Community-Based Research Assistant

School of Medicine:

Established in 1930, Duke University School of Medicine is the youngest of the nation's top medical schools. Ranked sixth among medical schools in the nation, the School takes pride in being an inclusive community of outstanding learners, investigators, clinicians, and staff where interdisciplinary collaboration is embraced and great ideas accelerate translation of fundamental scientific discoveries to improve human health locally and around the globe. Composed of more than 2,600 faculty physicians and researchers, nearly 2,000 students, and more than 6,200 staff, the Duke University School of Medicine along with the Duke University School of Nursing, and Duke University Health System comprise Duke Health, a world-class academic medical center. The Health System encompasses Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Health Integrated Practice, Duke Primary Care, Duke Home Care and Hospice, Duke Health and Wellness, and multiple affiliations.

Be You.

About the Bellwether Collaborative for Health Justice:

As part of the Duke University Department of Population Health Sciences, it is the mission of the Bellwether Collaborative for Health Justice to shine a light on how the criminal legal system acts as a structural determinant of health and impacts population- and individual-level health outcomes. We are an interdisciplinary research team, led by Dr. Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein. Our work draws on the expertise of criminal legal system-involved persons and carceral and community stakeholders to inform innovative research that has practice and policy implications.

About the Research:

We are seeking two Senior Clinical Research Specialists, who will support two projects (CROSSROADS and STEPS) that aim to reduce negative health outcomes of substance use.

CROSSROADS STUDY: Overdose is one of the leading causes of death in the US. People who are exposed to or impacted by the criminal legal system disproportionately report using substances and experience high rates of overdose. Community Paramedic or Post-Overdose Response Team programs have grown across the country to address this crisis.

These teams respond during and after overdoses to offer life-saving support—including naloxone, medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and connections to health and social services to help people get care rather than face arrest or incarceration. However, these programs mostly focus on individual-level care. Research shows that broader issues—like lack of housing, difficulty accessing public benefits, and unmet legal needs—also drive overdose risk. These are sometimes called “health-harming legal needs” (HHLN). Medical-Legal Partnerships bring together legal and healthcare professionals to address these deeper challenges and reduce the chance of future overdose harm.

The hired candidates will support the work of the CROSSROADS study, which is designed to compare the community paramedic standard of care to an intervention that leverages Medical-Legal Partnerships. The study is taking place at four sites—Durham and Orange Counties, NC; Portland, ME; Miami, FL; and Huntington, WV. The hired positions will join an existing team to support research activities at the NC site, including participant recruitment, retention, and survey administration.

Recruitment and Retention:  75%

Regulatory and Administrative Activities:  15%

Team Meetings:  5%

Data Management:  5%

STEPS STUDY: People who use drugs (PWUD) often experience adverse outcomes in the year following release from incarceration, including overdose, suicide, and infectious disease acquisition. Depressive symptoms and illicit drug use are key mediators of these adverse outcomes, and risk is compounded by low health service engagement among PWUD. Yet empirically supported interventions that directly target these mechanisms among people with past-year incarceration are lacking. The STEPS Study aims to address this gap by evaluating a novel individually tailored behavioral therapy for PWUD with a recent history of incarceration.

The hired candidates will support the work of the STEPS study. Responsibilities may include:

Recruitment and Retention:  75%

Regulatory and Administrative Activities:  20%

Team Meetings:  5%

Minimum Requirements:

• An Associate’s degree is required.
• Work requires a minimum of two years of research experience.

Special Skills:

• Previous experience supporting the work of multi-site or complex research studies;
• Strong communication skills, especially with stakeholders and members of the community;
• Experience or expressed interest in working with individuals impacted by the criminal legal system;
• Interest or experience in scholarly writing.

Requested Application Materials:

Please provide a resume/CV, references, and a cover letter with your application. In your cover letter, please address any research experience you have, your interest/experience in working with populations affected by incarceration, and any experience/interest you have working with individuals impacted by substance use or the criminal legal system.

