Title of the Position: Postgraduate Associate – Yale Center for Clinical and Community Research
Department and School: Yale School of Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases
Email/Website: Natalie.Kil@yale.edu; Community Health Care Van < Infectious Diseases
Introduction
The Yale Center for Clinical and Community Research (YCCR) provides a range of clinical and community research opportunities, including issues related to primary care and behavioral health services, substance use treatment, overdose prevention, infectious disease prevention, testing and treatment, and wound care in the New Haven community. We are actively recruiting a Postgraduate Associate to participate in innovative research studies focused on screening, evaluating, treating and preventing HIV, HBV/HCV and opioid use disorder (OUD) among people who use drugs (PWUD).
The Postgraduate Associate will work closely with both the clinical and research teams, including with the Community Health Care Van (CHCV), a mobile medical clinic, and the local Syringe Services Program (SSP) based at 270 Congress Ave. In this role, the professional will assist in implementing research projects, engaging SSP clients in newly implemented HCV RNA point-of-care Cepheid testing technology across five Connecticut sites. This position will also support research with clinical providers who are implementing screening and rapid-start protocols for PWUD.
The Postgraduate Associate will assist with development of IRB protocols, survey instruments, mixed methods research, stakeholder engagement, data-collection tools (qualitative and quantitative), and data analysis. They will also participate directly in harm reduction activities to understand the client perspective. The role also encompasses development of social media content aligned with project goals and dissemination of findings. This is an in-person role based at 270 Congress Ave, New Haven, CT.
Education & Skills to be Learned:
The candidate will receive structured training in thematic content areas including:
- Implementation science
- Addiction science (opioid use disorder, MOUD)
- Infectious diseases (HIV, HBV/HCV)
- Novel harm-reduction strategies (mobile testing, point-of-care diagnostics)
- Community-based interventions (mobile clinics, syringe-services partnerships)
In addition, the candidate will develop the following technical and methodological skills:
- Database development and testing of data capture interfaces (e.g., REDCap) and assisting with data reporting.
- Biostatistical methodologies applicable to health outcomes research: design of implementation science trials, clinical quality improvement processes, and mixed-methods evaluation.
- Health‐communication methods: content-strategy planning and development for social media campaigns, stakeholder engagement.
- Qualitative, mixed methods and quantitative data collection and analysis: coding of interviews, constructing joint displays, merging qualitative and quantitative findings.
- Grant‐writing fundamentals: NIH R-series mechanisms, development of research aims, budget justification, and overhead modelling.
- Mentoring and collaborative team science: guiding junior research assistants or trainees, co-authorship, peer review, and dissemination of findings.
Training & Mentoring:
The Postgraduate Associate will join a vibrant interdisciplinary team of substance-use, infectious-disease, behavioral-health, data-science and community-engagement researchers. Mentorship will include:
- Research mentoring from a designated ladder-track faculty mentor
- Implementation mentorship from the research and clinical teams
- Regular one-on-one meetings (bi-weekly) with a group of mentors to review career goals, skill development, project progress, and publication/grant plans.
- Participation in monthly mentoring group sessions with senior investigators and peers to build leadership and independent research capacity.
- A professional development plan (PDP) established within the first month of the appointment, with measurable milestones (publications, presentations, data-collection benchmarks, mentorship of junior team members).
- Opportunities to co-lead sub-projects, mentor undergraduate or Master’s‐level research assistants, and present at departmental seminars and national conferences.
Responsibilities:
- Support implementation of HCV RNA point-of-care testing across five sites, including participant recruitment, consent, testing logistics, data management, and follow-up.
- Assist in the development of IRB protocols, informed-consent documents, survey and interview guides, and stakeholder‐engagement scripts.
- Collect and manage research data: quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews, clinical outcomes, linkage-to-care metrics and retention.
- Build and maintain REDCap databases and analytics pipelines; collaborate with statisticians/data scientists for analysis and visualization.
- Contribute to manuscript preparation, conference abstracts, and dissemination of results in peer-reviewed journals.
- Support social-media strategy and content development to promote project goals and community engagement.
- Mentor junior research staff and trainees, provide peer support and contribute to team functioning.
Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Health Services Research, or a closely related field.
- Strong oral and written communication skills, and proven ability to work effectively with community‐based clients and interdisciplinary teams.
- Proficiency with statistical computing (e.g., R or SAS) and a working familiarity with REDCap or other data-capture platforms.
- Demonstrated capacity to work collaboratively and independently, strong strategic, analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Experience with clinical, EHR or medical‐record data analysis is preferred but not required.
- Commitment to working in a community‐based environment and with underserved populations.
Appointment Terms:
- The appointment is full-time in-person at 270 Congress Ave, New Haven, CT.
- Term: 12 months, with possibility of extension for a second year, consistent with Yale postgraduate appointment policy (appointments are typically one year, renewable for a second year).
- Compensation and benefits will align with Yale’s Postgraduate Associate classification and policies.
Application Process:
Interested individuals should submit a CV and cover letter that addresses their interest in this position, directly related skills and experience, and overall research interests and trajectory. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Please send materials to natalie.kil@yale.edu