HIV RESEARCH SECTION, SAN FRANCISCO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

SUMMARY

Public Health Foundation Enterprises invites applications for the full-time (1.0 FTE) position of Director, HIV Disparities and Community Engagement within the HIV Research Section in San Francisco's Department of Public Health. The HIV Research Section (the Section) is a grant-funded research unit affiliated with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the University of California San Francisco. The Section has been searching for new and innovative ways to fight HIV/AIDS since the onset of the epidemic in the early 1980s. The HIV Research Section Investigators are global leaders in HIV vaccine and prevention science, epidemiology of HIV infection, HIV medication adherence, combination HIV prevention strategies, and HIV research training methods. For more information, please see www.helpfighthiv.org.

Under the direction of the Director of the HIV Research Section of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, the Director of HIV Disparities and Community Engagement (HD&CE) will develop and implement a high-impact research portfolio addressing disparities in HIV acquisition, including among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) in the United States. The person in this position will work closely with other Directors in the Section to expand leadership in engaging highly-affected communities in the research process.

This position offers an exciting opportunity for investigators at mid-career stage and beyond to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment. The Section's unique position offers the team of Directors a high degree of autonomy, while providing a platform to influence the field of HIV locally, nationally, and internationally. Directors enjoy the flexibility to explore their interests with relatively fewer road blocks to impede creativity and initiative. Mid-career investigators will receive mentoring from senior HIV prevention investigators in grant-writing, manuscript development, and study design and implementation.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Develop broad research portfolios addressing HIV-related health disparities, HIV prevention and community engagement

  HIV-related health disparities. The Director of HD&CE will develop a broad research portfolio addressing HIV-related health disparities locally and globally, including leadership in the conceptualization, writing and implementation of new research grants, analysis and publication of related data from a variety of sources, and community engagement to solicit new research ideas and disseminate research results. This Director will also provide mentorship to staff, junior investigators, fellows and students engaged in related research.

  Community engagement. Collaborating closely with the Director of Community Programs and other Section Directors, the Director of HD&CE will also develop a research portfolio related to the science of Community Engagement. This will include evaluation of different community education strategies, including community education, engagement in the research effort, and recruitment of diverse populations of study volunteers.

  HIV prevention. The Director of HD&CE will work closely with other Section Directors to create a comprehensive HIV prevention research portfolio and to implement the Section's recently completed Strategic Plan.

• Contribute to the analysis and publication of HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 061 Study Data

  The Director of HD&CE will assist in the Fall 2011 close-out of UNITY, the San Francisco site of HPTN 061 study. HPTN 061 is a six-city feasibility study of a community-level, multi-component intervention for Black men who have sex with men in the United States. Intervention components include HIV risk reduction counseling, testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, and use of peer health navigators to facilitate linkages to local health care and other services. This Director will collaborate closely with investigators across the six sites to develop and implement analysis plans and preparation and publication of manuscripts.

• Mentor early career investigators

  The Director will mentor UNITY team members working on analyses, and mentor students, fellows, and early career investigators fellows working on research related to the Section's Strategic Plan.

• Internal and external collaboration

  The Director will collaborate scientifically and operationally with investigators and staff participating in clinical trials networks. S/he will contribute leadership on data analysis teams, including analysis, presentation, and publication of study results; disseminate study results to scientists and affected communities; and provide leadership in broadening and deepening collaboration with alliance organizations supporting highly affected communities. The Director will participate actively in the Section's Directors' group with a focus on cross-team collaboration, development of a comprehensive behavioral and biomedical research portfolio for HIV prevention, and refinement and implementation of the Section's Strategic Plan.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated commitment to working with communities with substantial health disparities
• Passion for and experience with engaging diverse communities in the research process
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with scientists, staff, and community members
• Highly developed interpersonal skills
• Strong facilitation and team leadership skills
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting cross-team collaboration and innovation
• Fluency in Spanish (desired)
• Proficiency in MS Office applications

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

• Doctoral- level education in behavioral or social sciences, medicine, or related field
• Experience conducting research with Black and Latino men who have sex with men
• Experience conducting qualitative interviews and focus groups
• Experience conducting individual- and community-level research projects
• Knowledge of, sensitivity to and experience working with diverse communities, particularly communities of color and gay/lesbian/ bisexual/transgender communities

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Interested individuals should submit a resume and cover letter to . Please include the job title in your submission.

