Research Coordinator

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.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences within the UW School of Medicine is the third largest clinical department within the School of Medicine with 330 full-time faculty members, 460 courtesy faculty members, and over 350 staff. Department faculty provide clinical services in 5 hospitals, 14 primary care locations, and several outpatient sites in addition to telepsychiatry consultations to more than 150 clinics in Washington and beyond. As the only academic psychiatry department serving the five state WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho), the Department's highly competitive residency training program is largely responsible for developing the mental health workforce in the Pacific Northwest. The Department's robust research portfolio totals $67 million in grants and contracts per year for projects ranging from clinical neurosciences to treatment development to health policy and population health. The Department is recognized as an international leader in developing, testing, and implementing Collaborative Care, an integrated care model increasingly seen as a solution for population-based mental health care. Other areas of excellence include Addictions, Autism, High Risk Youth, Neurosciences, and Trauma, and the Department is developing innovative new programs in Technology and Mental Health, Global Mental Health, Maternal and Child Mental Health, and Targeted Intervention Development.

The Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences within the UW School of Medicine currently has an outstanding opportunity for an experienced Research Coordinator. Psychiatry is the third largest department in the School of Medicine and the largest non-divisioned department. The overall annual operations funding from all sources is over $130 million.

POSITION PURPOSE

This full-time research position involves coordination and supervision of a variety of SPIRIT lab research and evaluation projects and activities within PACT (Programs of Assertive Community Treatment), as well as other research projects that support evidence-based care for people with SMI. A focal point of the role will be on analyzing data, writing academic publications and grant writing, in addition to coordination activities. This role is intended to represent a research perspective within the expert team of PACT trainers, helping to ensure that the ongoing evaluation and training of PACT teams simultaneously serve as a robust portfolio of research projects. Projects are funded by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, federal funders (NIMH, SAMHSA), and private foundations. Programs of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) are an essential, evidence-based means of delivering multi-disciplinary, recovery-oriented care to individuals living with serious mental illness (SMI). The SPIRIT lab is an international leader in PACT research and innovation; over the past several years, it has developed novel ways of assessing PACT teams to better facilitate client recovery and has worked to enrich existing PACT services with other state-of-the-art clinical interventions.

This research coordinator will be expected to use independent judgment and excellent communication skills while working with a diverse group of stakeholders, including community mental health agencies, behavioral health clinicians with diverse specializations, collaborating academic institutions, and internal faculty and staff. This position will serve alongside a team of expert clinical trainers and will work collaboratively and creatively to shape clinical training initiatives into empirical, publication-ready research projects. The person in this position will rely heavily on previous experience and expertise in research development and management. Under the supervision of SPIRIT lab faculty, this research coordinator will be given wide latitude to develop PACT research projects aligned with their interests and to present these projects at conferences and as publications. While this position is not intended to provide direct clinical services or training, given the range of interventions included within PACT, the person in this role will become comfortable understanding of the range of treatment options available for SMI and be able to think critically about how those offerings may be improved.

The SPIRIT Lab is the only lab within UW dedicated solely to research, training, and implementation related to psychosis and SMI. We interface and work collaboratively with policy makers, leaders, and other key stakeholders at the national, state, and local levels, focused on improving care for individuals and families experiencing psychosis and SMI. The person in this position will be highly visible in these settings and will often be seen as the face of both SPIRIT and the UW Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

You will coordinate trainings for PACT team members to learn and implement Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis (CBTp), Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment (IDDT), Enhanced Illness Management and Recovery (EIMR), and other evidence-based practices. You will coordinate and attend monthly ECHO clinic calls for PACT teams in Washington state. (40%)

Under supervision, you will coordinate research and training activities including quantitative and qualitative data collection, analysis, support organizing events and reporting of research findings to a range of stakeholders (including academic publications and presentations). Additional research activities relate to recruitment, clinical assessments, assisting with human subjects submissions, adherence to research and operation protocols, scheduling, communication with the study team and international collaborators, as well as community partners and funders. (35%)

The Research Coordinator will be a co-reviewer on fidelity reviews across Washington state and will become proficient in the PACT model and the contributing factors to successful community mental health treatment for clients struggling with serious mental illness. (15%)

You will coordinate with agencies and centers of excellence who supervise Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams in states across the US. This will include national trainings and nationwide research studies. (10%)

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Bachelor's degree in psychology, neuroscience, sociology, public health, or similar field AND 1 year experience as a research study coordinator, grant writer, program evaluator, or similar role OR equivalent education/experience.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Excellent organizational skills including independently managing multiple tasks while ensuring attention to detail, accuracy, and quality results.

Skill in balancing multiple demands simultaneously under time constraints.

Ability to self-motivate and work independently with limited supervision and as part of a team.

Excellent writing and communication skills, particularly in the context of collaborating with and coordinating investigators from multiple organizations.

Experience working with individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Ability to effectively communicate with the study team, collaborators, study participants and community partners.

Knowledge of software applications including proficiency using MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel & Access).

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Master's degree in psychology, public health, or other social science.

Experience administering electronic surveys and managing data collection (experience using REDCap a plus).

Experience with quantitative data analyses (experience with SPSS a plus).

Experience with qualitative data analyses.

Experience conducting research and participant interviews (priority will be given to those with experience working with those who experience psychosis).

Strong background in research coordination involving human subjects.

Experience with grant preparation and reporting.

A passion to help create a better world for those with psychosis.

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 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.