Clinical Research Associate

Job Title: Clinical Research Associate

Job Description

This Clinical Research Associate role focuses primarily on data management and clinic coordination for clinical trials. The position supports the full patient journey within studies, including pre-screening, recruitment, consent, specimen collection, and follow-up, while collaborating closely with physicians and a small, tight-knit research team. The role requires frequent use of multiple electronic systems, including EPIC and various electronic data capture platforms, and offers the opportunity to develop or expand experience in oncology through structured on-the-job training.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate day-to-day activities for clinical trials, with an emphasis on both data management and direct patient interaction.
• Conduct chart reviews to identify and pre-screen potential participants for clinical trials based on study eligibility criteria.
• Recruit and pre-screen patients for participation in clinical trials, ensuring they meet protocol-specific inclusion and exclusion criteria.
• Participate in the informed consent process by joining physicians during patient visits to support and document consent discussions.
• Obtain informed consent from patients in collaboration with the physician, ensuring patients understand study procedures, risks, and benefits.
• Coordinate and perform specimen collection activities related to clinical trials, following established protocols and procedures.
• Manage patient follow-up for clinical studies, including scheduling visits, tracking outcomes, and maintaining contact with participants as required by the protocol.
• Enter clinical trial data accurately and in a timely manner into electronic data capture (EDC) systems and other databases.
• Maintain and manage clinical trial data, ensuring completeness, accuracy, and consistency across all systems used.
• Use EPIC and other clinical information systems to review charts, extract relevant data, and document study-related information.
• Attend and actively participate in team and study-related meetings, dedicating approximately 10–20% of work time to meeting attendance and coordination.
• Balance workload so that approximately half of non-meeting time is dedicated to data-focused tasks and half to patient-facing responsibilities.
• Collaborate closely with a research nurse, another research assistant, and the broader clinical team to ensure smooth study operations.
• Communicate effectively with investigators, clinical staff, and team members regarding patient status, study timelines, and data needs.
• Adapt to working within a variety of computer and data systems, learning new platforms as required for different studies.
• Follow institutional and study-specific procedures related to clinical research, including adherence to IRB-approved protocols and data integrity standards.
• Support clinic coordination activities by helping to organize patient visits, align schedules with study requirements, and ensure all necessary documentation is available.
• Participate in daily huddles with the broader research team to review priorities, discuss patient and data needs, and coordinate activities across sites.
• Travel occasionally between designated cancer center locations as needed to support clinical trials, ensuring consistent processes and patient experience across sites.

Essential Skills

• At least 1 year of clinical research experience, with a strong understanding of clinical trial terminology and processes.
• Experience in clinical research, data-focused roles, or clinic-based work that demonstrates familiarity with clinical workflows and trial operations.
• Ability to perform detailed chart reviews to identify eligible patients and extract relevant clinical information.
• Proficiency in pre-screening patients for clinical trials using established eligibility criteria.
• Hands-on experience supporting clinical trials, including patient interaction and coordination activities.
• Strong data entry skills with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Experience in data management within a clinical or research environment.
• Familiarity with IRB concepts and regulatory principles related to clinical research, even if not directly responsible for regulatory submissions.
• Experience using electronic data capture (EDC) systems, with the ability to learn and work within multiple platforms.
• Ability to work effectively within EPIC or similar electronic medical record systems for chart review and documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to learn and adapt to a variety of computer systems and software tools.
• Strong organizational skills to balance responsibilities between data management, patient interaction, and meetings.
• Effective communication skills for interacting with patients, physicians, and research team members.
• Comfort working in a clinical environment and engaging directly with patients participating in research studies.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience working on oncology clinical trials is highly desirable.
• Willingness to learn oncology-specific concepts and procedures through on-the-job training.
• Prior exposure to cancer center or oncology clinic settings is a plus.
• Experience collaborating with research nurses and research assistants in a team-based environment.
• Familiarity with institutional review board (IRB) processes and clinical research oversight is beneficial.
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining data quality and patient-centered care.
• Interest in developing a long-term career in clinical research and oncology.

Work Environment

The role is primarily based at a cancer center in Novi, with the majority of work time spent on-site in a clinical research setting. The position involves working closely with one research nurse and another research assistant as part of a small, tight-knit team that collaborates daily. The associate participates in daily huddles with colleagues at another site to coordinate activities and align on study priorities. Occasional travel to additional cancer center locations, including Southfield and downtown, may be required, with mileage reimbursement provided for these trips. The environment is highly collaborative and patient-centered, with frequent use of EPIC and various electronic data capture systems to manage clinical and research data. The role follows typical clinical schedules aligned with clinic operations, and work is conducted in standard clinical and office spaces within cancer center facilities.

This is a Contract position based out of Novi, MI.

The pay range for this position is $20.00 - $26.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Novi,MI.

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 30, 2026.

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