(6/1/08) Senior Research Coordinator Position at UPenn

Senior Research Coordinator Position at the University of Pennsylvania
(dependent on funding; this position has not been finalized)

Duties:
The University of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine invites individuals with
experience in the education and treatment of children with psychiatric and
developmental disabilities to apply for a position in the Center for Mental
Health Policy and Services Research (CMHPSR), located in the Department of
Psychiatry. The CMHPSR consists of a group of multidisciplinary faculty and
staff who research the organization, financing and delivery of mental health
care to individuals in a variety of settings. The position requires the
ability to function as a member of a multidisciplinary research team and to
provide support to various levels of leadership.

The overall responsibility of this senior staff position will be to
coordinate and provide detailed logistical support for a community-based
randomized trial for children with autism. The person in this position will
report directly to the principal investigator and will work with him on a
daily basis to ensure successful completion of the study. Specific
responsibilities include:
. Assisting in the development of research and training protocols
. Developing and implementing quality assurance mechanisms for
adherence to research protocols
. Overseeing the development of procedures for recruitment and
tracking research participants during the course of the study, and for
ensuring valid data collection and entry
. Recruiting, interviewing and hiring research assistants
. Training research assistants on standards of community-based
research and specific research protocols
. Acting as a senior representative of the research team in meetings
with school district personnel, classroom staff, program trainers and
families
. Coordinating meetings and developing other mechanisms for sharing
information among the research team, district personnel, classroom staff and
families of enrolled children
. Assisting in recruitment and retention activities for teachers and
families

Qualifications:
A master's degree in psychology, sociology, social work, education or other
social science field is required; a doctoral degree is preferred. At least
three years experience in an applied research setting or large school
district is required. At least 3 years of supervisory experience is
required.

The successful Candidate will have excellent communication and
organizational skills. The candidate will have strong leadership skills and
abilities and have experience and comfort in delivering formal and informal
presentations. The successful candidate will have the ability to encourage
and motivate members of different components of the project to stay on task
throughout the course of the study. This individual must possess the
ability to work independently and as part of a large team, and the ability
to prioritize assignments and bring multiple tasks to completion
concurrently. The successful candidate also will have some background in
research methods, strong academic writing skills and be able to contribute
to the scholarly activities of the project.

Interested applicants should contact David Mandell, ScD, at
mandelld@mail.med.upenn.edu