Research Study Coordinator

Department: MED-Mesulam Ctr Cog Neur & Alz
Salary/Grade: NEX/11

Job Summary:

The Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease (Mesulam Center) is a multi-departmental component of the Feinberg School of Medicine. We specialize in the clinical care and scientific study of neurological diseases that interfere with cognition and behavior. Areas of emphasis include age-related memory impairments and dementias. Our three interacting missions are to investigate the causes and clinical characteristics of neurodegenerative diseases, to ensure that our patients are the beneficiaries of the latest advances, and to explore the neural foundations of behavior and cognition in health and disease.

This position is within the Neuroimaging and Biomarker Core within Dr. Todd Parrish's laboratory, which is a part of the NIA-funded Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. Primary responsibilities include participant recruitment, scheduling, and enrollment into the research neuroimaging aspects (e.g. PET, MRI) of the ADRC research program. In addition, this position coordinates day to day administrative & technical activities, maintains source documents and standardized operating procedures (SOPs), performs data entry into REDCap, project organization and database management; oversees participant flow, study progress and IRB compliance; prepares and summarizes data for reports and presentations; completes all activities by strictly following Good Clinical Practices (GCP) & all relevant current local, state, & federal laws, regulations, guidance, policy & procedure developed by the NU Institutional Review Board (IRB), Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), & the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH).

To be considered for this position, please include a cover letter detailing previous experience and interest in this position including experience working with older adults.

Please note: Supervisor provides objectives, deadlines and specific instructions only for new, difficult, and/or unusual work. Work is reviewed upon completion and only occasionally to verify technical accuracy and compliance with practice, policy, and procedures. EE informs supervisor of on-going progress and/or potentially controversial matters.

Specific Responsibilities:

Technical

• Participates in the planning & conduct of research study including participant recruitment and retention.
• Schedules participant visits for neuropsychological tests, MRI and PET scans.
• Accompanies participants to imaging scans (e.g. MRI, PET).
• Obtains informed consent.
• Administers tests &/or questionnaires following protocols.
• Collects, compiles, tabulates & processes responses.
• Gathers study specific information.
• Extracts & analyzes data from medical charts.
• Arranges basic clinical procedures such as drawing blood & obtaining blood pressure.

Administration

• Collects, records, reviews & summarizes research data.
• Collates relevant mathematical results & prepares tables, charts & graphs reflecting relationships of multiple tests.
• Prepares reports for investigators and sponsors on recruitment status and other pertinent study data.
• Develops and refines research study materials and protocols as needed.
• Writes portions of grant applications.
• Works across Northwestern University and Northwestern Memorial Hospital teams to facilitate study compliance.
• Completes documents associated with current local, state, & federal regulatory guidelines, requirements, laws & research protocols.

Finance

• May process payments for research participants per study protocol.
• Works with industry representatives and Northwestern Memorial Hospital partners to maintain billing schedules.
• Coordinates reimbursements for participant pay, additional gift card orders, etc. & ensure costs remain within allotted grant budget.

Supervision

• May provide work direction &/or train other research staff to interview/test participants.
• May act as a mentor in regard to education of junior coordinators.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a major such as social or health science or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience and 2 years' research study or other relevant experience required; OR
• Successful completion of a full course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a master's or higher degree in a major such as social or health science or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.
• Must complete NU's IRB CITI training before interacting with any participants & must re-certify every 3 years.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Experience as a research assistant in biomedical or socio-behavioral research laboratories.
• Experience collaborating across teams.
• Excellent communication and organization skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or higher degree in Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, Psychology or related field.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Prior experience in human participant research, particularly with older adults and/or individuals with cognitive impairments.
• Experience with preliminary data analysis and report building.
• Experience with REDCap

Target hiring range for this position will be between $19.89 -$27.97 per hour. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

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