Research Specialist, Brain and Mind Institute - (240000IL) at Aga Khan University Hospital

Research Specialist, Brain and Mind Institute - (240000IL)

Employer: Aga Khan University Hospital

Employment: Full-Time | Permanent

Place of Work: Nairobi - Kenya

Posted date: 8 months ago

Deadline: Submition date is over

Introduction

Chartered in 1983, Aga Khan University (AKU) is a private, autonomous, and self-governing international university, with 13 teaching sites in 6 countries over three continents. An integral part of the Aga Khan Development Network, AKU provides higher education in multiple health science and social science disciplines, carries out research pertinent primarily to low- and middle-income countries and operates 7 hospitals (soon 8) and over 325 outreach clinics, all at international standards. It has almost 2,500 students and 14,000 staff. The University is both a model of academic excellence and an agent of social change. As a leading international institution dedicated to excellence and change, AKU operates on the core principles of quality, relevance, impact, and access.

The Brain and Mind Institute (BMI) is a trans-AKU entity that seeks to build capacity in the domains of mental health and neuroscience. In collaboration with partners, the Institute is advancing research leadership capacity and support service delivery across East Africa and South Asia, and other regions served by the AKU. The Institute supports a hub for scholarship exchange and action on mental health issues, as well as educational, clinical, and community-based programs. BMI’s research focuses on the context of today’s youth in Africa and South Asia, while our programmatic offerings address mental health related and brain health issues, including stigma and resiliency. A significant area of interest is the implementation of science-based programing in hospital and community settings that translate new discoveries into prevention and treatment programs.

Job Summary

As part of a National Institute of Health (NIH) funded ‘Utilizing health Information for Meaningful impact in East Africa through Data Science Research Hub (UZIMA-DS Hub), this position will provide specialized support to the Principal Investigators tasked with carrying out project deliverables of the Mental Health project, under supervision of the Project Manager. A culmination of assigned tasks will ensure that the UZIMA-DS Mental Health Research project adheres to ethical guidelines and regulations; the required number of research participants are recruited, consented, and followed up; data collected is clean, kept private, and confidential.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate research implementation meetings including training on the conduct of the study, ethics requirements, and research tools preparation.
• Preparation of study tools including pilot and pre-tests and calibration, including adapting, and translating research tools, as well as, streamlining data collection tools within the preferred electronic platform.
• Mobilization of study sites and key people in authority within the preferred research sites.
• Lead in locating, recruitment, and consenting of study participants.
• Data collection using PHQ 9, GAD 7, PANSI, NEO-FFI, and Risk Family questionnaire among other tools as determined by the study.
• Support in ensuring compliance with ethics and study protocol including policies and regulations related to safety, privacy, and confidentiality.
• Ensure timely submission of data collected, data cleaning, preliminary analysis, and storage of information privately and confidentially.
• Coordinate with project leads to initiate reporting of research experiences and outcomes, as well as study closeout.
• As required, support BMI researchers in the administrative aspects of grant submission.
• As required, work closely with the BMI Office Manager in recruitment, onboarding, training, and appraisals of research support staff.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in social/health sciences from an accredited university.
• At least five years’ experience in field data collection preferably in a university/research Institution setting.
• Familiarity with psychological tests.
• Educational or experiential knowledge of data cleaning and analysis.
• Experience in collecting and tracking longitudinal data.
• Experience with SPSS or any other statistical software experience in using Redcap will be an added advantage.
• Experience with troubleshooting fitness trackers and Redcap among other IT software used for data collection is preferred, but not compulsory