Assistant/Associate Specialist - EPI-CAL

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California Davis, School of Medicine is recruiting for a full-time Specialist within the Statewide Early Psychosis Implementation Research and Evaluation for California (EPI-CAL) Program.

The position of Specialist has a narrow focus in a specialized area and provides technical or specialized expertise (e.g., with instrumentation and research equipment or with social science research methods) in the planning and execution of a research project. The incumbent will assist the UCD EPI-CAL program and collaborating team members with the implementation, operation, and data collection on an eHealth application developed for EP programs in the LHCN. The incumbent will ensure the EP programs receive specialized training to implement the application in an EP setting. The Specialist stays apprised of emerging issues and problems and maintains technical competence in the designated area(s) of specialization. The incumbent will perform a range of duties, including supporting testing and quality assurance (QA) of the eHealth application, preparing documentation related to eHealth application development, maintaining training resources, implementing project objectives that may require travel (within California), and other tasks necessary for implementing the organizational goals of the EPI-CAL program, such as scheduling meetings, sending communications, organizing calendars, taking meeting notes, and other administrative support for activities. Within this defined area and when appropriate, the Specialist is expected to provide leadership, facilitate teamwork and develop collaborative relationships with colleagues and to supply input into the planning of research and educational programs. Normally, Specialists do not have Principal Investigator (PI) status but may obtain permission by exception and/or collaborate with a PI in preparing research proposals for extramural funding. The Specialist is evaluated for merit and promotion using three basic criteria outlined under major responsibilities and designated areas of expertise.

The incumbent will work under the supervision of Dr. Tara Niendam and demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively and collegially in a diverse environment

A. Collaborate with other research and extension personnel affiliated with research activities related to EPI-CAL, including eHealth implementation and uptake, Learning Health Care Network development, implementation of measurement-based care, and outcomes among service users of coordinated specialty care programs. Evaluation of performance in research activities or in outreach activities as deemed applicable to the individual project in specialized areas, as documented by any of the following:

1. Publications that acknowledge the Specialist's significant and meaningful contribution to the work.
2. Publications on which the Specialist is an author.
3. Other evidence (e.g., letters from collaborators or principal investigators) that work done by the Specialist contributed to publishable research.
4. Active dissemination of information (beyond the boundaries of the campus) through informal instruction, presentations, or other means stemming from the Specialist's research accomplishments.
5. Other evidence of recognized expertise may include formal documentation of intellectual effort and participation in publishable research activities, first authorship on publications/patents, presentation of research at regional/national meetings, invitations to review grant proposals and/or journal articles, invitations to participate in research projects, and/or service on advisory panels.

B. Serve as research coordinator for EPI-CAL projects conducted by Tara Niendam, PhD, as resources permit. Responsible for ensuring uninterrupted communication between individual laboratories, data management, and preparation of reports tailored to meet the needs of the requesting individual(s).

1. Facilitate data collection through eHealth application, such as implementing changes to existing surveys, enter survey translations, attending data management meetings, and reviewing data reports.
   2.Test and support quality assurance of eHealth application including conducting testing, troubleshooting, and monitoring bug reports, and documenting bugs and issues for development team.
2. Provide technical support to internal research team, including designing and refining technical documentation, such as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
3. Support project manager in conceptualization of new eHealth application features and documentation of requirements for development team. Ensure documents are submitted in a timely manner.
4. Communicate and document updates to eHealth application features via multiple modalities (e.g., release notes, maintenance of resource guide wiki, updating past meeting notes, informing internal project and external program staff, Internal Review Board (IRB) documents, maintenance of online learning system).
   
   
5. Create, revise, and maintain online learning materials and support appropriate assignment of materials to program staff.
6. Regularly evaluate datasets, participate in maintenance of all study data, and adhere to data management best practices.
   
   
7. Monitor progress toward grant, contract, and program goals, including completing deliverables and contributing to grant progress reports.
8. Support participant evaluation, including administering surveys, including tracking of progress, following up, fielding questions, and finding resolutions to questions or issues that may arise
9. Support development of IRB protocols, submissions, and modifications, if needed.
10. Assure project timelines are met and all reports, schedules or other documentation are processed in a timely fashion. Support maintenance of an active tracking system for these processes.
11. Work closely with project leadership to support development of new and ongoing projects; collaborative with project leadership to support development of goals and priorities for project development.
12. Assist in development of proposals and recommendations to guide and support a broader strategic direction for the function, research initiative, program and/or organizational unit.
    
    
13. Participate in multi-site meetings with project leadership and administrators, departmental staff, and participating institutions to resolve operational and other issues pertaining to project goals.
    
    
14. Communicate of findings and learning opportunities effectively with community partners via multiple modalities (e.g., website, email, listserv, online learning system).
    
    
15. Support development of project plan with accurate project dependencies, timelines, and milestones.

A. Participate in appropriate professional/technical societies or groups and other educational and research organizations.

B. Review research proposals, journal manuscripts, and publications related to area of expertise.

C. When appropriate, the candidate may coordinate and/or give presentations at seminars, laboratory meetings or educational functions.

A. May maintain liaison and respond to the needs of various industry organizations, state and federal agencies, and other external groups on issues related to area of expertise.

B. Participate in activities of committees within the department, college, campus and other University entities, as appropriate.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences has approximately 65 residents in six residency training programs and 90 faculty and staff psychiatrists and psychologists at the UC Davis Medical Center and the Northern California VA Health System. The Department provides a stimulating teaching and academic environment.

This recruitment is conducted at the assistant/associate rank and the resulting hires will be at the assistant/associate rank in this series regardless of the proposed appointee's qualifications.

• Master's degree or higher in Computer Science, Business/Data Analytics, Data Science, Statistics, or related degree.
• At least 2 years of experience in academic research post terminal degree.
• Prior experience developing and testing eHealth technology.
• Prior experience developing training materials and resources.
• Demonstrated ability and experience with data collection platforms and best practices.
• Experience with data auditing and cleaning, including developing automated tools to support ongoing auditing and cleaning efforts.
• Demonstrated experience with troubleshooting technical issues and providing technical support to others.
• Demonstrated experience with project coordination, including monitoring progress toward deadlines and ensuring goals are met.
• Willingness to work within a collaborative and diverse team environment.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with all levels of team members within a large research team, both verbally and in writing, including communicating technical concepts clearly and effectively.
• Writing skills to initiate, compose, word process, format, proofread and edit various professional and technical documents and correspondences for distribution to a variety of audiences.
• Experience and working knowledge of mental health practice, research, and science.
• Demonstrated ability and experience with managing calendars and schedules and coordinating meetings, events, and logistics. Knowledge and experience with online meeting platforms, such as Zoom, Skype, or Microsoft Teams.
• Knowledge and demonstrated experience with various software programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Planner (or other relevant project management software) in a professional setting.
• Demonstrated ability to learn new platforms and software.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and record actionable items and other tasks from meetings and meeting notes, and to follow up on outstanding tasks.
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and problem-solve where needed.
• Organizational skills and ability to determine workload priorities to enable timely completion of tasks.
• Multilingual language skills (oral and written) to assist in implementation of project for diverse populations of California.
  
  

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment

To implement this process, UC Davis requires all applicants for any open search to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled, "Authorization to Release Information" into UC RECRUIT as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration.

UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco-free campus (http://breathefree.ucdavis.edu/).

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state for federal law.

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UC Davis positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available at: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify

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