Clinical Research Assistant

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Benefits:
All full‑time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package, which includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave granted upfront, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax‑deferred annuity and cash‑match programs, employee discounts, well‑being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

Unit: VP Research MBU
Department: Institute for Drug Alcohol Studies

Duties & Responsibilities
The VCU Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies (IDAS) advances multidisciplinary research and training on the neuroscience of addictions and related neurobehavioral disorders. Clinical Research Assistants (CRA) perform routine, non‑technical duties to assist technical and professional personnel in a research laboratory setting. The CRA will be expected to perform most components of data collection from human‑subject volunteers required for a biomedical behavioral research study.

• Subject Recruitment: Participant/research subject recruitment, placement of IRB‑approved materials and media advertisements about research studies being conducted at IDAS, and collection and computer entry of responses and information furnished by potential research volunteers contacting the lab by phone, web or other means to identify possible participants.
• Participant Consenting: Collection of informed consent from research volunteers, describing the study in simple language, and overseeing the signing of consent and assent forms.
• Data Collection: Biological data collection, including collection and testing of urine drug samples using test kits, and administration of breathalyzer assessment of alcohol intoxication.
• Maintain Study Data: Accurate and secure transmission and storage of study data, including to centralized databases or to physically‑secured case report forms for industry‑sponsored clinical trials.
• Participant Management: Accurate calculation of subject compensation; coordination of study visits for the subjects, including escorting research volunteers to and from the various testing rooms and waiting rooms of the research facility.
• Other Duties: Other duties assigned by supervisor or Principal Investigator, such as managing and supporting the PI’s student researchers.

Minimum Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism, and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.
• Bachelor's of Science degree or equivalent in Psychology, Neuroscience or related field.
• Proficient in computer skills, including word processing, data entry, spreadsheet, database management, and entry‑level statistical/programming skills.
• Strong clinical skills, including establishing rapport, maintaining participant motivation, empathic responding, teamwork within a multidisciplinary team, and use of clinical judgment in emergencies.
• Strong organizational skills, including an understanding of HIPAA regulations.
• Ability to organize meetings and present reports.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent in Psychology, Neuroscience or related field.
• Writing experience with first author and co‑author peer‑reviewed manuscripts.
• Knowledge of statistical analysis and software applications.
• Experience recruiting, consenting, and carrying out study procedures with opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment participants, including during pregnancy and postpartum.
• Qualitative research experience, including data collection, coding, and analysis.
• Ability to set up projects and surveys in REDCap, perform sample size calculations using GPower 3.1, analyze qualitative data (e.g., with ATLAS.ti.8), and perform quantitative statistical analysis (e.g., with SAS 9.4 and Graph Pad Prism).
• Experience with preparing and maintaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) and regulatory paperwork to comply with institutional regulatory requirements.
• Experience in mentoring and training student research trainees, incorporating them into research teams.

Salary Range: 40,000 – 45,000
FLSA Exemption Status: Non‑Exempt
Hours per Week: 40
Restricted Position: Yes
ORP Eligible: No
Flexible Work Arrangement: Onsite