Research Assistant, Anesthesiology (Part Time)

The Research Assistant executes scientific and administrative tasks to advance departmental research efforts in the field of anesthesiology. Key operations involve recruiting participants, gathering specimens, administering surveys, and maintaining strict regulatory compliance. Beyond daily fieldwork, this role helps shape the study lifecycle by collaborating on research design, analyzing data sets, refining methodologies, and drafting scientific manuscripts.

Position: Research Assistant, Anesthesia

Location: Boston, MA

Schedule: 20 hours per week, On-site

ABOUT BMC:

At Boston Medical Center (BMC), our diverse staff works together for one goal — to provide exceptional and equitable care to improve the health of the people of Boston. Our bold vision to transform health care is powered by our respect for our patients and our commitment to ensure everyone who comes through our doors has a positive experience.

You’ll find a supportive work environment at BMC, with rich opportunities throughout your career for training, development, and growth and where you’ll have the tools you need to take charge of your own environment.  

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Research Assistant will perform research activities using approved scientific and administrative techniques to support the department’s research effort. Duties include patient recruitment, data and specimen collection, questionnaire/survey administration, and regulatory compliance. The Research Assistant also contributes to broader departmental research efforts by assisting with study design, data analysis, method development, and manuscript preparation.

This role requires strong quantitative and technical skills to support the department’s growing focus on data-driven research. May participate in data extraction and processing from electronic medical records (EMR), and in accessing, cleaning, and analyzing data from publicly available databases and other institutional data sources.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assists in study protocol development, data collection and provides feedback on study’s progress.
• Recruits subjects to participate in the study by using approved methodologies, such as, reaching to healthcare providers for referrals, visiting clinics, sending mailouts, using approved advertisements, etc.
• Conducts the enrollment of study participants, including explaining research procedures, and obtaining informed consent of subjects and/or their families.
• Assist with sample/specimen collection and accommodate study-specific schedules as needed

Administrative

• Responsible for the administrative aspects of the research study, including: managing program records and handling communication needs of the program.
• Prepares and maintains Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals and correspondence, including amendments and renewals as necessary.
• Responsible for all other administrative duties related to research activities.

(The above statements in this job description are intended to depict the general nature and level of work assigned to the employee(s) in this job.  The above is not intended to represent an exhaustive list of accountable duties and responsibilities required).

JOB REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION:

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree is required
• Advanced coursework or training in clinical research, public health, epidemiology, or related fields is preferred.

EXPERIENCE:

• Prior experience as a Research Assistant, including study coordination, subject recruitment, and understanding of ethical conduct in human subjects research, is strongly preferred.
• Experience with electronic medical record data extraction (e.g., Epic, SlicerDicer, or similar systems), shared computing cluster and publicly available databases is strongly preferred.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Excellent English communication skills, both oral and written.
• Cultural sensitivity and the ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse social, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook) and web-based applications.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT:

As the primary teaching hospital for Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and BU schools of public health and dentistry, intellectual rigor shapes our inquiries. Our research is led by a belief that skin color, zip code, and financial circumstances shouldn’t dictate health.

Bost