Southern California HERC

The Division of Oncology, within the Department of Medicine, is seeking a highly motivated and team-oriented full-time Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator.

The work of the Division of Oncology bridges the worlds of basic science, clinical diagnosis, and the treatment of cancer. Our basic investigative activities concentrate on immunology, genetics/genomics, pharmacology, DNA repair and oncogene action. Our clinical science covers each cancer type; has a strong focus in clinical trials of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, and in correlative laboratory studies. Our work is supported by a portfolio of peer-reviewed grants, industrial agreements, and research endowments.

The ACRC will perform duties related to the coordination of health services clinical studies focusing on improving clinical cancer care delivery under the supervision of Dr. Manali Patel's research activities. The ACRC will perform administrative support duties related to the collection of clinical data and/or the coordination of clinical studies. The ACRC will work under supervision of the principal investigator and/or study coordinator/supervisor.

Examples of studies within Dr. Patel's group are described below:

PCORI - Comparative Effectiveness Study of Two Supportive Cancer Care Approaches is a 5-year funded trial by the PCORI to determine the best approach to ensure patients receive evidence-based supportive cancer care. We will randomize 26 clinics. Each site will enroll 125 patients for a total of 2,996 patients. The clinics include VA clinics as well as community oncology practices.

Health Equity and Adaptation to Extreme Temperature (HEAT) - The project aims to evaluate heat adaptation strategies and community needs in Kern County, California, focusing on identifying effective interventions to reduce heat-related health impacts. We will employ ground truthing to directly engage community members through surveys, interviews, and community science to see if the strategies are working as intended and to learn about local experiences and perspectives. The findings will help create fair, effective, and community-supported recommendations for protecting people from extreme heat.

VISIONS: Voices Illuminating Solutions for Outdoor workers' Needs and Safety, aims to empower outdoor workers in California's San Joaquin Valley to address health impacts from air pollution, wildfire smoke, and climate-related hazards through community-engaged citizen science. Utilizing Stanford's Our Voice Discovery Tool mobile app (like photovoice), the project will collect lived-experience data from workers, foster community-driven advocacy, and co-design actionable interventions. The multidisciplinary Stanford team will collaborate closely with community partners to build local capacity and inform future health equity and environmental health initiatives.

The EMBRACE study (Equity in Metastatic Breast Cancer through Community Engagement) is a prospective, randomized trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-level intervention aimed at improving patient activation, shared decision-making (SDM), and clinician-patient communication among low-income and minority patients with metastatic breast cancer. The intervention involves culturally and linguistically concordant community health workers who provide patient education, facilitate SDM, assist with clinical workflows, and connect patients to community resources. Conducted in partnership with community-based organizations, the study will also assess feasibility, acceptability, and implementation factors to inform future policy and practice.

The Algorithm-Led Patients Activated in Cancer Care Through Teams (A-PACT) Study will evaluate whether a lay health worker-led intervention, combined with a machine learning algorithm to identify high-risk cancer patients, reduces hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and intensive end-of-life care. The randomized trial will also assess patient-reported outcomes such as anxiety, depression, and alignment of care received with patient preferences, as well as documentation of goals of care conversations and advance directives. Additionally, the study will use mixed-methods interviews to explore patient, clinician, and organizational factors influencing the intervention's acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness.
The Advanced Cancer (A-EPAC) study will evaluate a lay health worker (LHW)-led intervention designed to educate and empower patients with advanced cancer to engage in goals-of-care (GoC) conversations. Conducted as a randomized trial at a Veterans Affairs facility, the study will enroll Veterans diagnosed with stage 3 or 4 cancer to determine whether the intervention increases GoC documentation, reduces hospitalizations and intensive end-of-life care, and improves hospice and palliative care utilization. Additionally, the study will assess patient, caregiver, clinician, and site-related factors influencing the intervention's acceptability and effectiveness, informing future implementation and dissemination efforts.

Duties include:

• Schedule and/or call subjects for appointments; contact participants with reminders or other requirements.
• Prepare, distribute, and process questionnaires.
• Perform clerical duties in the preparation of regulatory documents. Maintain all forms and documents, including consent forms and master subject logs. File all appropriate correspondence.
• Assist with the screening, recruiting, and obtaining consent of study participants. Review medical records and/or perform telephone or in-person interviews to gather data, as needed.
• Administer standard study questionnaires and tests, score test measurements and questionnaires, and code data for computer entry. Perform quantitative review of forms, tests, and other measurements for completeness and accuracy.
• Extract data from source documents for research studies as directed. Collect data and complete case report forms.
• Order and maintain equipment and supplies.
• Process study compensation payments and thank you letters to subjects upon completion of trial activities. Assist with post-study activities, as needed.