Research Assistant

The Department of Mental Health is seeking a Research Assistant who will work under the direction of the Principal Investigator and Study Coordinators to assist in the collection of research data for ongoing studies addressing violence and mental health comorbidities among Black women and families. The Research Assistant will be responsible for screening, recruiting, and enrolling participants into ongoing research studies. In this role, the Research Assistant will also administer quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews; and conduct preliminary analyses for ongoing research studies.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

• Works directly with the Principal Investigator(s), Coordinators, and research team in the overall planning for the study.
• Maintains knowledge of the study protocols and reporting requirements.
• Maintains record keeping including participant trackers, remuneration tracking, and changes to implementation plans.
• Conducts administrative duties such as preparing for meetings, attend and help facilitate meetings, and writing meeting minutes.
• Support the development of project deliverables (e.g., compiling and submitting monthly recruitment and retention reports).
• Attend community recruitment events with PI, Coordinators, or other research team members.
• Participates in the development and submission of manuscripts.

General Responsibilities

• Maintain a good working knowledge of all assigned studies.
• Follow all study Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved protocols and procedures.
• Comply with all regulatory and institutional requirements related to clinical research. Maintain compliance with HIPAA and IRB regulations and guidelines.
• Obtain and maintain certification of in Good Clinical Practice (GCP), Human Subjects Research (HSR), HIPAA, and patient assessments. Certification will be completed as part of the onboarding process.
• Provide telephone and correspondence management.
• Schedule meetings, create meeting agendas, and record meeting minutes.
• Maintain filing system for electronic and paper-based research records for each participant enrolled in the clinical studies to ensure compliance with HIPAA and IRB regulations and guidelines.
• Actively update PI on participant enrollment and data collection status via verbal and written communication.
• Take initiative in anticipating and responding to staff and research participants’ needs based on awareness of routine and repeated job functions.
• Maintain high level of motivation for job functions with positive attitude.
• Attend regular research group meetings.
• Carry out duties and responsibilities with limited supervision but seek clarification when needed.
• Effectively prioritize and work on multiple tasks with concurrent deadlines and demonstrate excellent time management skills and efficiency.
• Regularly update clinical and research staff, verbally and in writing, of progress with job functions.
• Attend recruitment events to recruit, screen, and enroll participants.
• Other duties as assigned by the PI, or lead coordinator of the project.
• Participate in other research initiatives as workload allows. Perform miscellaneous related duties as assigned.
• Participate in data collection and organization of multiple studies. Perform data entry and data editing. Collect data via extraction from public databases (e.g. CDC, Census).
• Maintain and complete protocol specific patient records and Case Report Forms (CRF).
• Maintain confidential records of required source documentation on each assigned research subject on protocol.
• Maintain specimen logs and coordinate laboratory specimen processing and handling with appropriate lab supervisors.
• Communicate with participants with reminders of their appointments, post appointments to research calendars, and maintain logs of patient screening, surveys and visits, and compile mailings.
• Work with the Research Program Coordinator in preparing and organizing data collection materials for participant visits, conducting the study visits, and collecting biological specimens.
• Obtain informed consent from eligible patients.
• Administer standardized surveys to research participants during visits.
• Maintain logs of patient screening, surveys, and visits.
• Assist with submission of documents to the IRB.

Special Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Advance computer skills and word processing, spreadsheet, and database knowledge.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office is essential.
• Ability to prioritize and coordinate multiple tasks.
• Ability to work well and communicate effectively with others.
• Strong organizational and leadership skills and be able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to work with a diverse team of researchers and with diverse subject populations.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to learn new database and software applications is required.
• Ability to follow multiple, detailed directions of various protocols.
• Excellent time management skills.

• Bachelor's Degree in related discipline.
• Additional related experience may substitute for required education, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.

Classified Title: Research Assistant 
Role/Level/Range: ACRO40/E/03/CD  
Starting Salary Range: $17.20 - $30.30 HRLY ($47,000 targeted; Commensurate with experience) 
Employee group: Full Time 
Schedule: Monday to Friday: 9 am – 5 pm with occasional nights and weekends 
Exempt Status: Non-Exempt 
Location: Hybrid/School of Public Health 
Department name: ​​​​​​​Mental Health Research Projects  
Personnel area: School of Public Health