site)

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center•Los Angeles, CA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Visiting Graduate Student is an educational, collaborative appointment in the Department of Neurology under the mentorship of Dr. Alexis Simpkins. The scholar supports medical and scientific writing projects that advance research communication and translate clinical and research knowledge into clear, useful materials for patients and families. The appointment is designed for a student enrolled in a master's-level program in communication, writing, medical writing, health communication, public health, health administration, or a related field, or for a medical student interested in medical and scientific communication. The scholar will work with the mentor and multidisciplinary collaborators to support original research manuscripts and case reports, from literature review and outline development through drafting, reference management, revision, figure and table preparation, journal-format compliance, and presentation development. The scholar will also help create and refine patient communication tools using plain-language, health-literacy, accessibility, and usability principles, incorporating feedback from clinicians and patient-facing teams. Projects may include education handouts, after-visit materials, care-navigation resources, frequently asked questions, and website or portal content covering stroke prevention, diagnosis, treatment, recovery, and follow-up. The one-year curriculum includes orientation and training in privacy, compliance, research or quality-improvement processes, stroke care, publication ethics, scientific writing, health literacy, and content governance; literature review and project planning; manuscript and patient-material drafting and revision; journal-guideline, readability, citation, copyright, and usability review; and final revisions, approved submission or dissemination support, evaluation, and presentation. Mentorship throughout the appointment focuses on medical and scientific writing, manuscript development and publication processes, patient communication, stakeholder engagement, presentations, critical thinking, and evidence translation. All work must follow institutional privacy, compliance, copyright, and research or quality-improvement review requirements. Manuscripts and patient-facing materials require appropriate stakeholder and institutional review and approval before submission or use. Applicants must be able to commute to the Los Angeles location a few times per week and reside in the greater Los Angeles area or surrounding cities while conducting appointment activities. Visitors must receive funding from an eligible sponsoring institution.

Requirements

Must be at least 18 years old.
Must have a high school diploma or GED.
Must reside in the greater Los Angeles area or surrounding cities while conducting appointment activities.
Visitors must receive funding from an eligible sponsoring institution, such as an employer, educator, or funder.
Must be able to commute to the Los Angeles location a few times per week.

Nice To Haves

Currently enrolled in a master's program in Communication, Writing, Medical Writing, Health Communication, Public Health, Health Administration, or a related field; or currently a medical student.
Strong written communication skills and demonstrated interest in medical or scientific writing.
Interest in research manuscripts, case reports, patient education, health literacy, or healthcare communication.
Basic knowledge of literature review, evidence synthesis, or research methods.
Experience with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Adobe, reference-management software, or content-management systems.
Experience with readability assessment, qualitative feedback, survey tools, or data visualization.

Responsibilities

Review literature, synthesize evidence, and identify manuscript or case-report opportunities.
Develop project scopes, outlines, and writing plans with the mentor and collaborators.
Draft and revise original research manuscripts and case reports.
Prepare abstracts, references, tables, figures, and presentations.
Manage references and revise materials for journal submission, including journal-format compliance.
Draft and refine patient education and care-navigation materials using plain-language, health-literacy, accessibility, and usability principles.
Incorporate feedback from clinicians, patient-facing teams, and other stakeholders.
Review journal guidelines, readability, citations, and copyright, and support usability review of patient tools.
Support approved submission, dissemination, or pilot implementation of completed materials.
Evaluate completed work, present writing products, and recommend ongoing maintenance.