Clinical Research Assistant – Dementia and Aging

Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research (PAVIR) supports the nation's second largest research program conducted among the VA Hospitals and is looking for a full-time Clinical Research Assistant. The Clinical Research Assistant will perform duties related to the Veteran community and community outreach and coordination of clinical studies on dementia and aging patients from diverse backgrounds in the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System VA and the greater Bay Area.

The goal of the project is to do community outreach, recruitment, and education of Veterans, health professionals, patients, and their families in English and Spanish about dementia with a special focus on Veterans and VA employees. The Outreach and Education Coordinator will be working closely with the community outreach team in addition to daily contact with a large number of patients and families in the community.

BENEFITS

PAVIR is delighted to offer a robust and comprehensive employee benefits package with exceptional offerings such as health, dental and vision insurance, 14 paid holidays, generous vacation and sick pay policies, a 401(k) with a fully vested 6% company match and 3% profit share, a wellness program, commuter benefits, and professional development training. Plus, we pay for life, short-term disability, and long-term disability insurance.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serve as contact with research participants, sponsors, and regulatory agencies;
• Assist in developing recruitment strategies, screening and enrolling participants into studies;
• Collect and manage participant and patient data for clinical research projects;
• Interact with the principal investigator regularly, ensuring patient safety and adherence to proper study conduct.
• Monitor recruitment of study subjects, data completion, and protocol deviations;
• Prepare regular progress reports on these matters and propose and implement strategies to keep team on target, with input from the principal investigator as needed;
• Schedule sessions, help with obtaining written informed consent, and run participants through their respective protocols;
• Ensure essential documentation and recording of patient and research data in appropriate files per institutional and regulatory requirements;
• Manage research project databases, develop flow sheets and other study related documents, and complete study documents/case report forms;
• Conduct quality assessment of data in project redcap database.
• Coordinate community educational outreach events about dementia and aging in English and/or Spanish;
• Foster community relationships;
• Assist in creating outreach materials and utilize materials created by Principal Investigator (PI) and the team to conduct small educational events to increase dementia awareness in the community;
• Interview community participants to identify their educational needs;
• Assist the PI and the team to create educational materials based on community needs analyses.
• Participate in site monitoring visits and regulatory audits;
• Prepare regulatory submissions and ensure Institutional Review Board (IRB) renewals are completed;
• Assist RDIS submissions and annual reports;
• Ensure compliance with research protocols; Review and audit case report forms for completion and accuracy with source documents;
• Other tasks as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Required: Two-year college degree;
• Valid CA Driver License;
• 0-1 year of relevant experience (can include undergraduate experience);

• Desired:
• • Bachelor's degree or above in health care, social work, education, communication or in a related field;
  • Bilingual, able to read, write and speak Spanish proficiently.
• Society of Clinical Research Associates or Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) certification.
• • 2-4 years of related experience;
  • Familiarity with REDCAP databases;
  • 1+ years of in human subject research, including experience recruiting subjects for clinical studies;
  • Fluent Spanish speaker desired: able to read, write and speak in Spanish proficiently, preferred;
  • Must be available to occasionally work evening and weekend hours to conduct community events;
  • Deep understanding of the culture of Veterans from various eras and cultures;
  • Strong interest in dementia and clinical research;
  • Practical knowledge of IRB and regulatory requirements;
  • Strong knowledge of research procedures gained through education or experience;
  • Knowledge of VA and its health care system in regards to clinical research studies preferred;
  • Demonstrated ability to work with human study participants;
  • Experience recruiting subjects for clinical studies;
  • Familiarity and ability to apply standard concepts, practices, and procedures within the research field;
  • Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills;
  • Strong organizational skills and ability to work independently and as part of a team;
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, etc;
  • Ability to quickly learn and master computer programs;
  • Ability to use and apply analytical and mathematical skills effectively.

ABOUT PALO ALTO VETERANS INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH (PAVIR)

PAVIR engages in the administration of funds and providing support for the conduct of research at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) to find new and improved ways to combat human disease and help people with disabilities. At PAVIR we work with more than 160 uniquely talented medical scientists. Our researchers have an active appointment with the VA Palo Alto Health Care System and maintain academic appointments with Stanford University. We recruit and retain talented employees who believe in making a difference in the lives of others through innovative health research.

PAVIR is a nonprofit foundation affiliated with the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS). As a condition of employment, all PAVIR employees are required to have an approved appointment with VA and complete a background check before they can commence work.

PAVIR is pleased to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Minorities, Women, Veterans, and Individuals with a Disability are encouraged to apply. We welcome and encourage diversity in the workplace regardless of race, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need special assistance or an accommodation to apply for a posted position, please contact jobs@pavir.org - Human Resources