Research Services Senior Clinical Science Professional (senior Project Coordinator)

Research Services Senior Clinical Science Professional (Senior Project Coordinator)

The School of Medicine's Department of Emergency Medicine has an opening for a full-time University Staff (unclassified) Research Services Senior Clinical Science Professional (Senior Project Coordinator). This Senior Clinical Science Professional will support both the Patient-Centered Injury Prevention research group, which is led by Dr. Emmy Betz, MD, MPH and includes a large research portfolio of mixed-methods research related to firearm injury prevention in military communities, and the Research Advancing Practice through Implementation and Dissemination Science (RAPIDS) program, which aims to integrate dissemination and implementation (D&I) science into emergency medicine research and operations through a Learning Health System (LHS) approach, and is led by Dr. Bethany Kwan, PhD, MSPH.

In the Betz lab, the current primary project this position will support is the "Pause to Protect" program. This Department of Defense (DOD)-funded program engages a network of firearm businesses near ten military installations and provides the businesses with resources and technical assistance in promoting secure firearm storage among their customers. Related projects this position may support relate to messaging, initiatives, and creative approaches to prevention of firearm injury and violence, including suicide, family violence, and unintentional shootings. Broadly, the work includes community-engaged research with quantitative measures and qualitative interviews with key stakeholders. Past and current work has engaged firearm owners and retailers, military personnel, individuals with suicide risk, family members, community groups, and individuals with lived experience. This position serves as lead study coordinator. The work includes preparatory activities such as IRB and protocol preparation and submission (locally and to DOD Office of Human Research Protections, as well as coordinating with partners to set up reliance agreements); Manual of Operating Procedures development and monitoring; directing the activities of other staff members working on the studies; communicating with various stakeholders about project status; strategic planning to overcome unexpected barriers; preparing sponsor reports; communicating with the sponsor; and other study-related tasks. The position may also involve assisting with general project needs, such as REDCap database development, meeting scheduling, obtaining informed consent, designing or adapting online tools, and other duties as determined by Dr. Betz and the Research Program Manager.

In the RAPIDS program, this position will serve as program coordinator, supporting grant and manuscript writing, IRB processes, and project management for this new infrastructure program, which will leverage data, informatics, and multidisciplinary team science to enhance healthcare quality via iterative cycles of research and evaluation. As program coordinator, this position will help establish program infrastructure, including coordinating program meetings with RAPIDS-affiliated faculty, coordinating data collection and management and supporting IRB submissions for preliminary data, identifying program workflow and process improvement opportunities, and supporting grant submissions and publications. The position will eventually include acting as a study coordinator on at least one RAPIDS-affiliated project.

The ideal candidate will have experience in serving as the lead project coordinator, particularly for projects funded by the DOD or conducted with military populations; experience leading teams of research staff; experience with human subjects' protections; productivity in working remotely; experience developing and implementing new infrastructure and processes and using structured process improvement methods; and experience developing and submitting institutional review board protocols for community-based studies.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist and train junior team members
• Adhere to research regulatory standards
• Complete and submit progress reports to funders and departmental leadership on approved timeline
• Create and maintain, with assistance from study teams, REDCap databases for data collection, and coordinate data collection and management for Betz- or RAPIDS-affiliated studies
• Maintain detailed records of studies to ensure compliance with requirements of funders, study protocols, department, hospital/clinical standard operating procedures and other regulatory guidelines
• Participate in study recruitment efforts, including completing (or ensuring completion) visit scheduling, informed consent (as required), and data collection
• Independently perform study related processes, procedures, and assessments as defined in study protocol and in compliance with regulating bodies
• Ensure that the necessary study supplies and equipment are in stock and in working order
• Independently master study materials, including but not limited to protocols, informed consent forms, and all other essential study documents for assigned studies
• Develop, with assistance from study teams, protocol-specific systems and documents including process flows, training manuals, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Case Report Forms (CRFs)
• Assist with identifying issues related to operational efficiency and share results with leadership
• Collect information to determine study-specific feasibility, recruitment, and retention strategies
• Employ, evaluate and assist with the implementation of innovative solutions to maximize study recruitment and retention
• Serve as a resource and participate in study initiation and close out duties

Betz lab:

• Act as a Primary Coordinator in the Betz lab, including overseeing the day-to-day operations of DoD-funded studies
• Create and maintain strong, positive relationships with study team members, participants, and partners at partner sites and military installations

RAPIDS:

• Help establish RAPIDS program infrastructure, including coordinating program meetings with RAPIDS-affiliated faculty, and identifying program workflow and process improvement opportunities
• Support IRB submissions, grant submissions and publications for RAPIDS-affiliated projects
• Serve as a primary liaison for faculty across the department of Emergency Medicine in accessing RAPIDS support
• Develop strong collaborative relationships with department faculty and staff, and with key research operational contacts at CU Anschutz and UCHealth

This description is a summary only and describes the general level of work being performed, it is not intended to be all-inclusive. The duties of this position may change from time to time and/or based on business need. We reserve the right to add or delete duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the supervisor and/or hiring authority.

Work Location: Hybrid – this role is eligible for a hybrid schedule of 3 days per week on campus and as needed for in-person meetings.

Why Join Us:

Dr. Betz oversees a multi-million dollar research portfolio of complex, community-engaged, mixed-methods studies funded by the National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense. She is a recognized national expert in firearm injury prevention and has been invited to work with numerous organizations spanning the civilian to veteran spectrum. Examples include medical organizations (American Medical Association, American College of Surgeons), the American Bar Association, multiple VA workgroups, the Department of Defense Suicide Prevention Office, and White House events or initiatives under the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations. In 2023 she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

Dr. Kwan is the Associate Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine, and also directs the Colorado Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) Dissemination and Implementation Research Core. Dr. Kwan is a health services researcher and implementation scientist with two decades of experience in practice-based research and evaluation in partnership with health systems and care teams. She is a national leader in research focusing on design, testing, and dissemination of sustainable, evidence-based, and patient-centered practices for improving health care quality, equity, and patient-centeredness, as well as in stakeholder engagement in developing strategies for dissemination of evidence-based practices and research infrastructure.

Why work for the University? We have AMAZING benefits and offer exceptional amounts of holiday, vacation and sick leave! The University of Colorado offers an excellent benefits package including:

• Medical: Multiple plan options
• Dental: Multiple plan options
• Additional Insurance: Disability, Life, Vision
• Retirement 401(a) Plan: Employer contributes 10% of your gross pay
• Paid Time Off: Accruals over the year
• Vacation Days: 22/year (maximum accrual 352 hours)
• Sick Days: 15/year (unlimited maximum accrual)
• Holiday Days: 10/year
• Tuition Benefit: Employees have access to this benefit on all CU campuses
• ECO Pass: Reduced rate RTD Bus and light rail service

There are many additional perks & programs with the CU Advantage.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a health related field from an accredited institution
• A combination of education and related technical/paraprofessional experience may be substituted for the bachelor's degree on a year for year basis
• Two (2) years clinical or community research or related experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with coordinating clinical/community trials
• Experience working with DoD-funded research
• Master's degree in public health or health related field