NO CALLS PLEASE. OK TO REPOST.

Representatives of communities affected by health disparities are strongly encouraged to apply.

PHFE is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer that encourages minorities, women, veterans, and disabled applicants.

SUMMARY

Public Health Foundation Enterprises invites applications for the full-time (1.0 FTE) position of Study Coordinator for the EPIC Study. The HIV Research Section (the Section) is a grant-funded research unit affiliated with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the University of California San Francisco. The Section has been searching for new and innovative ways to fight HIV/AIDS since the onset of the epidemic in the early 1980s. The HIV Research Section Investigators are leaders in HIV vaccine and prevention science, epidemiology of HIV infection, methods for measurement of adherence, combination HIV prevention strategies, and innovative research training methods. For more information, please see www.helpfighthiv.org.

Under the direct supervision of the Director of HIV Prevention Intervention Studies, the EPIC Study Coordinator will coordinate, facilitate, and manage the overall implementation of EPIC (Enhancing PrEP in Community Settings), a research study evaluating novel approaches to support medication adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an emerging HIV prevention strategy for men who have sex with men. Interventions will include the use of mobile health (mHealth) technologies and counseling strategies to provide medication support. This position will be part of a dynamic team conducting studies of biomedical HIV prevention strategies. Some evening work may be required.

This position is grant-funded. Representatives of communities affected by health disparities are strongly encouraged to apply.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Provide overall coordination for the EPIC Study according to predefined milestones and timelines and oversee all aspects of the study to ensure successful implementation of the project plan.
• Serve as primary liaison with the technology vendor to develop an SMS platform for mHealth intervention delivery and to create user interfaces that are client-centered and user-friendly.
• Assist in development of counseling protocol to support medication adherence in the prevention setting.
• Develop and implement study specific protocols and a comprehensive quality assurance and control plan. Design informed consent documents, study form-sets and case report forms, and a plan for screening and recruitment of study participants.
• Provide comprehensive trainings to study sites on study procedures (including sites in the US, Peru, and Brazil) and provide overall coordination with sites during all phases of study implementation.
• Manage day-to-day study activities using the SMS platform to ensure prompt responses to study participants by study staff. Assist research associates and clinicians with telephone support calls with study participants.
• Oversee overall compliance to the protocol; recognizes, tracks, and reports protocol deviations/violations and adverse events per protocol requirements. Ensure ethical standards of research are followed.
• Coordinate communication with study sponsor, research collaborators, and other stakeholders. Participate actively on protocol team calls. Contributes to developing educational materials and educates the community regarding study and research-related issues.
• Provide supervision to research and program associates and student intern(s).
• Prepare regulatory submissions and handle routine regulatory activities.
• Provide oversight of laboratory issues, specimen processing, ordering of supplies, study drug inventory, and scheduling issues.
• Creates and maintains data collection forms, logs, and databases. Performs data entry of study data. Create weekly reports on study recruitment, retention, and other monitoring measures.
• Provide administrative assistance to the EPIC team, including formulating agendas, recording of minutes, and determining action items following meetings. Works with the PI to resolve problems as they arise.
• Performs other related duties as required.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• A level of education or training equivalent to a Master's degree in a related health discipline or a minimum of two (2) years of experience providing coordination, oversight, or management of a research study or similar program
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of a variety of computer software programs, including word processing, spreadsheet, database applications (e.g. Microsoft Access), email and internet
• Extremely organized with close attention to detail in a work setting
• Strong oral/written communications skills and interpersonal/listening skills
• Willingness and ability to work as part of a collaborative team
• Experience working with ethnically, culturally, and sexually diverse populations

DESIRED QUALITFICATIONS

• Fluency in Spanish and/or Portuguese
• Previous experience in mHealth and/or mobile phone technology, knowledge of HIV/STD prevention with a focus on harm reduction
• Knowledge of federal and state laws, regulations, policies and procedures related to the protection of human subjects and confidentiality
• Knowledge of grant application procedures including IRB submissions, renewals, and revisions

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Interested individuals should apply at the following URL: https://www.appone.com/MainInfoReq.asp?R_ID=593824 or locate the Study Coordinator job posting at http://www.phfe.org/jobs.

NO CALLS PLEASE. OK TO REPOST.

Representatives of communities affected by health disparities are strongly encouraged to apply.

PHFE is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer that encourages minorities, women, veterans, and disabled applicants.