UTS - Temporary Sr. Clinical Research Coordinator at UNC Chapel Hill

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Department: 480502 - HR UTS/UNC Partnership

Location: Chapel Hill, NC

Essential Job Duties:

This position will serve as a Senior Clinical Research Coordinator with the Better Tomorrow Network within the Institute for Trauma Recovery (Department of Psychiatry). The Senior Clinical Research Coordinator is responsible for the planning, organization, conduct, and evaluation of multi-faceted clinical research protocols, including study execution, developing strategies and solutions to improve study processes and execution, providing reviews of other team members’ work product, and serving as a mentor and subject matter expert.

The Institute for Trauma Recovery seeks to advance understanding of trauma recovery and develop interventions that improve recovery. The foundation of our success is our fantastic team of faculty and staff. Our team believes that achieving new discoveries for trauma survivors around the globe, via observational studies and randomized controlled trials, is an extremely meaningful and satisfying way to spend one’s professional life. We work to place the trauma survivor at the center of all of our decisions and to serve them through our work. We continuously work to create a community where our team members serve trauma survivors and actualize their career growth and individual leadership potential.

BTN is the first research network in the world dedicated to improving treatments and care for survivors of sexual assault. BTN’s mission is to remove barriers to the conduct of high-quality, large-scale research studies that improve survivors’ lives. The goal of BTN is to greatly increase the number of studies of survivors performed, so that the care of survivors is steadily improved. Through collaborations with sexual assault treatment centers, researchers, stakeholders, and survivors, and through the use of the BTN National Research Volunteer Registry, BTN supports a range of interdisciplinary studies that focus on innovative approaches to prevention, early intervention, and treatment. BTN’s long-term vision is to contribute to achieving the goal that one day no survivor will experience chronic reductions in physical health, mental health, or quality of life due to sexual assault, and that perpetrators will be fairly brought to justice within a survivor-supporting system.

The BTN Coordinator will independently provide clinical research administration and study coordination. The Coordinator will work alongside the BTN Manager and PI to advance BTN’s mission, and will help manage research staff and student volunteers working on BTN studies. This position will be responsible for a broad range of duties related to planning, organizing, executing, and monitoring the implementation of new and existing studies and other research initiatives.

Duties will include supporting the PI and BTN Manager with maintaining research methods, tracking patients in the study, providing feedback and suggestions on the development/revision of research protocols and regulatory correspondence, and maintaining accurate and updated manuals of procedures for the studies. This position will serve as lead coordinator on one or more BTN studies. The Coordinator will also help oversee the network of partnering sites and contribute to the identification, selection, and negotiation of additional sites and studies, ensuring that partnering sites have the skill level and availability necessary to properly conduct the research. This position will also ensure that BTN staff are adhering to the appropriate SOPs and achieving excellence in patient/participant care.

Due to the nature of the research (sexual assault) and the geographical spread of study sites across time zones, typical encounters are after business hours and on the weekends, therefore it is typical that the position will provide support, respond when a potential research subject has been identified and make decisions.

Other Work/Responsibilities:

Knowledge – Professional – Professional knowledge and skill in social/clinical research principles, methods and processes (technical and/or theoretical) used to conduct a systematic and objective inquiry including study design, methods of data/information collection and analysis, and interpreting and reporting results. Knowledge of statistics and related information technology and database storage and management. Ability to keep current with developments and trends in area(s) of expertise.

Project Design – Ability to plan and coordinate methods and techniques to meet social/clinical research objectives, including project resources, methods of data/information collection, and quality control.

Project/Program Administration – Ability to manage (i.e., direct the affairs or interests of) and administer social/clinical research project(s)/program(s) tasks, activities, protocols, and timelines. Ability to manage resources and monitor activities associated with the progression of the project(s)/program(s).

Data/Information Analysis/Management – Ability to monitor, collect, and maintain research data/information to assess its accuracy, validity, and integrity. Ability to interpret and evaluate results. Ability to prepare reports and/or presentations. Ability to conduct trend and impact analysis. Ability to project probable outcomes. Ability to create and maintain databases and apply criteria for interaction of data.

Communication – Ability to convey clear and concise information verbally and in written form. Ability to effectively present ideas to individuals or groups to ensure that they understand the information and message. Ability to present research results and summaries and adhere to reporting requirements of research project(s)/program(s). Ability to contribute to the writing of publications, reports, and products.

Instruction – Ability to instruct and train staff, students, faculty and/or other clients in the performance of procedures and operation of equipment.

Principal Responsibilities

Supervision/Management:

Better Tomorrow Network Team Development and Training

+ Proactively identify areas for study team improvement related to study execution (e.g., recruitment, retention, study visit flow, etc.), develop and implement solutions.

