The Department of Family & Community Medicine at the University of New Mexico seeks a highly motivated team player with a commitment to improving public health. The position invokes working with a multi-disciplinary research team in the development and implementation of innovative approaches to the care of postpartum people with substance use disorders and their newborns. This will include the including the treatment of newborns with NOWs (neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome) and the use of psychedelic assisted therapies for the treatment of addiction with postpartum people with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and substance use disorder.

The Research Scientist 1 will provide support for the implementation of the HELP for NOWs studies based in the UNMH newborn care units and the psychedelic assisted therapies studies for addiction and mental health based in the UNM HSC ISUBI (Interdisciplinary Substance Use and Brain Injury) facility on HSC Campus.  The research position includes recruitment of potential participants from prenatal and postpartum clinics.  The candidate may help with data collection during the studies at each research site and the observation and care for participants involved in the psychedelics assisted therapy research.

Specific duties include with direction from senior staff, the Research Scientist I may participate in:
1.     On-site data collection, including from electronic medical records.
2.     Screening and recruitment of research participants
3.     Psychological assessment of research participants
4.     Occasional overnight stays to be available to support participants during required overnight stay.
5.     Data entry and management
6.     Coordinating with the IRB
7.     Conducting literature reviews
8.     Contributing to manuscripts for scholarly publication
9.     Completing other project tasks as needed
10.  Distributing study literature to various sites

See the Position Description for additional information.

• Successful candidate must submit to a post-offer, pre-employment physical examination and medical history check. Additional health screenings may be required, dependent on the nature of the research conducted, as determined by Employee Occupational Health Services.
• Employees who provide services or work in patient care or clinical areas are required to be in compliance with the University's influenza vaccination requirement.

Bachelor's degree; no previous experience required.

Completed degree(s) from an accredited institution that are above the minimum education requirement may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis.

1.     Knowledge about REDCap Box, and survey instruments used in evaluation of psychedelic assisted therapy.

2.     Strong interpersonal skill including ability to comfortably work with people during preparation and integration from psychedelic therapy.

3.     Experience working with an IRB.

4.     Experience conducting recruitment/screening/assessment with research participants.

5.     Excellent writing skills

6.     Interest in mental health and addiction

7.     People who are successful in this position can work independently, are self-motivated, very detail oriented, responsible, and have good critical thinking skills.

8.     Experience or demonstrated interest in working with people experiencing addiction including pregnant and postpartum people with opioid use disorder.

9.     Strong communication skills to provide information regarding studies of neonatal opioid withdrawal opioid withdrawal syndrome.

10.  Phlebotomy certification will be helpful for future studies.

Only applications submitted through the official UNMJobs site will be accepted. If you are viewing this job advertisement on a 3rd party site, please visit UNMJobs to submit an application.

Positions posted with a Staff Type of Regular or Term are eligible for the Veteran Preference Program. See the Veteran Preference Program webpage for additional details.

The University of New Mexico is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.

The University of New Mexico requires all regular staff positions successfully pass a pre-employment background check. This may include, but is not limited to, a criminal history background check, New Mexico Department of Health fingerprint screening, New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department fingerprint screening, verification of education credentials, and/or verification of prior employment. For more information about background checks, visit https://policy.unm.edu/university-policies/3000/3280.html. Refer to https://policy.unm.edu/university-policies/3000/3200.html for a definition of Regular Staff.