Soc/Clin Research Assistant

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation's top public universities. Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.

One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks that include numerous retail and restaurant discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates for performing arts events.

The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy (www.pharmacy.unc.edu) is one of six health science schools (Pharmacy, Nursing, Dentistry, Social Work, Public Health, Medicine) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is one of the oldest health science academic programs at Chapel Hill. The School teaches approximately 600 PharmD students and 145 graduate students. The School has built a reputation for its continued pursuit of excellence, rigorous education and training programs, cutting-edge multidisciplinary research, progressive pharmacy practices, efficient business operations, and its outstanding faculty, staff, and students. The School was named the number one School of Pharmacy in the U.S. by the U.S. News and World Report. The School has experienced unprecedented growth and success and continues to strategically position itself for sustained impact, as articulated in the School's Strategic Plan (https://pharmacy.unc.edu/about/oe/strategic-plan/).

Our Vision is to be the global leader in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. Our Mission is to prepare leaders and innovators to solve the world's most pressing health care challenges. We are Advancing Medicine for Life through innovation and collaboration in pharmacy practice, education, research, and public service.

We are seeking a Research Assistant to join our research team. This role is foundational to the execution of our clinical and health services research studies, with a primary focus on optimizing patient engagement and maintaining the highest standards of data integrity. The successful candidate will manage the day-to-day operational mechanics of our active projects, seamlessly handling patient recruitment, multi-modal data collection, rigorous qualitative analysis, and comprehensive database management. This position offers an excellent opportunity to work at the intersection of clinical practice and health data science, contributing directly to publications and interventions that improve patient outcomes. A core responsibility of this position involves leading patient recruitment and participant engagement efforts. The Research Assistant will actively screen electronic health records, clinic schedules, and referral databases to identify potential study participants based on complex, institutional review board approved inclusion and exclusion criteria. Upon identifying candidates, the assistant will contact prospective participants via phone, email, or in-person clinic visits to explain study protocols, answer questions thoroughly, and ethically navigate the formal informed consent process. Additionally, the assistant will serve as the primary point of contact for enrolled participants, managing follow-up schedules, tracking longitudinal compliance, and executing strategies to minimize cohort attrition. In tandem with recruitment, the position requires executing comprehensive data collection protocols and extracting clinical information. The successful candidate will coordinate and conduct structured interviews, focus groups, and quantitative surveys utilizing standardized questionnaires and digital health assessment tools. They will also be responsible for accurately extracting, abstracting, and synthesizing relevant clinical variables, laboratory values, and demographic data directly from Electronic Health Record platforms. Throughout this process, the assistant must ensure that all data collection procedures strictly adhere to established study protocols, Good Clinical Practice guidelines, and institutional policies. For the qualitative analysis component of the role, the Research Assistant will manage the end-to-end transcription and synthesis process for audio-recorded interviews and focus groups, ensuring absolute accuracy and the de-identification of sensitive information. Utilizing specialized qualitative data analysis software such as NVivo, ATLAS.ti, or Dedoose, the assistant will systematically code textual data, identify recurring themes, and develop comprehensive codebooks. The assistant will also participate in regular consensus-coding sessions with the investigative team to establish inter-rater reliability and contribute text to the preparation of qualitative abstracts and manuscript drafts. The Research Assistant will input, organize, and maintain study data within secure clinical data management platforms like REDCap or Qualtrics. They will perform routine data cleaning, discrepancy checks, and validation audits to identify missing or anomalous data points, proactively resolving these issues with the lead investigator. To ensure constant audit-readiness and compliance with HIPAA regulations, the assistant will maintain rigorous organization of the regulatory binders, tracking institutional review board amendments, adverse event logs, and training certificates.

Bachelor's degree; or equivalent combination of training and experience. All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.

Demonstrated drive and experience supporting and/or conducting systematic reviews

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the Office of Human Resources at (919) 843-2300 or send an email to employment@unc.edu

Please note: The Office of Human Resources will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.