Work in Washington Veterans Jobs

Req #: 239650

Department: EPIDEMIOLOGY

Job Location Detail: Hybrid

Posting Date: 10/14/2024

Closing Info: Closes On 10/21/2024

Salary: $6,000 to $6,700 per month

Limited Recruitment: Open to UW Employees only

Shift: First Shift

Notes: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here. (https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/02/benefits-professional-staff-librarians-academic-staff-20230701_a11y.pdf)

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty.

Epidemiology has an outstanding opportunity for a (Working title: Research Coordinator, Payroll Title: Research Coordinator).

The National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) serves as the data, communication, and collaboration coordinating center for the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRC) Program.

NACC is currently funded by a $36M grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and is home to one of the largest (45,000+ participants), oldest, and most powerful Alzheimer’s datasets. Our extensive database of rich, longitudinal, standardized clinical and neuropathological data was built in collaboration with more than 37 Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) across the US over the past 25 years. NACC facilitates impactful research by serving as the data, communication, and collaboration coordinating center for the ADRC Program. NACC is driving major innovations that will modernize data collection, integration, storage, and sharing to transform and advance Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD) research. NACC is expanding its database to integrate electronic health records, Medicare claims, digital biomarkers, and digital neuropathology data, as well as additional genetic, biospecimen, and standard imaging (MRI and PET) metadata. Additionally, NACC is developing a novel data search and visualization portal to make all these data streams readily searchable and accessible to the international research community. This work will open the door to new discoveries in Alzheimer’s, improve our understanding of the disease, and enable the development of earlier disease detection technologies and more impactful therapeutics.

NACC is organized into five teams: 1) technology team, 2) project team, 3) research team, 4) grants and finance team and 5) communications team. NACC has been funded by NIA since 1999 and is based at the University of Washington, Department of Epidemiology.?

POSITION PURPOSE

The Research Coordinator is crucial to the success of NACC, and it is essential that the individual in this position is adept at collaborating with ADRC and non-ADRC investigators, as well as personnel from a variety of fields such as neurology, neuropathology, psychiatry, genetics, computer analysis, and administration across multiple institutions. The position will be highly visible, involving frequent interactions with scientists nationwide and showcasing the exceptional quality of research conducted at the University of Washington.

The Research Coordinator is focused on supporting NACC by assisting diverse groups and personnel with scientific research, statistical analysis, data quality, and report design. The position involves managing various research and data management projects to ensure their successful execution.

The Research Coordinator is a key member of the Research Team, reporting directly to the Research Team Manager. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong independent working skills while also being able to collaborate effectively with various groups within NACC, including the Technology and Operations Teams. The position requires a deep understanding of research and database complexities to support researchers across different disciplines both nationally and internationally.

The Research Coordinator involves applying independent problem-solving skills, leveraging existing and emerging scientific knowledge, and, when possible, exploring opportunities to enhance technical methods or content by developing new methodologies. A thorough understanding of neurological terminology and cognitive decline causes is essential, along with a solid grasp of current clinical and basic science in this area.

The candidate will need to apply this knowledge to tasks such as data collection design, quality assurance, consultation, and statistical analysis. The primary responsibilities of this role are divided into the following areas:

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Developing Scientific Content: (45%)

• Serve as one of the points-of-contact and creator of scientific content for ongoing and new research support projects, such as reviewing the data structure of new data streams and the development of new guidance documents for researchers using our data.

• Draft changes into documents (clinical forms, guidance documentation, researcher data dictionaries) for the Communications Specialist to design.

• Incorporate changes into REDCap data collection instruments.

• Review newly designed documents to verify all necessary additions/changes were incorporated and the new document matches the source document.

• Draft new forms and documentation for review by research scientists.

• Assist in writing new data validation checks, which will be programmed into NACC's intake technical architecture, to stop erroneous data from being submitted by Centers (e.g., our database will not accept a height of 100 feet tall).Assisting Researchers: (20%)

• Assists Researchers/Investigators in using and analyzing data mainly from the NACC database and other sources consistent with the research needs of ADRC investigators, including providing statistical and research design consultation. This includes analyses of NACC data, NACC collaborative projects data (including consortia with which NACC collaborates (e.g., ADNI, ADGC)), R01s, and other grants in which NACC participates. This includes performing statistical analyses for and collaborating with external researchers, as time permits.

• Develop a solid understanding of the NACC data to assist researchers with data requests, general questions, and publication submissions.

• Work with requesters to update their RedCap surveys as needed

• Regularly monitor Trello boards for new data requests, complete tracking metrics on Trello cards, and promptly update the status of each Trello card as data requests are completed.

• Help investigators obtain customized datasets by responding to data requests, specifying eligibility criteria and data elements for the Tech Team to create data files, and reviewing files before sharing with investigators.

• Contribute to shaping and deploying self-service tools for acquiring data from NACC.

• Answer questions from the Research Team email box (or triage questions to other NACC staff as needed).

• Review publications using NACC data to make sure the researchers describe the NACC data properly and include the NACC citation.Research (15%)?

• Independently and in collaboration with NACC faculty, initiates and conducts applied and methodologic/statistical research using the NACC database. This includes proposing topics, analyzing data, and preparing manuscripts for submission to scientific journals.Other duties (20%):

• Update and assist in creating summary data tables as necessary

• Support Research Scientist(s)/faculty with presentation and report preparation through administrative review of tables and content

• Update and maintain project tracking/task lists for meetings

• Online query systems and internal web systems that track publications, data requests, etc.: Assist in testing of new systems and compiling and tracking issues for the data group to fix; Provide feedback on improvements for existing systems

• Create new or update current website content related to NACC initiatives and documentation

• Other duties as assigned include, but not limited to, grant preparation, meeting and Task Force attendance, and programming. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Services, or another related field and two years of relevant experience in conducting research studies using applied statistical analysis, OR Equivalent combination of education/experience. Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Comfortable with statistical concepts, including multivariable methods, regression analysis, bivariate analysis, continuous and categorical data, longitudinal data analysis, and threats to validity (e.g. confounding and random error). Experience interpreting statistical results and providing clear written and verbal descriptions.

• Experience beyond the coursework with statistical analysis using SAS or R (prefer experience with both).

• Experience in conducting research studies using applied statistical analysis.

• Experience with data management and data collection design

• Strong project management skills and ability to juggle competing priorities to meet internally and externally imposed deadlines.

• Ability to work under deadline pressure.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Ability to work both independently and as a member of a team.

• Self-motivated with a high degree of initiative, organization and attention to detail.

• Capacity to work professionally and diplomatically interface with a variety of constituencies involved in dementia research.

• Ability to quickly build knowledge base of the clinical and biological aspects of dementias, in order to converse with ADRD professionals. DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Services or related field.

• Coursework and/or experience applying longitudinal data analysis methods.

• Additional experience and/or strong interest in ADRD research.

• Previous customer service experience. Application Process: The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are access ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.

University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.