Must live within driving distance of the Durham/Orange County area.

Be Bold.

About the Position:

Research Operations:

• Establishing Agreements: The hired candidates will recognize when agreements are required for their project (examples: independent contractor agreements, data use agreements, subaward contracts, etc.) and offer support to establish agreements, as needed.
• Regulatory Knowledge: The hired candidates will have a working knowledge of regulatory and institutional policies (examples: IRB submission, required enrollment reporting, etc.). With supervision, they will contribute to the submission of IRB protocols or other regulatory documentation.
• Regulatory Oversight: The hired candidates will support the research team in preparing for study monitoring and audit visits. With supervision, they will work with the study team to address and correct any concerns identified by reviewers. 
• Participant-Level Documentation: The hired candidates will be responsible for following protocols related to maintaining participant-level documentation, tracking study enrollment and retention.
• Screening and Enrollment: The hired candidates will be responsible for screening participants for eligibility and enrollment.
• Participant Study Visits: The hired candidates will be responsible for the preparation and administration of study visits.
• Attending Study Meetings: The hired candidates will attend all project meetings for the Duke site as well as larger, cross-site meetings. They will work closely with project leadership to support the administration of team meetings, including preparing and distributing agendas and creating and distributing meeting minutes.

Research Ethics

• Adverse Events: The hired candidates will recognize potential adverse events and ensure timely reporting to the Lead Coordinator, PI, and required parties.
• Participant Consent and Documentation: The hired candidates will support the development of consent materials in close consultation with the Duke research team.
• Regulatory and Safety Reporting: The hired candidates will support the preparation and submission of regulatory and safety documentation to sponsors and other agencies.

Data Management

• Data Entry: The hired candidates will collect and maintain study data under the guidance of study leadership.
• Quality Assurance: Under supervision, the hired candidates will provide routine data oversight and quality checks to ensure consistency with study protocols and federal and institutional requirements.
• Data Visualization: Under supervision, the hired candidates will assist in preparing tables, data visualizations, and lay summaries to communicate study results to participants.

Scientific Contributions

• Protocol Development: The hired candidates will work closely with the PIs to develop research protocols consistent with best research practices.  
• Scholarly Product Development: The hired candidates will support the development of scholarly products, including contributing to presentations or academic posters, completing literature reviews, or supporting the development of scientific manuscripts. The hired candidates will also contribute to the distribution of study findings to non-scientific audiences (e.g., blog posts, white papers, stakeholders, etc.)

Study and Site Management

• Research Activity Management: The hired candidates will use Duke clinical research management systems, like Oncore, to track and manage participant activities, such as enrollment, participant payment, interviews, appointments, etc.
• Equipment and Supply Management: The hired candidates will be responsible for maintaining research materials, supplies, and equipment in good working order, and making the study team aware of needs as they arise.

Leadership:

• Professional Development: The hired candidates will have significant opportunity for professional development. They will work closely with their supervisor and PI to identify and facilitate training opportunities for themselves and other members of the study team.
• Continuing Education: The hired candidates will stay up to date with research best practices by attending talks, trainings, and workshops.
• Interpersonal Skills: The hired candidates will build successful, respectful, collaborative relationships with participants, community partners, and institutional stakeholders (e.g., community-based organizations, healthcare providers, and criminal legal system partners), using culturally responsive and trauma-informed approaches.
• Conflict Management: The hired candidates will recognize, navigate, and respond to interpersonal or organizational challenges with professionalism and sound judgment. They will address concerns directly when appropriate and escalate issues through appropriate channels as needed.

Choose Duke.

Join our award-winning team as identified by Forbes magazine as America’s Best Large Employer 2024 and be part of an inclusive culture that values excellence, innovation, and discovery. As an organization, we have exciting opportunities to be forward-thinking leaders in our field. We want talented individuals to join us, examine our current operations, and create innovative solutions that will revolutionize and enhance the way we approach our work.

Duke University is consistently ranked among the top universities worldwide and is renowned for its cutting-edge research across disciplines.