Careers Job Description
General Description
The Fuster Lab is hiring a part-time Research Coordinator for the Hispanic Caribbean Restaurants in Action (HCRiA) study, a 5-year, NIH-funded community-based study to promote the creation of environments that support healthy food choices to address cardiovascular risk factors primarily among Puerto Rican and Dominican communities in New York City through collaborations with restaurants. The HCRiA study will incorporate innovative approaches in public health and nutrition research (implementation sciences, systems science, and human-centered design) to engage Hispanic Caribbean (HC) restaurant stakeholders (owners, staff, and customers) in New York City to (1) characterize customer and restaurant-level factors that facilitate and hinder healthy nutrition environments in HC restaurants, (2) design an intervention to address identified barriers, and (3) test and refine the resulting intervention. This 5-year study is funded through the National Institutes of Health, and includes collaborations with researchers from the City University of New York (CUNY), New York University (NYU), and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF).
The Research Coordinator will assist the PI in community-based outreach, recruitment and coordination of research activities. Project activities include group discussions with restaurant stakeholders, and the design, implementation and evaluation of a pilot restaurant intervention.
The ideal candidate for the position will have prior community outreach experience in New York City’s primarily Dominican and Puerto Rican neighborhoods, experience in the restaurant industry, and prior qualitative and quantitative research experience. This position is ideal for a current doctoral student, interested in the research area and able to stay in the project for its entire duration (4-5 years), with the potential of using the research as part of a doctoral dissertation.
Other Duties
This is a part-time (10 hours/week) position, with potential for increased hours, pending on funding. The RC will be primarily based at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health, with occasional meetings at CUNY Brooklyn College.
Working under the supervision of Dr. Melissa Fuster (CUNY Brooklyn College), the RC will be responsible for activities to support this project, including the following duties:
- Conduct community-based outreach activities in Hispanic Caribbean communities to recruit participants for group discussions
- Coordinate research activities, including participant recruitment, scheduling group discussions, and intervention evaluation activities
- Organize study logistics, including drafting of meeting minutes and summaries, assist with IRB documentation, coordinate team meetings, and managing study files and record keeping, among other tasks;
- Assist in the recruitment and supervision of student research assistants
- Perform other duties, as assigned, including potentially serving as co-author from resulting scientific publications.
SALARY & APPOINTMENT PERIOD: Salary starts at $17/hour (depending on qualifications). The position is expected to start in November 2019, lasting through the duration of the project (Approx., summer 2024). Applicants should be able to stay on for a minimum of 2 years.
Qualifications
Required qualifications:
- Minimum bachelor degree in nutrition, public health, food studies, hospitality, or related field, with 1-2 years of related experience. MPH or master’s degree, and/or current doctoral student desired.
- Fully bilingual (English and Spanish) required (no exceptions)
- Community outreach experience, ideally with Dominican and Puerto Rican communities in New York City
- Ability to communicate effectively with community members and other researchers, and to work independently and as a team member
- Prior research and/or project management experience
- Proficiency in using Microsoft Office applications (word, excel) and online file platforms (Google Drive)
- Excellent organization skills, attention to detail, and ability to prioritize competing tasks.
Additional, desired qualifications:
- Having existing community-based contacts within NYC’s Puerto Rican and/or Dominican communities;
- Knowledgeable of Latin/Hispanic Caribbean food culture;
- Prior experience in food service/restaurants;
- Knowledgeable/experienced in qualitative and quantitative research methods
APPLICATION PROCESS: Qualified candidates should submit their resume and a cover letter detailing their qualifications and relevant research coordination and management experiences. Review of applications will be ongoing, until position is filled. Please note: Only fully bilingual (Spanish/English) applicants will be considered, and Spanish language skills will be assessed as part of the interview process.
RFCUNY Benefits
RFCUNY Employee Benefits and AccrualsAbout the Research Foundation
The Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY) was established as a not-for-profit educational corporation chartered by the State of New York in 1963. RFCUNY supports CUNY faculty and staff in identifying and obtaining external support (pre-award) from government and private sponsors and is responsible for the administration of all such funded programs (post-award).
RFCUNY stands between CUNY’s principal investigators (PIs) and the sponsors who support them and strives to fulfill its essential responsibilities to both groups. Working closely with individual PIs and Grants Officers on the campuses, RFCUNY oversees employment, accounting, audit, reporting, purchasing, and special responsibilities that include management of a planned giving program; liaison with governmental agencies and foundations; negotiation of agreements; facility construction and renovation; protection and commercialization of intellectual property; and compliance with applicable standards in research involving human subjects, animal care, environmental and radiological safety, and conflicts of interest.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Key Features
Health & Nutrition Science
Part Time
Depends on Qualifications
5.00-10.00
Oct 24, 2019 (Or Until Filled)