Research Assistant Position Focused on Adolescent Mental Health

Position Title: Research Assistant

Brown University’s Adolescent Mental Health Collaborative (AMHC) is hiring for multiple roles including a Research Assistant and Psychology Assistant at our hospital-based sites. Under the direct supervision of AMHC Director, Dr. Jennifer Wolff, and Principal Investigator, Dr. Sam Meisel, these positions involve a variety of duties and involvement in research projects that broadly aim to reduce adverse outcomes for youth who are at-risk for suicide, self-harm, substance use, inpatient hospitalization, and involvement in the justice system. Responsibilities include project preparations, various recruitment and setup duties, interactions with participants and their families, administering assessments to patients, and other duties necessary to aid and support the clinical assessments and the research projects. This position has an expected commitment of 2 years. Use these links to find out more about the AMHC, Dr. Wolff, and Dr. Meisel.

More About the Adolescent Inpatient Unit:

The Psychology Assistant is responsible for conducting diagnostic interviews and self-report assessments for youth admitted to the unit. The Psychology Assistant will be an initial point of contact for caregivers and will provide assessment and psychoeducation materials. Opportunities may also be available for providing structured, supervised individual and group interventions.

More About Dr. Meisel’s Research Project:

Although parent-involved interventions for adolescent alcohol use disorder and co-occurring disorders results in the best treatment outcomes, our understanding of the parenting behaviors during treatment that improve outcomes remains at a nascent stage. The goal of project MAPP (Momentary Assessments of Parenting Practices; K99 AA030030) is to examine parenting practices (e.g., parental communication, general parenting practices, and alcohol-specific parenting practices), in real time in daily life, and their associations with adolescent core treatment targets (e.g., treatment motivation, alcohol craving and use) throughout evidence-based parent-involved treatment for co-occurring disorders. To do this, caregivers and adolescents in family-based treatment for co-occurring substance youth and other mental health conditions will complete seven weeks of ecological momentary assessments (EMA) as well as treatment baseline and discharge assessments. By identifying the parenting behaviors that most strongly relate to core treatment targets during treatment, results from this project will provide critical information to facilitate the development of brief, scalable, parent-involved interventions for adolescents with alcohol use and co-occurring disorders.

More About Dr. Wolff’s Research Project:

The preteen years are a critical period in which to study the development of suicidal thoughts and behavior (STB). However, research on preteen STB has been hindered by the field’s failure to focus on an accurate, and thorough, assessment of STB in this age group. This study seeks to develop and test a comprehensive approach to the assessment of preteen STB that includes child and caregiver self-report, clinician interviews, an implicit association test, a death understanding interview, and observational measures. In order to address this question, this study will examine both concurrent and predictive validity of the assessment approach in preteens receiving intensive psychiatric services (inpatient or partial hospitalization) who have a range of internalizing and externalizing symptoms, as well as a range of STB.

If you are interested in these positions, please send a CV and cover letter to BrownAMHC@gmail.com. Preference will be given to applications received by Dec 1^st. Start Date: January 2023

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: It is essential that the RA be comfortable working with child and adolescent research participants as well as participants of all ages and a wide community of fellow researchers. Information that the RA comes across and/or collects must always remain confidential and respected. Confidentiality, accuracy, and meticulous attention to detail are essential for this position. This full-time RA position includes a variety of duties undertaken in performing and assisting research projects. These duties include: attending study planning meetings; managing activities involved in study set-up and recruitment; constructing and maintaining the project’s database; providing technical assistance. The RA will also participate in data entry and error checking to maintain consistency and accuracy through project dataset. Keeping current materials for the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects is another key responsibility. This position also includes a variety of duties carried out in the Adolescent Inpatient Unit (AIU) at Bradley Hospital. These duties include: administering assessments to patients and maintaining contact with the patient’s family. This position requires someone with exceptional “people skills,” in addition to enthusiasm, organization, creativity, and determination. A flexible schedule is necessary during certain studies that may require activities in evenings or on weekends. The RA will contribute towards expanding the accessibility, diversity, and equity of research conducted.

INDEPENDENT ACTION: The RA is expected to perform independently within department policies and practices and refer specific complex problems to supervisor where clarification of departmental policies and procedures may be required.

EDUCATION/KNOWLEDGE REQUIREMENTS

1. Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, Neuroscience, or any of the life sciences.

2. Minimum of one year of experience working in a research project and/or clinical setting is preferred.

3. Familiarity with data file management, computer data management programs, and Macintosh computers is a plus.

4. Must have excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, interpersonal skills, and ability to prioritize among multiple tasks.

5. All additional training is provided.