The Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) was formed in 1991 as a cooperative agreement between the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the University of California, San Diego. The ADCS is a multi-center clinical trials consortium that provides an operational framework for large scale Alzheimer's disease research projects. The ADCS consists of 7 cores, 22 committees, 39 research sites that are members of the consortium/Steering Committee, and an additional 40 or more research sites located across the U.S. and Canada that participate in one or more trials coordinated by the ADCS. Annual funding for the ADCS ranges from $15-$25M. The ADCS provides expertise in developing Alzheimer's disease related protocols and is the coordinating center for multiple clinical trials of varying sizes and complexity under subcontracts funded by NIH and clinical trial agreements with industry partners.

The VR Clinical Research Assistant will support the operations of the clinical trial for Pa's Lab at the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) and report directly to Dr. PA, ADCS Co-Director. The lab focuses on identifying genetic and lifestyle risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and developing innovative interventions for improving brain and cognitive health in older adults. Using a combination of cognitive, behavioral, and neuroimaging techniques, our primary goal is Alzheimer's prevention.

The VR Clinical Research Assistant will entail participant recruitment, outreach to the community, participant education, screening, enrollment, scheduling, and study visit assessments. The assistant will also assist with interacting with participants who are undergoing physical activity and virtual reality experiences during lab-based training visits. This includes explaining the process, answering questions, and ensuring comfort and safety. The assistant will also assist with creating, maintaining, and updating study databases and supporting daily proceduresrelated to analyses for publication and presentation preparation.

The assistant may also assist with creating informational and recruitment materials and act as a liaison with other UCSD departments and agencies as needed. The assistant will assist with providing education and information to the general public concerning the ongoing clinical trial. Assist with other project and miscellaneous duties as required.

• Graduation from high school or a General Education Diploma and two years of laboratory experience or two years of college including courses in Psychology or related field and one year of laboratory experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Ability to maintain and protect confidentiality of participant information with working knowledge of mandated reporting procedures.

• Ability to prioritize workload and work independently and seek guidance or information when appropriate

• Proven effective interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills in English

• Strong basic computer skills such as word processing and data entry, as well as experienceusing Microsoft Word, Excel, and Power Point; Adobe PDF.

• Theoretical knowledge of psychology, neuroscience, biology, cognitive science, statistics, computer science or related field preferred as typically attained by a bachelor's degree and/or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Strong demonstrated experienced with computers. Skill with personal computers, word processing, spreadsheet, email software, databases, etc.

• Excellent record keeping, database management, detail oriented, logical, methodological approach to problem solving, strong process orientation, strong administrative and organizational skills with demonstrated ability to prioritize assignments, maintain workflow, and work productively in meeting critical deadlines and milestones.

• Experience collecting, handling, and shipping biological specimens.

• Experience administering neurocognitive and behavioral assessments.

• Previous experience in a clinical research setting.

• Experience administering detailed clinical interviews.

• Experience collecting, coding, and scoring data using computerized measures according to study protocol.

• Demonstrated knowledge of human subjects research policies and procedures. Knowledge of the human subject consent process, and federal government regulations pertaining to consenting of subjects. On-line training certificate (acquired on job). Knowledge of IRB, and sponsored research requirements.

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate and communicate effectively and diplomatically at all organizational levels, both verbally and in writing. Ability to work professionally and effectively with a diverse population, including the business community, academicians, staff and students.

• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to use tact and diplomacy with subjects (including patients with cognitive impairment), their families, faculty and institutional staff, as well as when representing the agency in the community.

• Availability to work evenings and weekends, as needed.
• Reliable transportation required.
• Job offer is contingent upon satisfactory clearance based on Background Check results.