Research Assistant

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

This position is 0.5 FTE (part-time).

At UBC we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research innovation and learning for all faculty staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary
The incumbent is responsible for support clinical research evaluating opportunistic salpingectomy as an ovarian cancer prevention strategy. The Research Assistant will identify and screen potentially eligible participants approach patients regarding study participation obtain informed consent and collecting and entering study data. A key component of the position will involve attending surgical procedures in the operating room to collect study-specific data including direct observation and accurate measurement of the time required to perform opportunistic salpingectomy.

Organizational Status
The UBC Faculty of Medicine Department of Surgery educates students at the undergraduate graduate and postgraduate levels and pursues research to make innovative advancements in knowledge and practice to improve health. The Department consists of more than 600 physicians surgeons scientists and educators and over 70 administrative research and technical staff distributed across British Columbia. There are nine divisions in the following specialties: Cardiac Surgery General Surgery Neurosurgery Otolaryngology Pediatric Surgery Plastic Surgery Radiation Oncology Thoracic Surgery and Vascular Surgery. The Department is also home to the Branch for Global Surgical Care (BGSC).

The Research Assistant reports directly to the Research Manager. The Research Assistant also receives guidance and direction from Dr. Scott Cowie Dr. Gillian Hanley Dr. Heather Stuart and their research teams. The position will involve close interaction with physicians surgeons nurses operating room staff research assistants other research personnel and study participants.

Work Performed
The responsibilities of the Research Assistant will include:

Reviewing clinical schedules and patient records to identify potentially eligible study participants according to established inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Screening potential participants and documenting eligibility in accordance with approved study protocols.

Approaching potentially eligible patients providing study information answering questions within the scope of the role and obtaining informed consent in accordance with research ethics requirements and Good Clinical Practice.

Maintaining regular communication with study participants and clinical teams to facilitate study participation and data collection.

Extracting study variables from clinical and patient records using established data collection procedures.

Attending surgical procedures in the operating room to conduct protocol-specified observational data collection.

Recording other protocol-specified intraoperative information while ensuring that research activities do not interfere with patient care or operating room workflow.

Working collaboratively and professionally with surgeons anesthesiologists nurses and other operating room personnel and adhering to all applicable hospital and operating room policies including infection prevention and control requirements.

Entering study data into REDCap or other approved research databases and maintaining complete accurate and timely study records.

Performing data quality checks and resolving missing incomplete or inconsistent data in consultation with senior research staff.

Maintaining participant screening recruitment consent enrolment and follow-up logs.

Preparing and maintaining study materials informed consent documents data collection tools and other study documentation.

Maintaining strict participant confidentiality and ensuring that research activities comply with approved research ethics protocols institutional policies and applicable regulatory requirements.

Participating in research team meetings and providing updates regarding recruitment data collection study procedures and any operational issues.

Promptly identifying and reporting protocol deviations recruitment challenges data quality concerns or other study-related issues to the Principal Investigator or senior research staff.

Completing all required institutional research ethics privacy clinical research and operating room training prior to undertaking relevant study activities.

Performing other related duties as required for the successful execution of the clinical research study.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
Errors in participant screening informed consent study data collection intraoperative observation timing measurements or data entry could compromise participant safety or confidentiality violate the approved research protocol reduce the validity and reliability of study findings and delay study completion.

The Research Assistant is expected to follow established study protocols carefully and to exercise sound judgement regarding when questions or concerns should be escalated to the Principal Investigator or senior research staff. All research activities must be conducted ethically and in accordance with the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans institutional policies approved research ethics protocols and applicable clinical research requirements.

Because some research activities will occur within the hospital particular attention must be paid to maintaining patient confidentiality respecting the clinical environment complying with operating room procedures and ensuring that research activities do not interfere with clinical care.

Supervision Received
Many aspects of the work will be performed independently following appropriate training. Supervision will be provided by the Research Manager Principal investigators the site lead and senior research staff during orientation when new procedures are introduced and when questions or unusual circumstances arise.

The Research Assistant will be expected to carry out established research procedures independently recognize situations requiring clarification or escalation and communicate regularly with the research team regarding recruitment study progress and operational issues.

Supervision Given
None

Minimum Qualifications
An undergraduate degree some additional training in a related field and a minimum of two years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives including perspectives in conflict with ones own.
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing ones own awareness knowledge and skills related to equity diversity and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in a health sciences life sciences public health or related discipline preferred.
• Previous experience in clinical or health research particularly research involving direct interaction with patients.
• Experience screening and recruiting research participants and obtaining informed consent is strongly preferred.
• Experience working in a hospital surgical or other clinical environment is an asset.
• Familiarity with operating room environments and procedures is an asset.
• Completion of TCPS 2 and Good Clinical Practice training or willingness to complete required training before commencing study activities.
• Experience with REDCap or another clinical research database is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to collect and document clinical research data accurately and consistently.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to follow standardized research protocols.
• Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills including the ability to communicate sensitively and professionally with patients.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with investigators physicians nurses operating room personnel research staff and study participants.
• Ability to work independently while recognizing situations requiring consultation with senior research staff.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks prioritize responsibilities and work effectively within clinical schedules and timelines.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality of participant and clinical information.
• Ability and willingness to work on-site and attend surgical procedures in the operating room as required by the study protocol.
• Flexibility in work scheduling to accommodate surgical schedules and study recruitment activities.
• Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Office and electronic research data systems.