Clinical Research Assistant

Department Overview:

The Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences is an independent research institute within OHSU that is dedicated to health and safety in the workplace. The Institute receives its base funding from the Oregon Workers' Compensation Fund and leverages this base funding to secure federal government grants in basic, clinical, and applied research. We perform biomedical/occupational research and innovation for a healthy workforce, aimed at promoting health and reducing disease and disability among workers across the nation, particularly in Oregon.

 

The Clinical Physiology and Chronobiology Program (CPCP) within the Institute specializes in clinical research on the effects of sleep and circadian rhythms on physiology and pathophysiology in humans. 

Function/Duties of Position:

The clinical research assistant will work on various projects under the direction of Dr. Nicole Bowles (PI), Associate Professor within the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, and may also be supervised by postdoctoral fellows or senior research staff. 

 

The position will assist with participant recruitment and screening, laboratory and field-based data collection, physiological monitoring, study visits, data entry and quality control, equipment setup and maintenance, and study documentation. Depending on project needs and the employee's training and experience, the position may also assist with REDCap, regulatory documentation, data processing and analysis, literature reviews, and preparation of scientific presentations or manuscripts.

• Medically screening volunteer research participants over the phone and in person and collecting data using a variety of noninvasive physiological monitoring devices (e.g., EKG, blood pressure, breathing, sleep, core body temperature).
• Managing and analyzing data to address research hypotheses.
• Developing recruitment materials (e.g., online and print advertisements and surveys) and traveling locally to place flyers/advertisements in public locations to attract study participants.
• Setting up, testing, and maintaining equipment.
• Scientific/regulatory support.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field; OR
• Associates degree AND 2 years relevant experience; OR
• 3 years relevant experience; OR
• Equivalent combination of training & experience.

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to work a flexible schedule that includes evening, overnight, and weekend research sessions, as required by study protocols.
• Experience conducting human subjects clinical or laboratory research.
• Experience collecting and/or processing human physiological data.
• Skills in autonomic or cardiovascular physiology measures, such as ECG/heart rate variability, continuous or intermittent blood pressure, electrodermal activity, or related measures.
• Skills in working directly with research participants and following standardized research protocols.
• Ability to collect, monitor, and quality-control physiological data and recognize recording artifacts, equipment problems, protocol deviations, or participant concerns.
• Ability to learn, set up, and troubleshoot physiological monitoring equipment.
• Ability to maintain accurate study documentation and research datasets and complete assigned research activities in a timely manner.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to follow complex human-subjects research protocols.
• Ability to communicate professionally and promptly with research participants, investigators, and research staff.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary research team.
• Proficiency with standard computer applications and ability to learn research data-management systems.
• Commitment to participant confidentiality, data security, and human-subjects research requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a biological science field.
• Experience with sleep and/or circadian research.
• Experience with polysomnography, including setup, signal acquisition, overnight monitoring, review for signal quality, and/or scoring readiness.
• Experience with continuous beat-to-beat blood pressure monitoring, including Finapres, CNAP, or comparable systems.
• Experience collecting or processing ECG/HRV and electrodermal activity/GSR data.
• Experience collecting or processing multiple physiological measures in human laboratory studies, including sleep, cardiovascular, autonomic, or circadian measures.
• Experience with REDCap, particularly longitudinal studies and survey administration.
• Experience troubleshooting and maintaining physiological research equipment.
• Advanced Excel skills and/or experience managing research datasets.

Additional Details:

Requires ongoing on-site work and travel. Some teleworking may be negotiated. This position will regularly include evening, overnight, and weekend shifts, as well as interacting with research participants.

Why apply to OHSU?: We are Oregon's only public academic health center. In addition to caring for patients, we lead groundbreaking research. We also train the next generation of health care professionals. As Portland's largest employer, we give you opportunities to learn and advance in a system of hospitals and clinics across Oregon and Southwest Washington. All are welcome. OHSU welcomes people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, national origins, religions and sexual orientations. We are striving to build an anti-racist, multicultural institution and encourage people with diverse backgrounds to apply. To request reasonable accommodation, contact askhr@ohsu.edu