Graduate Student Research Assistant - Chsr

The William M. Tierney Center for Health Services Research located at Regenstrief Institute, Inc. is accepting applications for a Graduate Research Assistant. This opportunity is temporary and part-time for the Spring of 2024, with the potential for extending the position beyond that time. The Graduate Research Assistant will be able to work with the transplant outcomes and health services research team embedded within an engaged, mission-focused academic research community. Specifically, the graduate Research Assistant will assist with the NIH-funded Reducing Disparities in Access to KidNey Transplantation (RaDIANT) Studies with a focus on clinical epidemiology, social determinants of health, and health services research methods.
RaDIANT Expansion Study: An expansion of the prior RaDIANT studies, this work expands the data collection of early steps in the transplant process (referral, evaluation start) beyond the Southeastern region (ESRD Network 6 - GA, NC, SC) to include the Northeast, New York, and Ohio River Valley. In addition to data collection within our Early Steps to Transplant Access Registry, our team conducted focus groups of patients and surveys of clinical providers at both dialysis facilities and transplant centers to identify provider and center- or health system-level barriers to transplant. Epidemiologic analyses will examine the multi-level barriers and facilitators to transplant access and how these barriers vary across regions. This work will lay the groundwork for future studies and interventions to address these barriers.
RaDIANT Health Systems Intervention: This study builds upon the work of prior and ongoing RaDIANT studies and research to reduce inequities in kidney transplantation by implementing health systems interventions targeting institutional systems that cause these inequities. The proposed study seeks to adapt and enhance the sustainability of proven educational and quality improvement interventions to target multiple health systems (dialysis facilities and transplant centers), as well as clinical staff and patients in the GA, NC, SC, and IN to target the policies, practices, and structures of these health systems that pose barriers to underrepresented minorities with end-stage kidney failure seeking a kidney transplant. If successful, interventions could be adapted and scaled nationally, where our health system partners are committed to transplant equity.
Center for Health Services Research (CHSR)
The William M. Tierney Center for Health Services Research advances health care and patient experiences for all of us. CHSR's wide-ranging, interdisciplinary work results in transformative best practices on a scale that allows for sustainable impact on the quality of care, clinical outcomes, and the value of the healthcare experience for patients, clinicians, and administrators.
Purpose
The transplant outcomes and health services research team primarily focuses on developing pragmatic investigations around healthcare access, quality of care, and health outcomes. Dr. Rachel Patzer's research portfolio focuses on studying social determinants of health and transplant access, community-based participatory research approaches to healthcare quality and quality metrics, mobile health technology, multi-level interventions, and healthcare resource utilization.
The student(s) selected for this position will participate in a part-time (12-20 hours per week) employment position as a graduate Research Assistant that includes structured research and academic activities. Students can gain experience in epidemiology and health services research including applied epidemiologic methods, intervention development, pragmatic trials, healthcare quality measurement, and data analysis by assisting with ongoing research projects. Research project types vary and include a number of both funded and unfunded research projects. Students are encouraged to review peer-reviewed manuscripts from the Patzer team on PubMed or current NIH-funded projects on NIH Reporter to consider the type of work the team conducts before applying. Duties will likely include helping with patient consent, recruitment, and/or transcription of interviews; survey/interview guide design and data management; data management and analysis using Microsoft Excel, SAS, and/or R. Students may also assist the research team with presentations, abstracts, and peer-reviewed manuscripts, and grant writing. The work environment is collaborative within our multidisciplinary team of clinicians, biostatisticians, epidemiologists, behavioral scientists, and data scientists. This work may lead to opportunities for continued employment following the Spring internship program.
Regenstrief Institute works in a hybrid capacity. This internship opportunity will include remote work, with the potential to work onsite in an office environment.
Although this study team's opening is designed for Temporary Graduate Research Assistant candidates, applicants with more or less experience in research may be considered for alternative roles.
This position follows a HYBRID working model, incorporating (1) day of on-site presence.
Requirements

• Students 18 years or older who are in (or have completed) the first year of a graduate program related to public health or have similar education/work experience.
• Preferred major(s) for the applicants include epidemiology, biostatistics, and bioinformatics
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including strong writing and grammar skills.
• Some prior knowledge of medical terminology and/or research experience is preferred.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to interact and verbally communicate with a variety of employees, hospital staff, and hospital patients and study leadership.
• Applicants must be legally able to work in the United States or eligible and able to obtain a CPT work authorization.
• Selected students must agree to participate in the program for a minimum of 8 weeks.

REGENSTRIEF INSTITUTE REQUIRES ALL EMPLOYEES TO RECEIVE THE INFLUENZA VACCINATION ANNUALLY UNLESS APPROVED FOR EXEMPTION.
Please note sponsorship and/or relocation are not available for this position.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)