Clinical Research Assistant
Employer: University of Maryland, Baltimore — Department of Psychiatry, Division of Addiction Research and Treatment
Location: Baltimore, MD (onsite; primarily within Maryland)
Pay: $48,000 – $50,000 / year (hiring range, commensurate with experience)
Type: Full-time — Clinical Research / Grant-funded
What You’ll Do:
• Assist with NIH-funded, multi-site clinical trials focused on interventions for patients in outpatient and office-based addiction treatment programs.
• Recruit, screen, consent, enroll, and follow study participants per IRB-approved protocols.
• Perform research interviews, chart reviews, and use REDCap/other EDC systems for data entry, verification, and maintenance of study records.
• Support study visits, scheduling, participant retention efforts, and disbursement of participant remuneration.
• Assist with data cleaning, basic analyses, and reporting using statistical packages (SAS/STATA/SPSS) as needed.
• Help prepare content for grants, manuscripts, abstracts, and presentations; coordinate with lead/local site investigators and community partners.
• Ensure protocol compliance and communicate with coordinating centers, clinic staff, and participants.
Why It Stands Out:
• Work on NIH-funded, multi-site trials in addiction research — strong résumé value and exposure to rigorous clinical research methods.
• Employer offers a comprehensive benefits package (pension/ORP option, >4 weeks vacation accrual, 16 holidays, tuition remission, and robust health benefits).
• Institutional support for professional development and opportunities to contribute to publications and grant activity.
Potential Trade-offs:
• Position is grant-funded — job continuity may depend on award/renewal cycles; ask about funding horizon.
• Role may require frequent in-person time at Maryland clinics and occasional travel between sites.
• Expect a mix of administrative, participant-facing, and data tasks; position can be fast-paced and detail-heavy.
• Preferred experience with substance-use populations and prior clinical research experience — onboarding may be quicker for those with that background.
Qualifications / Requirements:
• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, sociology, social work, or a related scientific field (Master’s preferred).
• Prior clinical research experience preferred; experience with substance-use disorder populations strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with REDCap/EDC systems and statistical software (SAS, STATA, SPSS) for basic descriptive analyses.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, discretion with sensitive data, and excellent verbal/written communication.
• Ability to work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams and follow human-subjects protections/IRB procedures.
Perks / Benefits:
• Hiring range $48,000–$50,000 (commensurate with education/experience).
• Comprehensive UMB benefits: generous paid leave, retirement options (pension or ORP), health/dental/vision, tuition remission, and professional development.
• Teleworking options where applicable and strong institutional infrastructure for clinical research.
• High potential for co-authorship and grant/project experience at an academic medical center.
Here is the link to view more job details or apply.
Would you take this job?
If you were applying, what would be your top three non-negotiables: (A) confirmed salary within the posted range + clarity on benefits eligibility, (B) explicit information about grant funding duration and renewal probability (job security), or (C) structured mentoring/training and clear opportunities for authorship and career development? Which would you pick and why — and what would you ask the hiring manager before accepting (for example: “What is the current funding horizon for this grant and is there institutional support for continuity?”, “What percent of time is participant contact vs. data/admin work?”, “Who will supervise me day-to-day and what mentorship/skill development is available?”, “Are travel and conference expenses supported?”)?