+ Provide training in and oversee all areas of clinical research as necessary.

+ Assist with the planning and development of training for junior personnel.

+ Assist with the onboarding of new personnel.

+ Provides full supervision to research assistants and student interns, including management of the performance review process and disciplinary issues as needed. Set work schedules and approve leave requests.

Research – Project Management

Study Coordination

The coordinator of a study will be the individual responsible for tracking participants through the study, and for knowing what procedures need to be done and when they need to be done. Depending on the study, certain tasks of the study may be performed by RAs, but the “buck always stops with the coordinator.” That is, the coordinator is ultimately responsible for the completion of all study-related tasks and the excellent overall conduct of the study. The coordinator “owns” the study. The tasks of this work are too numerous and varied to list, but examples of tasks that fall under this work include:

+ Lead the coordination of study start-up activities and project planning, including development of materials such as study protocols and grant proposals.

+ Independently develop standard operating procedures to promote quality assurance and standardized best practices, as applicable.

+ Assist in overseeing site initiation, study start-up meetings, and closeout for research studies. Lead meetings as applicable.

+ Assess the needs of various research studies and employ strategies to optimize recruitment and retention rates. Oversee the recruitment and screening of research participants.

+ Assess the needs of a project, employ strategies, and make changes to optimize study visit flow.

+ Create complex source documentation, checklists, and/or other resources to aid with compliant data collection.

+ Develop complex data management tools/systems.

+ Track and report study expenditures. Contribute to the development of study budgets and assist with invoicing funders as applicable.

+ Make recommendations in the area of the research project as necessary.

+ Maintain up to date administrative and regulatory documents (e.g., IRB , CoC).

+ Ensure study records and extraction forms are completed in a timely manner.

+ Develop and maintain updated and accurate Manuals Of Procedures for studies. (This MOP is the master “directions” for the study, so that anyone could pick up this manual and understand how to conduct the study from beginning to end. MOPs are sometimes provided by companies for industry-sponsored studies.)

Research Administration

Network Coordination

Perform the following, as requested:

+ Oversee current network of partnering sites.

+ Lead site engagement.

+ Lead the identification, selection, and negotiation of additional studies and sites.

+ Design methods of successfully operationalizing studies.

+ Develop and maintain methods for identifying eligible patients, consenting patients, and performing follow-up assessments.

Research Compliance

Regulatory and Compliance

+ Perform reviews of regulatory submissions and materials from study staff; provide correction and feedback as necessary.

+ Ensure study staff follow best practices for regulatory documentation.

+ Create and maintain administrative study documentation (e.g., delegation of authority logs, training records).

+ Develop and submit complex regulatory applications and/or study materials (e.g., recruitment materials, informed consent forms).

+ Identify, gather, and store required regulatory documentation.

+ Prepare for study monitoring, coordinate and participate in monitoring visits, resolve queries and decide corrective action to be taken, as applicable. Convey major points of monitoring reports to the Principal Investigator and supervisory personnel. Track, document, and report protocol deviations and adverse events. Lead the conduct of root cause analyses (RCAs) and development of corrective action plans (CAPAs).

Required Qualifications:

+ Specialized knowledge in clinical research principles. Ability to plan and design methodologies for monitoring data collection. Ability to take a leadership role in implementing changes in design of clinical research management. Ability to problem solve and resolve quality control issues by changing processes.

+ Strong written and verbal communication skills. Must be able to work and communicate with diverse populations effectively and professionally. Ability to work independently as well as function as part of a team. Proficient with Microsoft Outlook, Excel, and Word.

+ Must have experience working with human subjects in research studies

+ Must have strong project management/project coordinator experience as it relates to clinical research

Preferred Qualifications:

Master’s degree or higher in health services research, exercise and sports science, public health, epidemiology or a related field. Experience in human-subjects research is critical. Excellent written and oral communication skills. Ability to pay attention in detail. Ability to work with a high degree of independence and initiative. Experience with Microsoft Office, Teams, and REDCap.

Required license or certification:

N/A

Position Number: 48CK17

AA/EEO Statement:

NC State University is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as an individual with a disability, or status as a protected veteran.

If you have general questions about the application process, you may contact Human Resources at (919) 515-2135 or workatncstate@ncsu.edu. Individuals with disabilities requiring disability-related accommodations in the application and interview process, please call 919-515-3148.

Final candidates are subject to criminal & sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks. If highest degree is from an institution outside of the U.S., final candidates are required to have their degree equivalency verified at www.wes.org or equivalent service. Degree(s) must be obtained prior to start date in order to meet qualifications and receive credit.

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