New Part-Time Job Opportunity!
We are hiring a UB undergraduate student (health, behavioral or social sciences majors preferred)
for a clinical research assistant position at the UB Department of Orthopedics to learn, grow and
gain valuable skills for your future career.
The orthopedic trauma population is especially at risk for experiencing social determinant of health-related barriers to care such as lack of health insurance or transportation access, financial limitations, and language and cultural barriers, which are related to an increased risk of complications and poorer outcomes following orthopedic trauma care. Notably, similar risk factors were identified for intimate partner violence (IPV) injuries.
The aims of this study are to screen orthopedic trauma clinic patients for barriers to care and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) to more adequately describe the barriers to care our patients face.
To do so we will distribute a survey screening tool to patients in our orthopedic trauma clinics at ECMC to quantify barriers to care such as financial limitations, lack of transportation, unsafe living conditions, physical and mental health conditions, drug use, education level, and IPV.
We will use this data to develop a protocol and apply for grant funding to address the needs we identify, which will hopefully allow a social worker/counselor to be embedded in our orthopedic trauma clinic to more holistically serve the patients identified by our screening.
Throughout the assigned clinical research project, the undergraduate student will be trained by the research team in clinical research practices to assist with data collection and coding for analysis. This includes patient screening, consenting, and administering surveys to patients in our orthopaedic trauma clinic at Erie County Medical Center (ECMC).
The undergraduate student will be invited to participate in the UBMD Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine’s Medical Student Summer Research Program. The summer research program is a seven-week curriculum designed for medical students who are between their first year and second year of medical school.
Additionally, the student will have the opportunity to participate under faculty mentorship in scientific writing and submitting to national conferences and peer-review journals.
Length of commitment | Longer than a semester; 6-9 months |
Start time | Spring (January/February 2025) |
In-person, remote, or hybrid? | In-Person Project (Can only function with in-person engagement) |
Level of collaboration | Small group project (2-3 students) |
Benefits | Stipend |
Who is eligible | Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors that have experience with basic health-sciences courses; skills in health care and research experience preferred |
Sonja Pavlesen
Research Assistant Professor
Epidemiology and Environmental Health
Phone: (716) 829-2976
Email: pavlesen@buffalo.edu
Jenna Betterson
Research Administrative Assistant
Orthopedics, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Phone: (716) 829-3852
Email: jferrent@buffalo.edu
Once you begin the digital badge series, you will have access to all the necessary activities and instructions. Your mentor has indicated they would like you to also complete the specific preparation activities below. Please reference this when you get to Step 2 of the Preparation Phase.
orthopedics, fracture, injury, trauma, public-health