Research Asst/Tech 2

The Vision of the BC Brain Wellness Program is Brain Wellness, Beyond All Boundaries.

We are leveraging the collective power of clinical care, lifestyle programs, education, and research to design a comprehensive and integrated approach to brain wellness for people with chronic brain conditions, care partners and healthy agers.

The BC Brain Wellness Program is an interactive effort to establish clinically relevant lifestyle approaches to complement medical treatment in the clinics at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health. By combining clinical care with interventions that support healthier lifestyles, the BC Brain Wellness Program team hopes to improve and sustain quality of life for people living with brain disorders and their care partners, as well as to offer healthy agers the opportunity to enhance their wellness and engage in preventative lifestyle measures.

The BC Brain Wellness Program brings together the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, the Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Clinic at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health. Expertise is drawn from many fields including the School of Music, Physiotherapy, Kinesiology, Neurology, Psychiatry, Neurosciences, Nutrition as well as several community partners.

The position is for a part-time hourly research assistant to assist in clinical research at the BC Brain Wellness Program. The individual will assist study team members in investigating, prioritizing, and conducting brain wellness research including: investigating novel lifestyle interventions, implementation of established lifestyle interventions, publication of research findings. The individual must be knowledgeable and mindful of the research enterprise ongoing. They must ensure: 1) patient confidentiality and safety; 2) Clinical data reliability and quality.

Organizational Status
The individual will work closely in a multidisciplinary team environment, and have access to electronic medical records. They will report directly to the Research Program Manager and the Principal Investigator.

Work Performed

• Recruits potential participants through various strategies, provides information and answers questions about research studies. This may involve outreach into the community.
• Screens patients for eligibility and schedules study visits.
• Obtains informed consent from participants and adheres to informed consent procedures and ethical guidelines for research involving human subjects.
• Performs clinical assessments and interviews with participants and collects clinical and demographic information. The clinical data will help document the extent of the movement disorder, using a series of questionnaires, scales, physical examination, cognitive-behavioral testing and interviews, as well as chart reviews.
• Reviews all study visit documentation (e.g. questionnaires) for completeness and accuracy.
• Enters data collected into the research database, and ensures policies and procedures for data management are being followed. The individual must ensure documents are entered and filed as required by ethical guidelines and local standard operating procedures.
• Assists in tracking participant remunerations and petty cash, as well as completing financial requisitions as needed.
• Writes and maintains ethics research protocols associated with relevant studies.
• Writes, edits, and submits research findings for publication.
• Performs literature reviews when required.
• Participates in group meetings, scientific seminars, and conferences.
• Other duties as delegated.
• The applicant's activities will focus on Brain health studies and the BC Brain Wellness Program but might also be involved in other research efforts or program related initiatives. The applicant should plan their day about clinic hours to maximize potential recruitment.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
Poor decisions/errors in judgment may compromise the quality of the data, results of the research, breech the trust and confidentiality of study subjects, and may result in financial loss to the Principal Investigators, the Centres and the University. Even simple typographical mistakes may result in distress to study subjects, and be damaging to the program and the reputation of the team and Principle Investigators. They may influence the ability of the PIs to meet critical deadlines and affect funding applications and ongoing program obligations.

Supervision Received
The research assistant will work closely with research staff, clinical investigators, clinicians, clinical fellows, nursing and multidisciplinary staff as well as students at the BC Brain Wellness Program. Overall supervision will be provided by the Research Program Manager and the Principal Investigator.

Supervision Given
None

Minimum Qualifications
High school graduation, some additional training in a related field and a minimum two years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

High school graduation, some additional training in a related field and a minimum two years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., Biology or a related science) is preferred. Past experience in a clinical and/or busy hospital environment would be advantageous, as would prior experience in clinical research. The applicant must be sensitive to the issues faced by individuals living with neurological disease and be able to communicate compassionately with patient participants. The need for accuracy in reporting, and attention to detail cannot be overstated. The applicant needs to be well organized in data collection and record keeping. Organizational skills are important, including the ability to prioritize workload. The applicant must have the ability to effectively manage multiple tasks and priorities, and the flexibility to adjust to changing work plans, schedules and deadlines. We require a self-motivated team member with passion and enthusiasm for disease-oriented medical research with the ability to work well in a team environment as well as be proactive at work. The desire to make a positive difference in the lives of patients and their families and this research enterprise is essential. The applicant must enjoy working as part of a large multidisciplinary team. However, they will also have the ability to work independently (albeit under the supervision of clinician scientists/scientists) once they have demonstrated the ability to show initiative. After a probationary period, they will be expected to step up and take an active role in project planning and support. Working between the public and University academics presents some communication challenges. Hence, the applicant must be adept in written and verbal English. Computers skills are of crucial importance: Word Processing, Internet (PubMed), and database (Access, Excel) experience is required. Standard Level First Aid and CPR C is an asset.