Peer Recovery & Research Assistant
The Johns Hopkins Center for Substance Use and Infectious Diseases Care Integration (CSUIDCI) seeks to reduce gaps in linkage to care for substance use and viral infectious disease prevention and treatment. We are partnered with the Frederick County Health Department’s Street Safe Program (SSP), where we deliver telemedicine-based medical care. We are seeking a Peer Recovery & Research Assistant who will support the implementation of a social networking intervention called SPRUCE: SSP and Peers in Rural Areas Connecting. SPRUCE is designed to train SSP clients in key knowledge about hepatitis C & HIV prevention, testing, and treatment, overdose prevention and treatment for substance use disorders, so that they can support their communities with health knowledge, and increase accessibility to available telemedicine-based health care at the SSP, and the substance use services available at the Frederick SSP. The research implementation aspect of the role will be supported by the Hopkins CSUIDCI researchers.
Importantly, this role will function as a Peer Recovery Specialist with the on-site Frederick Health Department’s SSP team, with day-to-day supervision by the SSP’s Peer Supervisor. The position is through Johns Hopkins and governed by Hopkins employee benefits, research, and clinical regulations. While supervision at the day-to-day level is provided by the Frederick SSP Peer Supervisor, management of the role is through Hopkins and includes management of the position’s research implementation responsibilities and the quality of the Peer’s work at the SSP by the CSUIDCI program manager.
Specific Duties & Responsibilities
- Act by Johns Hopkins' research, clinical, and privacy regulations, as well as professional standards.
- Reduce gaps in linkage to substance and viral infectious diseases care through engaging and educating clients about available services and working to retain them in care.
- Learn about and share information on the prevention, testing, and treatment of HIV and hepatitis C.
- Learn about and share information on available treatments for opioid and alcohol use disorders.
- Conduct rapid HIV and hepatitis C testing.
- Understand available local resources that address Social Determinants of Health (e.g., housing, food, transportation, insurance, general medical care, legal services) and provide warm linkage and follow-up to SSP clients.
- Assist the SSP staff with Hopkins telehealth patient needs, including transportation, linking clients to the telemedicine visits, visit reminders, and related support.
- Support the existing SSP workflow and ensure the implementation of the intervention/s is accessible, respectful of, and relevant to the sites and clients’ needs.
- Order and maintain inventory of Johns Hopkins-funded supplies.
- Provide services as a member of the SSP team, as directed/indicated by the SSP’s on-site Peer Supervisor.
- Participate in regular supervision, meetings, and training with the SSP staff and Hopkins team.
- Support day-to-day clinical, research, and administrative responsibilities of SPRUCE.
- With training, support, and close coordination with the Hopkins CSUIDCI team, act as on-site representative and research assistant for the SPRUCE (SSP and Peers in Rural Areas Connecting) study.
- Promote accessibility of SSP-based services and programs through engaging community stakeholders.
- Schedule and coordinate meetings with stakeholders per research protocol and with support from the CSUIDCI team.
- Schedule and coordinate Community Advisory Board (CAB) meetings, in-person and via Zoom, with support from CSUIDCI team.
- Provide and accurately record compensation to SPRUCE study participants, as per protocol.
- Distribute HIV self-test kits to SPRUCE study participants.
- Provide information about research opportunities and schedule appointments with potential new SPRUCE study participants.
- Share directions, maps, and other SSP-specific information with new SPRUCE study participants.
- Secure space for initial training sessions for SPRUCE study participants and refresher courses promptly.
- Learn about the SPRUCE intervention and support SPRUCE study participants in the intervention.
- Execute study needs by IRB-approved research protocol.
- Assist the provider with updating and gathering information to submit programmatic progress reports.
- Assist with research tasks: data entry, careful, timely, and consistent documentation per protocol, scheduling participant appointments, and other related duties as assigned.
- Learn and use the secure online study database, REDCap.
- Maintain all Hopkins-required regulatory certifications, including CITI and GCP certifications.
Minimum Qualifications
- High School Diploma or equivalent.
- Two years of related experience.
- Applicants must possess or obtain certification within two years of employment. Training, volunteer/employment hours, and supervision are required for certification provided through employment.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working with people who use drugs.
- Peer Recovery Specialist Certification in Maryland.
- Experience with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Zoom, and Adobe Acrobat.
- Lived experience of mental health concerns, substance use, or a co-occurring disorder that is in remission for a minimum of two years.
- Motivated, exceptional work ethic.
- Must be able to focus on tasks requiring attention to detail.
- Must be able to consistently document required activities.
- Lived experience with HIV, HCV, SUD, MHD.
- Demonstrated maturity and capacity to work well in a diverse and demanding environment.
Classified Title: Research Program Assistant II
Job Posting Title (Working Title): Peer Recovery & Research Assistant
Role/Level/Range: ACRO40/E/02/CC
Starting Salary Range: $15.70 - $26.25 HRLY ($50,000 targeted; Commensurate w/exp.)
Employee group: Full Time
Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt
Location: School of Medicine Campus
Department name: SOM DOM Infectious Disease
Personnel area: School of Medicine