Research Assistant

Job Title: Research Assistant                        Reports To: Senior Research Project Manager

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt                           Department: Policy and Research

Labor Status: Non-Union                             Approved By/Date: RDN, 7/27/2024

 

Community Servings' mission is to actively engage the community to provide medically tailored, nutritious, scratch-made meals to chronically and critically ill individuals and their families. In addition, we are committed to prioritizing racial and economic justice and health equity in all our programs and business practices. 

 

We are a dynamic and fast-growing agency at the forefront of the "Food is Medicine" field, providing over 1M medically tailored meals annually to clients and their families experiencing illness and food insecurity in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In addition, our work strongly focuses on supporting the regional local food system, delivering high-quality nutrition education to the community, and hosting an on-site food-service workforce development program. Over the past 33 years, the agency has provided 11M+ free, scratch-made meals. 

 

The research assistant’s role will focus on assisting in the recruitment, tracking, and outreach efforts for both Food As MedicinE (FAME) studies.  The Research Assistant will report to the Senior Research Project Manager, and will work collaboratively with the Research and Community Partnerships Coordinator to help implement and execute this research. 

STUDY SUMMARIES 

Food as Medicine for HIV (FAME-H): A randomized trial of medically tailored meals and lifestyle intervention, is a community-based randomized clinical trial (RCT) of a medically tailored meal (MTM) and intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) for people with HIV (PWH), food insecurity, and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), prediabetes, or at high risk for diabetes.  The study spans five years including 2.5 years of patient enrollment, 3.5 years of MTM or a usual care and ILI intervention, and qualitative and further quantitative data analysis.  The study is projected to conclude in November of 2025.   

 

Food as Medicine for Diabetes (FAME-D): A randomized trial of medically tailored meals and lifestyle intervention, is a community-based RCT of a medically tailored meal MTM and ILI for people with food insecurity and T2DM.  The study spans five years including 2.5 years of patient enrollment, 3.5 years of MTM or a usual care and ILI intervention, and qualitative and further quantitative data analysis.  The study is projected to conclude in August of 2025.   

 

Both studies are being led by Dr. Seth Berkowitz, a clinician and physician at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and a leading expert on the association between food insecurity, poor health outcomes, and high healthcare costs.  The ILI has been developed by Linda Delahanty, MS, RD, Director of Nutritional and Behavioral Research at Mass. General Hospital, an exceptionally experienced lifestyle intervention investigator, and one of the architects of the Look AHEAD lifestyle intervention.   

 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES 

QUALIFICATIONS 

Benefits:

 

WORK ENVIRONMENT 

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those employees encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to sit and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is routinely required to stand and walk.  The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. 

 

Community Servings knows that diversity drives excellence. We are a place where everyone is welcome. We celebrate, promote, and derive strength from a diversity of lived experiences. We actively seek and encourage an inclusive workforce. 

 

Community Servings participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. Please refer to the E-Verification Poster (English/Spanish) and Right to Work Poster (English/Spanish) for additional information. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, Community Servings is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before any action is taken against you, including terminating your employment. Community Servings can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed Form I-9.