Research Study Coordinator

Research Study Coordinator – Vu Research Group at Northwestern University

Qualified applicants should submit their resume and cover letter through the application portal (https://careers.northwestern.edu with Job Code 50752). Please also send a copy of your application materials to viethealthstudy@northwestern.edu. Review of application will begin immediately. 

The Research Study Coordinator will support several research grants within the department of Preventive Medicine under the direction of Dr. Ha Ngan (Milkie) Vu. Our programs include: 

1) Project HERO (HPV Education and Resources for the U.S. Vietnamese POpulation), which focuses on developing a culturally-relevant digital health education program to increase HPV vaccine confidence and uptake among the Vietnamese population in the U.S.

2) Project CARE (Community Programs to Address Food Insecurity among Asian Americans), which explores experiences of Asian Americans in Chicagoland with food insecurity and the programs that community organizations offer to address food insecurity, focusing particularly on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts.

3) A study on the barriers and facilitators of the referral to and utilization of mental health services provided by a community-based organization in Chinatown in Chicago. This study is conducted under the Chicagoland CEAL Program.

The Research Study Coordinator will assist in administrative and research duties for any of the above programs, with particular focus on conducting focus groups and semi-structured interviews, recruiting participants, processing participant payments, data management, quantitative data analysis, and qualitative or mixed-methods data analysis. There are also opportunities for co-authoring manuscripts and support grant writing. 

Some evening and weekend work may be required due to our work with community partners. The position is hybrid with three days in the office. Our office is based out of the Feinberg School of Medicine in downtown Chicago. This is a 1-year term position with the opportunity for renewal based on performance and funding availability. Due to the nature of our research, native fluency in spoken and written Vietnamese is desired, but not required.

Dr. Ha Ngan (Milkie) Vu is a mixed-methods researcher who conducts interdisciplinary research focusing on community engagement, implementation science, and chronic disease and cancer prevention. Much of the group’s research has focused on the health and well-being of Asian Americans and immigrant populations. This is an exciting opportunity for those who are interested in coordinating community-engaged research to promote health equity for underserved populations. This role offers a unique opportunity to take on leadership in research coordination responsibilities in a growing, dynamic research group. You will be instrumental in shaping the direction of our projects and contributing to the growth and success of our research initiatives.

Technical

1. Participates in the planning & conduct of research study including participant recruitment and retention.
2. Obtains informed consent
3. Administers tests &/or questionnaires following protocols.
4. Collects, compiles, tabulates & processes responses.
5. Gathers information.
6. Extracts & analyzes data from medical charts.
7. Schedule study visits
8. Conduct focus group and semi-structured interviews
9. Collects and analyzes responses using qualitative and quantiative methodologies
10. Facilitates communication with key personnel & participants to maintain project study flow.

Administration

1. Coordinate meetings and activities with community partners.
2. Collects, records, reviews & summarizes research data.
3. Collates relevant mathematical results & prepares tables, charts & graphs reflecting relationships of multiple tests.
4. Prepares reports for investigators and sponsors on recruitment status and other pertinent study data.
5. Writes portions of grant applications & co-author scientific papers.
6. Completes documents associated with current local, state, & federal regulatory guidelines, requirements, laws & research protocols.

Finance

1. May process payments for research participants per study protocol.
2. Coordinates reimbursements for expert panel travel, consultant pay, additional gift card orders, etc. & ensure costs remain within allotted grant budget.

Supervision

1. May provide work direction &/or train other research staff to interview/test participants.
2. May act as a mentor in regard to education of junior coordinators.
3. Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

1. 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
2. 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.
3. Must complete NU's IRB CITI training before interacting with any participants & must re-certify every 3 years.

Preferred Qualifications: (Education and experience)

1. Experience with IRB submission and management is preferred
2. Experience in community-engaged or health equity research is preferred

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

1. Native fluency in spoken and written Vietnamese is desired, but not required