Dr. Elan D. Louis, a Professor at Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, is interested in hiring a full-time, paid post-baccalaureate trainee who is interested in obtaining additional clinical research training before applying to graduate or medical school. The RA would be working on the study of Cognition in Essential Tremor (COGNET), a longitudinal study attempting to understand the relationship between cognitive impairment and essential tremor (ET), a common movement disorder affecting 4% of adults 40 and older. This position will require the RA to conduct in-person neuropsychological assessments on study subjects enrolled as brain donors at various locations around the United States.
This NIH funded study draws on the expertise of clinical neurologists, neuropsychologists, and neuropathologists. The study is unique in that all participants are brain donors, so we are able to map cognitive changes onto brain pathology.
As part of their educational experience, the post-baccalaureate trainee will be trained to administer and score an extensive, in-person neuropsychological test battery (including the CVLT-II, D-KEFS, WMS-IV, and WAIS-IV). The RA will be supported in learning statistical analyses methods to interpret study data for publication. The RA will collaborate with colleagues at Columbia University Medical Center and Yale School of Public Health, including participation in regular diagnostic case conferences that aid development of preliminary clinical skills for diagnosing cognitive impairment. The RA will also attend video rounds and research conference meetings held by the Division of Movement Disorders and learn from the PI how to recognize a range of involuntary movements. Opportunities for independent research will be available and are strongly encouraged. The RA will learn how to prepare and publish a peer-reviewed paper on which they are first-author in a peer-reviewed journals.
It is expected that the educational experience will serve as a useful platform for their application to graduate school in the health sciences. That is, it will serve as an educational link between their undergraduate experience and their future academic/educational advancement into a masters or doctoral program in health sciences.
Job Responsibilities
The RA will be responsible for enrollment of study subjects, scheduling of follow-up study visits, making travel and accommodation arrangements, administration of study assessments, and entry and maintenance of study data. Each study visit takes approximately 3.5 hours to complete and will consist of a videotaped neurological examination and a neuropsychological examination. The position requires the completion of 1 to 2 study visits per week, with each visit lasting approximately 2 days. The RA will be expected to participate in numerous aspects of clinical research from study design and planning, questionnaire development, preparation of materials for internal review board review, and selection of appropriate methods to evaluate and track study subjects. RAs will regularly present their impressions of patients to a neuropsychologist and psychiatrist for cognitive diagnosis; this allows the RAs to give first-hand testimony to the patients’ cognitive abilities and also develop clinical presentation skills. Strong organizational and interpersonal skills are required. It is mandatory that the post-baccalaureate trainee commits at least 2 years for this position.
Qualifications
- BS or BA is required
- Driver’s license required
- An educational agenda that involves learning about human-subjects research and a desire to learn the skill sets involved in designing and conducting such research.
- Experience working with elderly or neurology patients or vulnerable populations.
Contact: Candidates should send a resume and cover letter detailing their interest in and qualifications for the position to Tess Cersonsky at
tess.cersonsky@yale.edu.
