Research Assistant, IHE

About Us

The Institute for Health Equity Research, Evaluation and Policy (the Institute) was founded by the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (Mass League) to achieve health equity state-wide using emancipatory principles to support community health center research and practice. The goal is to foster research that elucidates the causes of health inequities, evaluates what works to address them, uses the work to affect public policies and clinical practices, all while creating career advancement opportunities for community health center staff.

The Mass League was founded in 1972 as one of the country's first state Primary Care Associations (PCAs). Established under the same federal authorizing legislation as the health center program (Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act), PCAs are organized around a set of core functions and competencies that provide a framework for support and assistance to health centers and the communities they serve. The League is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization registered as a public charity with the Commonwealth's Secretary of State. It maintains a professional staff at its headquarters in Boston and its training center in Worcester.

The Opportunity

The role of the Research Assistant is to conduct activities to assess the landscape of community health centers, and to facilitate and coordinate research, evaluation, and policy and dissemination efforts that advance the mission of community health centers in Massachusetts. The Research Assistant will join a research and evaluation team working on projects directly related to the IHE mission under the supervision and mentorship of the Senior Qualitative Research Scientist and a quantitative scientist.

The primary tasks of the Research Assistant will be to conduct mentored research and project coordination. The Research Assistant will aid in all phases, such as planning, development, implementation, evaluation, writing and dissemination of results internally and externally including publications. The Research Assistant will have some knowledge, and expect to grow, in mission- and research-related activities such as,

• Research (e.g., literature reviews, researching data sources, conducting interviews and focus groups, cleaning and processing qualitative and quantitative data, coding and carrying out analyses, and creating reports or dashboards)
• Program evaluation (e.g., creating logic models, supporting process and impact evaluations)
• Project coordination (e.g., notetaking during meetings, tracking project progress and deadlines)
• Data preparation and writing (e.g., project reports, publications, and blogs)

The Research Assistant will be responsible for supporting community health center-led projects across a range of topics. Examples of ongoing projects include perinatal population health, projects on chronic diseases from a public health and equity perspective, and workforce development and retention.

Tasks include literature reviews and summaries, IRB protocol and study document creation and maintenance, project coordination, manuscript preparation and dissemination, and written and oral communication with study partners. The Research Assistant may have opportunities to present findings at conferences and other meetings. The successful candidate should be self-motivated and have strong problem-solving skills. Additionally, this position offers strong opportunities for mentorship in community health center-led research with a health equity lens.

Reports To: IHE Senior Qualitative Research Scientist

Work Arrangement: This is a hybrid position requiring 2 days per week in our Boston office, with flexibility to work remotely for the remainder of the week.

What You'll Do

• Works with the Senior Qualitative Research Scientist and quantitative scientist to coordinate the successful and timely completion of project tasks that include design, implementation, data collection, and analysis phases.
• Works with the Senior Qualitative Research Scientist, quantitative scientist, and Senior Operations Manager to ensure that all aspects of research projects are conducted in accordance with human subjects' protocols and grants/contracts. Manage, maintain, and organize project folders and study documentation.
• Attend and coordinate meetings related to the planning, operation, and evaluation of projects, as needed, including notetaking, sending summaries, and facilitating scheduling with stakeholders.
• Perform literature reviews and write summaries.
• Assist in the design of interview guides, survey instruments, and program evaluation approaches.
• Carry out mentored analytical tasks including data cleaning, processing, and further statistical and other analyses.
• Contribute to the writing of documents for publication and dissemination, including reports (internal and for stakeholders) and scientific manuscripts.
• Other duties as assigned.

What You Bring

Required qualifications:

• Have 1-2 years of experience with qualitative research and methods (e.g., interviewing, focus groups, surveys).
• Have familiarity with, or wishes to learn, concepts related to evaluation of public health programs and quality improvement in healthcare settings.
• Demonstrates knowledge of descriptive statistics, analytics, and data visualization and related techniques. Can perform basic analyses (such as data preparation, basic statistics, and pivot tables) in Excel. Prior experience with statistical software is a plus (Stata, SAS, or R).
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Able to communicate and work well with diverse team members, staff and key stakeholders.
• Commitment to work in multi-cultural environment and participate in Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging activities.

Preferred qualifications:

• Have previous experience in applied research settings.
• Have 1-2 years' experience conducting program evaluations in public health or quality improvement settings.
• Have previous experience with public health and/or epidemiological data a plus.
• Have previous experience with survey software and/or survey analysis a plus.

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (sociology, psychology, statistics) or related experiences.
• Have 1-2 years of post-bachelor's or related work experience
• Masters of Public Health (or related field) is a plus

Comprehensive Benefits Package

We invest in our team members' health, financial security, and work-life balance by offering a robust benefits package. Our health and wellness benefits include medical and dental insurance, Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options, as well as life insurance and AD&D coverage. We support your financial security with a Retirement Savings Plan - 403(b) and/or Roth Contribution, IRA retirement contribution, and a transit reimbursement plan. To promote work-life balance, we provide generous vacation days, sick leave, personal days, and paid holidays.

Why Join IHE?

• Mission-Driven Work: Directly contribute to eliminating health inequities
• Collaborative Culture: Work with passionate professionals and community partners
• Work-Life Balance: Hybrid schedule that supports flexibility
• Professional Growth: Report directly to senior leadership with opportunity to shape key organizational systems
• Meaningful Impact: See your work translate into real community outcomes
• Supportive Environment: Comprehensive benefits that support your life

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers is an equal opportunity employer committed to a workplace that reflects the diversity of the people of Massachusetts, including populations most impacted by health inequities.

It is the policy of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers to provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, parental status, family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service or any other non-merit based factor in accordance with all applicable laws, directives and regulations of federal, state and city entities