Study Project Officer

**Alfred Health**

Alfred Health is a leader in health care delivery, improvement, research and education. We are the main provider of health services to people living in the inner southeast suburbs of Melbourne, from ambulatory to inpatient and home and community-based services.
- **ASPREE-XT Study Project Officer**:

- ** Fixed Term, Full-time**:

- ** Community Development Worker Class 1**:

- ** 1x Melbourne Central; 1x Melbourne West**

**The Department**

Alfred Health is the main provider of health services to people living in the inner southeast suburbs of Melbourne and is also a major provider of specialist services to people across Victoria. The health service operates three outstanding facilities: The Alfred, Caulfield, and Sandringham.
- ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE)_** **was a 5-7 year primary prevention clinical trial, coordinated from the Alfred Centre in Melbourne, and was aimed at assessing whether daily treatment of aspirin prolongs healthy lifespan through the prevention of heart attack, stroke, cognitive decline, physical decline and some cancers, such as bowel cancer. The intervention phase of ASPREE is now over, but an observational follow on study continues, called _ASPREE-XT (for ASPREE-eXTension)._ ASPREE-XT is an international multicentre study which is conducted primarily by face to face visits with participants in general practice in Australia, and clinical trial centres and primary care clinics in the United States.

**The Role**

The Project Officer will be responsible for coordinating study procedures, administering study visits, and maintaining accurate data entry and study records as per the study protocol. All ASPREE-XT Project Officers conduct the study visits which are part of the annual follow-up that all participants undergo, and may involve:

- Administering physical and cognitive function assessments, and questionnaires in strict accordance with ASPREE-XT SOPs for relevant participants;
- Performing medical record searches on study participants using medical database software specific to the medical clinic;
- Following up on reported health events and collecting relevant information and documentation related to those events through communication with study participants, general practitioners, hospitals and senior research staff.

The Project Officer will be required to demonstrate excellent rapport building skills with the study participants, and be committed to effectively meeting their needs in a helpful and professional way.

The Project Officer must be willing to undertake daily travel (as needed) to clinics, community centres and participant homes (including residential aged care facilities and nursing homes) to fulfil the requirements of the role.

The Project Officer will be encouraged to identify and document any difficulties associated with the conduct of the study, including data collection and data entry issues, and bring these to the attention of the Operations Manager in a timely manner.

The role will require the Project Officer to demonstrate strong initiative and decision making in prioritising work load to accomplish given tasks, to self-manage time efficiently, and to provide support to other staff members where required.

**Skills**

The successful applicant must meet the following key selection criteria:

- A degree in a relevant area, from a recognised university with subsequent relevant work experience or extensive experience leading to the development of specialist expertise or an equivalent combination of experience and/or education;
- Highly organised with proven ability to appropriately prioritise tasks and manage time efficiently to reach expected outcomes, in a busy environment;
- High-level of written and verbal communication skills;
- Computer literacy in databases, word processing and spreadsheets;
- Sharp attention to detail and evidence of ability to adhere strictly to protocol and working guidelines;
- Thorough understanding of human research ethics principles;
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team, along with a demonstrated capacity to work with others in the workplace in a collegiate manner.

As the successful applicant will be required to undertake daily travel (as needed) to clinics, community centres, and participant homes within their allocated work zone, it is essential that the applicant currently holds a valid driver’s license.

**Benefits**

The Project Officer role provides an opportunity for the successful applicant to be part of a world-renowned ‘gold standard’ study, providing clinicians with scientific evidence of the longer term effects of aspirin on the health of the elderly population.

Alfred Health is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce that reflects the community we serve. Applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are encouraged.

All Alfred Health employees are required to be vaccinated against COV