Research Assistant

JOB TITLE: Research Assistant DEPARTMENT: Health Services Research LOCATION: Fully Remote

STATUS: Non-Exempt – Part-time

SUPERVISOR TITLE: Research Director

GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE JOB:

  • Southern California University of Health Sciences is currently seeking a part-time Research Assistant.
  • The Research Assistant will support projects across the Clinical and Health Services Research (CHSR) project portfolio with the primary responsibility of assisting the research team in various stages of research and publication. The role involves conducting comprehensive literature reviews, managing and formatting citations, and performing basic literature searches.
  • Additionally, the candidate will generate graphs and spreadsheets to effectively portray research results and prepare, maintain, and update summaries of research milestones for marketing purposes.
  • This is a part-time position with an expected workload of 20 to 24 hours per week, not to exceed 96 hours per month.

 ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Conduct literature reviews
  • Citation management and formatting
  • Conducting basic literature searches
  • Searching for publicly available datasets
  • Fact checks and proofreads manuscripts
  • Generates graphs and spreadsheets to portray results
  • Prepare, maintain, and update summaries of research milestones for marketing purposes
  • Reviewing and copyediting drafted research abstracts, manuscripts, and/or grant proposals
  • Develop or assist in the development of interview schedules; contact potential subjects to introduce and explain study objectives and protocol and to arrange interviews
  • Conduct and record interviews with subjects, in accordance with predetermined interview protocol, data collection procedures and documentation standards
  • Review and edit data to ensure completeness and accuracy of information; follow up with subjects to resolve problems or clarify data collected
  • Prepare findings for publication and assist in data management
  • Assist with development of research protocols
  • Track and compile data for progress reports
  • Attend project meetings
  • Piloting surveys for clarity and functionality
  • Perform miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned

Attendance

Must be punctual and timely in meeting all requirements of performance, including, but not limited to, attendance standards and work deadlines, beginning and ending assignments on time.

Fully Remote

While this position is fully remote, there may be opportunities to attend meetings or events on

the SCU campus as relevant to a particular project or initiative. Candidates should expect to be available and responsive Monday through Thursday during the Pacific time zone workday, with some flexibility for personal schedules and time zone differences within the U.S. Computer and other equipment necessary for remote work will be provided. Candidates must have access to strong and secure internet connectivity.

Interpersonal

The Clinical and Health Services Research team is guided by the values of equity, collegiality, respect for persons, integrity, and a whole-person perspective. We aspire to exhibit these values in the daily conduct of research activity. The data analyst serves as a key team member in these research endeavors and should intend to exhibit and advocate for these values within the role.

Leadership

This position has no formal leadership responsibilities, but there may be opportunities to mentor other faculty and/or SCU students in the development of data management and analysis skills.

Candidates should expect to collaborate closely with members of each project team and may frequently take a leadership role regarding the handling of data throughout the research process.

Organization

Clinical and Health Services Research

 SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

 EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

       REQUIRED:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a health-related field
  • Experience with mixed methods data management and analysis for health research

       PREFERRED:

  • Master’s degree in a health-related field
  • Experience with grant writing for federal and private funding

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

 COMPUTER SKILLS:

Experience with:

  • Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

 CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

None Required

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES/ QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Knowledge of statistics and experience using statistical packages for analyzing datasets (e.g., R, SAS, Stata, etc.)
  • Familiarity with qualitative and mixed methods data analysis, and experience with qualitative software (e.g. Dedoose, NVivo)
  • Statistical and analytical skills with the ability to organize, clean, analyze, and disseminate significant amounts of data with attention to detail and accuracy
  • Ability to take initiative, problem-solve, exercise excellent judgement, demonstrate critical thinking skills, and adapt to frequently shifting priorities in diverse settings
  • Experience with qualitative coding and collaboration on qualitative research projects
  • Expertise in data modeling and understands relationships between data items
  • Self-starter with good time management, initiative, and professional work style
  • Experience with health-related data and/or population surveys
  • Ability to clearly interpret and implement healthcare data analysis policies and procedures
  • Ability to prioritize and multi-task

   PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

This position has no physical demands.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

This is a remote position.

SCU CORE VALUES:

  1. Integrative Health: We teach, learn, collaborate, and lead by creating an open environment for multiple disciplines and professionals to bring their shared and unique skills together for the benefit of patients and students.
  2. Evidence-based Practice: We value a culture of inquiry, assessment, research, scholarship, and judicious use of current best evidence to inform our decisions and work.
  3. Health Equity: We value people equally. We strive to educate graduates that are prepared to improve individual and community health.
  4. Inclusivity: We welcome everyone regardless of age, race, ethnicity, class, religion, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other similar or protected status. We believe inclusivity leads to more diversity in our reasoning, better representativeness in