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Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career. 

Job Summary
The Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Matters (CRISM) invites applications for two Research Assistants to join the CRISM British Columbia Team (https://www.bccsu.ca/about-crism-bc/). CRISM is a national research network dedicated to generating, translating, and mobilizing evidence to improve the health and well-being of people who use substances and to strengthen substance use policy, prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and health systems in Canada.

The successful candidate will support a portfolio of systematic review activities addressing priority questions related to substance use, clinical care, treatment, harm reduction, prevention, public health, and health services. The work will involve the identification, screening, appraisal, extraction, organization, and synthesis of evidence from published research studies.

The position will involve working closely with CRISM investigators and research team members to support systematic reviews conducted using established methodological approaches. Depending on the project, the successful candidate may contribute to reviews intended to inform clinical practice, clinical guidelines, practice recommendations, and other evidence-based guidance documents.

The successful candidate will be expected to work carefully and systematically, apply established review protocols and eligibility criteria, maintain accurate documentation, and communicate effectively with members of the research team. The position may involve working across multiple systematic review projects and research questions.

Organizational Status
The British Columbia CRISM Node is housed at the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) and is comprised of a network of research scientists, service providers, policy makers, community leaders, and people with lived experience of substance use disorder. The BCCSU is the provincial resource for evidence-based information and treatment guidance in the field of addiction and is affiliated with UBC and Providence Health Care. The BCCSU advances evidence-based policy for positive and public policy change, reducing stigma, and supporting patients and their families. The BCCSU is committed to conducting and translating leading-edge research into improved addiction care across British Columbia and beyond.

Work Performed
The successful candidate will support systematic review and evidence synthesis activities, including:

• Conducting and supporting literature searches to identify published research relevant to systematic review questions
• Screening titles and abstracts and reviewing full-text articles against established eligibility criteria
• Documenting inclusion and exclusion decisions and identifying studies requiring further discussion or adjudication
• Extracting data from published research studies using standardized extraction forms and protocols including study design, populations, interventions or exposures, comparators, outcomes, results, study setting, funding sources, conflicts of interest, and other relevant study characteristics
• Supporting quality appraisal and risk-of-bias assessment using established methodological tools appropriate to the research question and study design
• Supporting the organization, management, and quality assurance of systematic review data including maintaining study screening records, data-extraction files, evidence tables, and other review documentation
• Identifying and documenting discrepancies or issues in published research that may affect interpretation of findings
• Supporting the assessment and documentation of potential spin or misleading reporting in published research, where relevant to the systematic review
• Supporting the development and refinement of systematic review protocols and related documentation
• Supporting registration of systematic review protocols on registries such as PROSPERO, where appropriate
• Supporting the synthesis and presentation of findings, including preparation of evidence tables and summaries of study characteristics and results
• Contributing to the preparation of manuscripts and other scholarly outputs arising from systematic review activities
• Summarizing relevant author conflict-of-interest disclosures, funding sources, committee involvement, and other study or guideline characteristics where required by the review
• Participating in research team meetings and discussions related to systematic review methodology and findings
• Communicating progress, methodological questions, discrepancies, and challenges to the project lead
• Performing other systematic review and evidence-synthesis activities as required by the research program

Research Environment

The successful candidate will work within an interdisciplinary research environment involving CRISM investigators and collaborators with expertise in substance use, clinical research, public health, epidemiology, health services research, evidence synthesis, guideline development, and knowledge translation.

The position provides an opportunity to contribute to research that moves from identifying and evaluating the available evidence to synthesizing findings that can inform clinical practice and health-system decision-making.

Some systematic reviews will focus on evaluating clinical interventions, treatments, models of care, harm reduction approaches, or other interventions relevant to people who use substances. Other reviews may address questions related to prevalence, risk factors, health outcomes, implementation, service delivery, or policy.

The successful candidate may therefore contribute to projects using a range of research designs and methodologies, including randomized and non-randomized intervention studies, observational studies, qualitative research, mixed-methods research, and other forms of published evidence.

Where systematic reviews are undertaken to support guideline or guidance development, the candidate may also contribute to the preparation and organization of evidence for expert and clinical committees. This may include preparing evidence tables, summarizing the characteristics and findings of included studies, organizing committee materials, and supporting the documentation of the evidence underlying recommendations.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
This position exercises professional judgment and initiative in the conduct of systematic review activities. Errors made could influence the ability of researchers to interpret data correctly, delay the timely completion of work, and thus compromise the results of research projects. This would impact the credibility of the PI and other research team investigators.

Supervision Received
The Research Assistant will receive primary direction from the Program Manager.

Supervision Given
Not applicable

Minimum Qualifications
High school graduation, some additional training in a related field and a minimum two years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

• Demonstrated experience or aptitude for conducting literature searches and/or screening published research
• Demonstrated experience or aptitude for reviewing abstracts and full-text articles against established eligibility criteria
• Demonstrated experience or aptitude for extracting data from published research studies
• Strong attention to detail and ability to consistently and accurately apply established protocols and procedures
• Strong organizational and time-management skills
• Ability to work independently and meet established timelines
• Strong written communication skills and ability to accurately summarize research findings
• Ability to work collaboratively with researchers and other members of a multidisciplinary research team

Preferred Qualifications

Preference may be given to candidates with experience in one or more of the following:

• Systematic reviews, scoping reviews, rapid reviews, or other forms of evidence synthesis
• Critical appraisal and risk-of-bias assessment
• Quantitative or qualitative research methods
• Clinical research or evaluation of clinical interventions
• Substance use, mental health, public health, health services, or related research
• Evidence synthesis related to clinical practice or health-system decision-making
• Clinical guideline or guidance development
• Assessment of reporting bias, selective reporting, or spin in published research
• Use of reference-management software such as EndNote or similar platforms
• Development or registration of systematic review protocols, including experience with PROSPERO
• Preparation of evidence tables and evidence summaries
• Manuscript preparation and scientific writing
• Knowledge translation or mobilization of research findings to clinical, policy, or community audiences

Communications and Collaboration

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Excellent attention to detail and commitment to research quality and methodological rigor
• Ability to accurately and consistently apply systematic review methods
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to summarize complex research findings clearly and accurately
• Ability to identify and communicate methodological questions, uncertainties, and discrepancies to senior research team members
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a multidisciplinary research team
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines
• Professional and respectful communication with researchers and research team members
• Commitment to transparent, rigorous, and reproducible research practices

Questions about this position may be directed to Shirley Wong (CRISM BC Senior Project Manager, [email protected]). UBC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment and encourages applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the BC Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Métis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.