Research Coordinator

Overview:

The Department of Public Health and Community Medicine is an academic department within the Tufts University School of Medicine located on the Health Sciences Campus in Boston. Technical and academic assets within the department provide a strong research support system for federally-funded research. Its 26 full-time faculty members hold advanced degrees in epidemiology, biostatistics, sociology, anthropology, law, medicine, nutrition, biology, engineering, health policy, economics, social policy, education, social work, and the behavioral sciences. Department research includes a focus on the following thematic areas: health equity, health communication, nutrition and infection, infectious disease epidemiology, health policy and health care delivery, environmental health, the opioid epidemic, and global health. Department faculty are methodologically strong and diverse, with expertise in biostatistics, survey research, program evaluation, qualitative methods, dietary assessment and spatial epidemiological analysis.

A major driver of the U.S opioid crisis is limited access to effective medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) that reduce overdose. Traditionally, most jails and prisons in the U.S. have not initiated or maintained MOUD for incarcerated people with OUD prior to their return to the community, which places them at high risk for fatal overdose. A 2018 law ("Chapter 208") made Massachusetts (MA) the first state to mandate that five county jails deliver all FDA-approved MOUDs (extended-release naltrexone [XR-NTX] buprenorphine-naloxone [BUP-NX], and methadone). Chapter 208 established a 4-year pilot program to expand all FDA-approved forms of MOUD at five county jails; two more county jails in MA voluntarily joined this initiative. The law stipulated that MOUD be maintained in individuals receiving it prior to detention and initiated prior to release among sentenced inmates where appropriate. The seven jails also facilitated continuation of the medication in the community on release. An NIH-funded study in Massachusetts assessed the implementation and outcomes of MOUD treatment implementation in the seven jails and found that people who received MOUD while incarcerated had lower overdose and all-cause mortality rates, as well as lower recidivism rates post-release from jail. In recent years, a new treatment modality, extended-release buprenorphine (XRB) became available, which allows patients to receive a monthly injection for their treatment rather than daily sublingual buprenorphine (SLB) doses. The current INITIATE study is conducting a clinical trial at the Middlesex County House of Corrections in northeastern Massachusetts to compare the effectiveness of XRB to SLB among people who are recently incarcerated in jail and who have not yet had a sentencing trial. The INITIATE team will assess, through quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, which treatment modality has the best treatment outcomes in terms of medication initiation and continuity post-release. This study's insights will inform the development of future strategies and OUD treatment modalities in jail populations nationwide.

What You'll Do:

Collaborate with a team focused on conducting a randomized clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of extended-release buprenorphine (XRB) to sublingual buprenorphine (SLB) among people who have recently been incarcerated. Assist with recruitment, data collection, data entry, data management, and data analyses focused on MOUD treatment initiation and adherence in the Middlesex County House of Correction (HOC) in northeastern Massachusetts: Data collection and data entry using study instruments; data management; transfer of data from HOCs to Tufts and New York Universities, the collaborating study organizations; assistance with surveys and qualitative interviews; collaboration with local HOC staff and leadership; regular meetings with other research team members and the investigative team; and helping with other tasks as needed.

• Works with HOC staff to ensure checks are implemented to ensure comprehensive collection of data from people with opioid use disorder
• Data management at HOC including reviewing forms for data completeness, transcribing data, data entry, maintenance of data and data collection forms, and secure storage.
• Supports HOC staff in conducting intake, enrollment, and periodic surveillance with participant who are incarcerated as needed.
• Participates in team correspondence to share concerns, best practices, and ideas related to MOUD treatment arms within the HOC.
• Helps in the development of guides, manuals, presentations, and manuscripts.
• Attends and participates at in-person team meetings at home institution or the HO
• Helps with other tasks as needed.

What We're Looking For:

Basic Requirements:

• Knowledge and skills as typically acquired through Bachelor's degree and 1-2 years of experience working on opioid-related research projects
• Must be comfortable working in a secure, correctional environment
• Experience with opioid-related research and people exposed to correctional facilities highly desired
• Solid computer skills and proficiency: Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Python, ArcGIS Pro
• Ability to work well with a study coordinator and local supervisor
• Must be able and willing to travel between Boston and the Middlesex County HOC
• Ability to follow study protocols
• Ability to work successfully and patiently under pressure, understand and follow policies and procedures, and accommodate change
• Ability to take responsibility for assignments, work independently, and as part of a team
• Experience handling confidential materials with discretion
• Ability to work on research with hidden and minoritized populations

Preferred Qualifications:

• Training in public health or social sciences (e.g., community health, research methods, criminal justice)
• Experience working with community members with opioid use disorder (OUD)
• Experience working with ACASI, REDCap, Qualtrics, SAS, R, and RShiny programs desirable