Department of Medicine/DASH Research Coordinator - Vancouver, Canada - The University of British Columbia

Description

Job Summary

The Research Coordinator is responsible for supporting the operations of the Department of Medicine's Research Office including providing administrative and grant development support, promoting research activity, and developing and executing strategic projects to enhance research and research communications in the department. Working with the Research Manager and Associate Head of Research, this position will be responsible for the coordination of support for all research related resources. Through the acquisition of information from multiple sources, organizations and agencies the Research Coordinator provides guidance on issues of research policy, procedures, regulatory guidelines, as well as local, provincial and federal research funding opportunities and policies, and assist with research development. The Research Coordinator also manages ongoing activities of the established Data Science and Health Research Excellence Cluster, including: coordinating activities; compiling information on data access processes at UBC and other health research organizations in BC; identifying common data infrastructure and capacity needs to be acquired or developed; identifying funding sources and supporting funding applications; preparing preliminary analyses; developing, editing and proofing communication materials; organizing meetings and workshops with participating researchers in the cluster area; surveying and supporting the creation of educational programs; supporting the development of grant applications and the planning process for future growth of the cluster.

Organizational Status
The Department of Medicine provides excellence in research, teaching and clinical services related to the nature, cause and prevention of adult diseases. We are the largest department in the Faculty of Medicine with over 1,200 faculty and staff. The Department is comprised of 18 divisions with faculty located across multiple sites in Vancouver and throughout British Columbia. The Department is committed to ensuring the success of our learners and faculty, and to contributing to the health of the province of British Columbia. The Research Office provides a central point of contact for Faculty and Staff in the Department to support and promote research activities. The Research Coordinator reports to the Research Manager, and interacts closely with faculty members, Division Heads, Division Administrators. This role works collaboratively with the other teams and staff in the Department of Medicine Administration Office, Research Office, and with units within VPRI (ORS, SPARC, UILO, ARC), Faculty of Medicine (FOM IT) and affiliated research institutes (VCHRI and PHCRI). The Data Science and Health (DASH) Cluster has been developed by the Department and partners across BC to build a system linking health research data in BC. DASH activities will enhance the availability and use of health data to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, as well as enable computational tools that speed discovery of new knowledge, optimizing health outcomes for all BC residents. DASH will advance three major themes: data literacy, data access, and data analytics for BC health data. This position is in direct support of the goals of the DASH Cluster, led by Drs. Anita Palepu (Head, Department of Medicine) and Teresa Tsang (Associate Head Research, Department of Medicine). The position reports to the Research Manager and works closely with Drs. Palepu and Tsang, and will additionally receive direction from DASH Principal Investigators (PIs) and cluster theme leads. This role works collaboratively with the other teams and staff in the Department of Medicine Administration Office, Research Office, and with units within VPRI (ORS, SPARC, UILO, ARC), Faculty of Medicine (FOM IT) and affiliated research institutes (VCHRI and PHCRI).

Work Performed

Strategic Project Support

• Develops collaborative grant applications to support areas of strategic interest for the department and cluster.
• Interviews and surveys faculty, staff, trainees and external stakeholders to identify needs and problem areas.
• Organizes responses for position papers.
• Surveys, identifies and documents funding sources and collaborators in support of departmental research activities. These include internal, provincial, federal and international opportunities.
• Contributes to the preparation, assembly, presentation and distribution of project proposals and reports by compiling information from the department, and creating documents, charts, tables and figures to summarize progress and findings.
• Liaises with DOM and DASH contributors including staff writers, grant development officers, and technical personnel such as data scientists, statisticians, post-doctoral fellows, research engineers, research associates and graduate students to communicate and showcase cluster activities.
• Surveys, identifies and documents funding sources and collaborators in support of cluster activities. These include internal, provincial, federal and international opportunities.

Communications:

• Facilitates research communication within the Department and to external stakeholders.
• Liaises with other contributors including staff writers, grant development officers, and technical personnel such as data scientists, statisticians, post-doctoral fellows, research engineers, research associates and graduate students to communicate and showcase departmental research activities.
• Provides general information and directs research related inquires to the correct support unit, group or individual.
• Plans, produces and distributes Research Office communications including the weekly newsletter and website content.
• Updates Research Office website and social media feeds with timely relevant content on activities within the department, funding and career opportunities, latest news or research findings, and upcoming events.

Events/Meetings/Scheduling:

• Coordinates meetings, seminars and workshops to facilitate exchange of information and build awareness of Department and DASH research activities.
• Organizes Departmental and DASH Research Days.
• Schedules DASH/PHSA health data meetings, Research Advisor Committee (RAC) meetings, sends out agendas and reminders, prepares and distributes minutes for the RAC meeting, and other meetings as required.

Data Collection/Collation/Management:

• Compiles information on funding opportunities relevant to members of the Department of Medicine from ORS, Faculty of Medicine, Tri-council, affiliated research institute websites, and other online sources on a regular basis.
• Liaises with SPARC office to provide grant development support to DOM faculty.
• Supports faculty and staff with trouble shooting, navigating and accessing UBC specific tools (CWL, RISe, UBC library access, FMS access).
• Assists with administrative aspects of grant/award submissions including obtaining relevant signatures, collection of required documents, collation of submission and signature packages, sends packages to Dean's Office or ORS as required, and maintains details in Departmental files.

Awards:

• Provides support for internal review processes or internal award applications, ensures all applications are complete, follows up when necessary, and prints and compiles documents for committee review.
• Maintains electronic files for each investigator.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
Must exercise good judgment, initiative, and knowledge in handling matters of departmental policies and procedures. Unusual problems are referred to the appropriate supervisor. Will handle sensitive information and must do so confidentially.

Supervision Received
Works independently within task objectives; works closely with the research cluster leads. Receives advice from experienced research development officers. Reports to the Research Manager and takes work direction from the Associate Head, Research and the Department Head.

Supervision Given
Provides project coordination support to project contributors; provides guidance for requirements of funding agencies.

Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of two years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one's own

Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one's own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Experience in literature reviews, grant writing, grant development, and synthesizing large amounts of information. Knowledge of project management methodologies and principles, project evaluation and monitoring, and multiple project interaction and integration. Minimum of two years of experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience. One to three years of recent experience in a university or research establishment environment is preferred. Ability to conduct needs analyses, plan, organize, manage, monitor, complete, and evaluate projects within allocated time and resources. Ability to manage multiple tasks and assignments within a fast-paced environment. Ability to exercise sound judgment. Ability to make thoughtful, informed, and thorough decisions. Ability to determine the nature and urgency of inquiries and issues, and triage appropriately. Ability to analyze and interpret data, determine implications, and provide recommendations Ability to think conceptually. Ability to understand and apply policies, procedures, and instructions. Ability to effectively use required software e.g., Microsoft Office, Visio, Adobe Acrobat, PhotoShop, web editor at an intermediate level. Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing. Ability to identify and correct missing and incomplete data. Ability to be thorough, accurate, and have a high level of attention to detail. Ability to compose correspondence, reports, presentations, and other written materials using clear, concise business English. Ability to work effectively independently and in a team environment.