Job Description

The Research Assistant/Project Manager works with Division of Clinical Informatics and Digital Transformation (DoC-IT) faculty and staff as well as collaborates closely with external researchers and clinical and business stakeholders within the UCSF Health system that partner on DoC-IT projects.

The Research Assistant/Project Manager provides project management, analytical, and administrative support for research initiatives focused on advancing the use of digital health in applied clinical informatics research. Responsibilities include coordinating project activities; scheduling and facilitating meetings; documenting decisions and action items; developing and maintaining project timelines, work plans, and project documentation; and supporting communication among investigators, project staff, and external stakeholders. The individual supports research implementation activities through development of study materials, participant outreach and coordination, tracking project progress and deliverables, conducting literature reviews, preparing reports and presentations, proofreading manuscripts, and managing references. Additional responsibilities include maintaining project tracking systems, monitoring compliance requirements (e.g., IRB submissions, training requirements), tracking grant and reporting deadlines, and providing administrative support such as processing purchase orders and invoices.

This position has significant advantages and growth opportunities. First, through their work, the Research Assistant/Project Manager will gain tremendous insight into the research, clinical, administrative, and educational functions of a large academic medical center. A motivated Research Assistant/Project Manager can use this knowledge to become a more integral member of research projects and to even start providing guidance to them. Second, our faculty publishes its work in peer-reviewed journals and would provide a Research Assistant/Project Manager with authorship on publications, should they meet standard contribution criteria. Finally, the work of a Research Assistant/Project Manager directly contributes to improving clinical care for patients at UCSF and across the US healthcare system. They will be encouraged to take advantage of training and learning opportunities within the Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, the Institute for Health Policy Studies (IHPS) and other related entities.

Department Description:

The Division of Clinical Informatics and Digital Transformation (Do:C-IT) serves as the academic home for applied clinical informatics researchers within the UCSF Department of Medicine. DoC-IT also serves as a coordinating entity with key internal and external digital stakeholders across all UCSF mission areas, schools, departments, and divisions. In particular, the Division has close ties to the Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute and the Institute for Health Policy Studies at UCSF. DoC-IT is the home of two research centers and several other initiatives, including:

1. The Center for Clinical Informatics and Improvement Research (CLIIR), which launched in 2017 at UCSF and was created out of a critical need to understand how to use digital tools to improve quality and value. CLIIR’s mission is to discover ways: (1) to leverage Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and other sources of digital data to improve clinical performance and healthcare value, and (2) to scale these results to promote healthcare transformation.
2. The Center to Advance Digital Physician Practice Transformation (ADAPT). ADAPT advances research and community regarding physician practice and physician experiences of care delivery. Research within ADAPT has a particular emphasis on physicians’ interactions with technology and how these interactions shape practice patterns and experiences.
3. UCSF’s Clinical Informatics Fellowship, the Coordinating Center for Diagnostic Excellence (CoDEx), and the Impact Monitoring Platform for AI in Clinical Care (IMPACC).

%

of time

Essential Function (Yes/No)

Key Responsibilities

(To be completed by Supervisor)

10

Yes

Applies professional or research concepts to perform analysis of data and systems pertaining to moderately complex projects, policies, initiatives, / processes, and / or functions.

• Monitor project milestones, deliverables, and performance indicators to support effective study implementation
• Assess project needs, analyze operational workflows, and develop recommendations to improve operational efficiency and support research objectives
• Collaborate with investigators and project teams to identify and address barriers affecting project progress

20

Yes

Gathers and assembles analytical and factual data on assigned problems and issues to prepare reports and / or analyses summarizing information on the assigned issues and commenting on other significance for internal or external constituents.

Using subject matter knowledge, collects and prepares information for use in discussions, meetings of internal and external constituents.

• Conduct literature reviews and synthesize information from project activities and findings into clear summaries, reports, tables, and figures
• Prepare briefing materials, reports, and presentations to summarize project progress and findings for internal and external audiences

10

Yes

Prepares, edits and modifies documents including research reports, manuscripts, presentations and proposals.

• Draft and edit manuscripts, abstracts, and research reports
• Prepare presentations and visual materials for meetings and conferences
• Assist with manuscript and grant submission formatting and requirements

25

Yes

Provides a variety of analytical duties in support of a function, research initiative, program and / or organizational unit.

• Maintain project timelines, tracking systems, and documentation to support multiple concurrent research initiatives
• Analyze project status and coordinate study implementation activities with research staff to support participant recruitment and scheduling across multiple research initiatives.
• Monitor project activities to ensure completion of deliverables and adherence to established study procedures, reporting requirements, and institutional guidelines
• Document decisions, action items, and follow-up activities

35

Yes

Participates in administrative / research policy and program project planning and development.

Coordinates program planning and collaboration with program / project staff.

• Support project planning and coordination by developing project plans, timelines, and deliverables, and collaborating with team members to meet milestones
• Contribute to research project execution, including background research, development of study protocols and materials, and coordinating participant outreach
• Track project activities and requirements, including IRB submissions, grant deadlines, and study progress, and maintain tools (e.g., Gantt charts) to support workflow and reporting

100%

(To update total %, enter the amount of time in whole numbers (without the % symbol - e.g., 15, 20) then highlight the total sum (e.g., 1%) at the bottom of the column and press F9. The total sum should add up to 100%.)

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in related area (public health, biology, health policy, health informatics, etc.) and one or more years of relevant experience and / or equivalent experience / training Working knowledge of common organization- or research-specific and other computer application programs (MS Office Suite, reference management software, project management software)

• Proficient in communication and interpersonal skills to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing

• Proficient in ability to use discretion and maintain all confidentiality

• Demonstrates ability to use sound judgment in responding to issues and concerns

• Proficient in ability to multi-task with demanding timeframes

Preferred Qualifcations:

• Demonstrates ability to analyze, research and synthesize large amounts of data with strong attention to detail

• Working knowledge of clinical information systems and their role in healthcare delivery organizations

• Proficient in academic/peer-reviewed literature search techniques, review/abstraction of academic papers, and literature synthesis

• Familiar with developing/programming surveys in on-line survey tools such as Qualtrics Pref

• Familiar with qualitative data collection and analysis