Bilingual Research Asst II - ON SITE

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center:  Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

General Pediatrics

Job Summary:

Our team conducts community and clinic-based healthy lifestyle interventions for childhood obesity prevention and treatment. In your pivotal role as a Bilingual Research Assistant II, you will support engagement with community members and research participants, with a focus on recruitment, retention, high quality data collection, and meaningful community partnership. If you enjoy working directly with families from diverse backgrounds, including many Spanish speaking and underserved communities, this is the opportunity for you!

Under moderate supervision, you will support the day-to-day conduct and continuous improvement research studies focused on healthy lifestyle behaviors in children and families. You will implement IRB approved protocols; coordinate activities across clinics, community organizations, and academic
partners; and ensure high-quality, participant-centered interactions throughout the research process. In addition, you will recruit and enroll families; obtain informed consent/assent in English and Spanish; and administer surveys and structured interviews in clinic settings, community locations, and via phone/video. Crucial elements to your role include accurate and timely documentation of all procedures, strict adherence to confidentiality, and careful maintenance of study materials and equipment. You will collaborate closely with clinic staff, nutritionists, social workers, and study leadership to schedule visits, align workflows with busy clinical operations, and troubleshoot routine
procedural issues while adhering to all VUMC safety standards and institutional policies.

Your success in this role requires culturally responsive engagement, strong bilingual communication skills, and professional collaboration with both community and academic partners. You will be expected to proactively identify and troubleshoot logistical challenges (e.g., scheduling constraints, data entry questions, site logistics), escalate concerns appropriately, and contribute to
workflow improvements that enhance participant experience, intervention fidelity, and data completeness.

Because we “meet families where they are,” some evening and weekend work is required. Reliable transportation is essential for community-based activities. Training and mentorship are provided, with clear expectations for professionalism, teamwork, and dependable follow through across multiple concurrent studies.

REQUIRED:

• Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent experience)
• 2 years of pediatric experience; you will be working with children ages 5-17 and their families.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in both English and Spanish; this is especially crucial, given the amount of direct family interaction.

Other components that will be crucial to your success in this role are ability to work independently and be accountable to manage multiple tasks with minimum day-to-day supervision, as well as follow protocols precisely in community settings and communicate proactively when barriers arise.

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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Data Collection and Participant Engagement

• Independently conducts high-quality qualitative and quantitative data collection activities across active studies.

• Leads participant recruitment, consent, and follow-up activities with minimal supervision.

• Builds rapport with participants to support retention, engagement, and completion of study visits.

• Ensures accurate and complete documentation of study activities in accordance with protocol requirements.

• Identifies and resolves routine participant and workflow challenges in real time.

 

Data Collection Team Leadership and Coordination

• Serves as a lead member of the data collection team, supporting day-to-day coordination of study activities.

• Assists with scheduling data collection activities and adjusting plans to meet