RESEARCH SPECIALIST, School of Medicine, Anatomy & Neurobiology

Tracking Code2370 Job Description

The Framingham Heart Study is looking for a Research Assistant. The main responsibility of this position is to review our offspring cohorts charts and medical records for evidence of TBI and to follow-up with participants concerning prospective TBI surveys. With this position, you will be exposed to medical terminology, public health methodology, participant contact, data collection, and research in a professional setting. This position is geared toward recent college graduates pursuing careers in Medical, Health, Biology, Psychology or Neuroscience (and related fields). Responsibilities include: Investigating Relationships between Traumatic Brain Injury, Contact Sports, Military Service, Alzheimers Disease and Related Dementias. There are an estimated 1,700,000 new cases of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) admitted annually to an emergency department (ED) in the United States. The majority of these injuries are mild (mTBI; often referred to as concussions). A large body of evidence suggests that people experiencing a single or repetitive TBI may have an increased risk of late-life cognitive decline or neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimers disease and AD-related dementias. The specific clinical features and neuropathological substrates of TBI-associated dementia, as well as the mechanisms underlying this apparent association, are less clear. This study capitalizes on both pre-existing, retrospectively ascertained data from the Framingham Heart Study Generation 2 cohort and prospective data collection on all Framingham Heart Study Generations to conduct a community-based study of the association of TBI and repetitive head impacts from contact sports and military service with clinical and neuropathological indices of AD and AD related-dementias, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Research Objectives This project involves a systematic and comprehensive retrospective search of participant medical records from the Generation 2 cohort of the Framingham Heart Study for evidence of head injury and prospective data collection from participants through online and over-the-phone surveys. All relevant episodes and symptoms will then be collected through REDCap, an online data capture tool, for the study’s use. The depth of the information collected can then be used in conjunction with existing data to find possible links and risk factors.

Required Skills

Bachelor’s degree required. We are seeking recent college graduates with analytical skills, strong attention to detail, communication skills, and data collection experience who are interested in gaining experience in the fields of public health, neurology and epidemiology. Must be able to commute to the Framingham Heart Study, approximately 30 minutes (by car) and at least 1 hour (by train). Please include a cover letter.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

Job Location BOSTON, Massachusetts, United StatesPosition TypeFull-Time/Regular