Clinical Research Program Administrator

University of Southern California; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 99,000 - 142,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Southern California’s Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center seeks a Protocol Coordinator to support cancer-related clinical trials. The role focuses on prescreening, screening coordination, and patient navigation across USC Norris and affiliated clinics, with collaboration among sponsors and clinical teams.

Responsibilities include coordinating screening schedules, assessing eligibility, educating patients, and maintaining compliant records.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's preferred, or 5+ years of relevant clinical research/oncology experience in lieu of a degree.
• Prior experience as Protocol Coordinator in clinical oncology research required.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
• Bilingual preferred, not required.
• Detail oriented, organized, reliable.

Responsibilities

• Review charts and medical records prior to clinic to identify potentially eligible patients and notify investigators accordingly.
• Receive inquiries from internal and external providers and complete a pre-screening assessment for potential trials.
• Coordinate site screening schedules and oversee pre-screening operations and patient eligibility assessments.
• Educate patients about available clinical trials and participation opportunities.
• Explain study procedures, risks, benefits, and follow-up care to potential participants.
• Navigate insurance concerns by connecting patients with appropriate resources.
• Develop relationships with schedulers of oncology-related services.

Skills

Strong medical background

Protocol Coordinator experience

Independent work

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Exceptional communication

Bilingual preferred

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

5+ years clinical research/oncology experience in lieu of degree

Tools

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems

Clinical trial databases

Job description

The Clinical Investigations Support Office provides support to the investigators in conducting cancer-related clinical trials at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and its affiliated locations. This position is designed to improve accrual to interventional and treatment cancer clinical trials across various disease areas. It will require close coordination with the various clinical and care delivery sites where USC Norris clinical trials are active or that collaborate with USC Norris to refer patients for trials. This may include USC Norris and Keck clinics (including satellites), Los Angeles General Medical Center, and other referring entities. Responsibilities include coordinating and overseeing screening schedules, managing prescreening operations, assessing patient eligibility, and supporting patient recruitment and navigation efforts.

The scope of responsibilities for this position includes reviewing clinic schedules, prescreening patients for specific potential trials, outreach to treating or referring providers, outreach and communication with potential patients, and coordination with the clinical research coordinators who take over once a patient has consented to participate in a specific trial. Furthermore, the employee in this role will need to interface with various trial sponsors to maintain current knowledge of trial status and inquire about enrollment opportunities. This position is designed to support and guide patients throughout the screening and clinical research process by providing compassionate, respectful, and patient centered care while ensuring efficient prescreening, coordination, and communication. This role is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and excellence and fostering a collaborative, supportive environment that enables team members to contribute meaningfully to advancing human health and improving patient access to clinical trials and care opportunities.

This position is for someone with significant prior clinical research experience, in-depth knowledge of clinical oncology, a strong understanding of good clinical practices for clinical research and experience working as a protocol coordinator. The individual must be able to work efficiently with minimal supervision, demonstrate strong problem-solving skills, and able to contribute effectively to the disease teams and investigators.

This individual must demonstrate organizational skills to handle multiple concurrent tasks efficiently and effectively, including work delegated by multiple individuals. Effective interpersonal skills are required to interact professionally with patients, families, sponsors, co-workers, investigators, and stakeholders.

The position will be a full-time exempt position, which has the following responsibilities:

Pre-Screening

Key Responsibilities include but not limited to the following:

• Review charts and medical records prior to clinic to identify potentially eligible patients and notify investigators accordingly.
• Receive inquiries from internal and external (outside USC and LAGMC) providers and complete a pre-screening assessment for one or more potential trials
• Review available records or obtain additional ones as needed to complete an appropriate pre-screening
• Responsible for coordinating and overseeing site screening schedules, managing pre-screening operations and overseeing patient eligibility assessments
• Maintain a thorough understanding of various research study guidelines that include both inclusion and exclusion criteria.
• Contact potential patients to assist with scheduling oncology appointments and conduct follow-up communications.
• Create and maintain detailed screening logs and records of study candidates, including demographic and outcome information, in compliance with institutional and regulatory requirements.

Recruitment/Outreach

• Educate patients about available clinical trials and participation opportunities
• Explain the study procedures and answer questions to ensure that potential participants understand the study requirements and processes
• Discuss study purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, compensation, and follow-up care with potential participants prior to enrollment.
• Provide education about cancer clinical trials and when appropriate, connect patient with care team, support services and available resources
• Implement strategies to support participant recruitment in collaboration with providers and clinical teams.
• Prepare mid-year and annual reports related to recruitment efforts and program activities.
• Outreach to referring providers to inform them about enrollment opportunities and share specific trial information

Navigation

• Coordinate appointments and provide patient navigation support by addressing logistical barriers and scheduling challenges that may prevent attendance at appointments.
• Assist patients with insurance related concerns by connecting them with appropriate resources and team members.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with the schedulers of oncology related services.

Requirements

• Strong medical background and knowledge of medical terminology.
• Prior experience as Protocol Coordinator in clinical oncology research is required
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Ability to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary teams
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills
• A deep understanding of assigned clinical trials and a strong commitment to connecting patients with the best available care and clinical trial opportunities
• Ability to effectively navigate Electronic Medical Systems and databases to assess patient eligibility.
• Detail oriented, organized, flexible and reliable
• Bilingual preferred not required

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred, or a minimum of five years of relevant clinical research, patient navigation, healthcare coordination, or oncology experience in lieu of an advanced degree.

The annual budgeted salary range for this position is $99,102.14 - $141,886.

Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree Additional Education Requirements Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education Minimum Experience: 3 years of related experience with specialized research and/or programs. Addtional Experience Requirements Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum work experience Minimum Skills: Related experience with specialized research and/or programs (e.g., counseling, teaching). Ability to analyze and evaluate data, and present findings. Excellent interpersonal and written and oral communication skills, able to problem solve and lead conflict resolutions. Ability to interpret and apply policies/analyses/trends. Preferred Education: Master's degree Preferred Experience: 5 years of related experience with specialized research and/or programs. Preferred Skills: Related special education, licensing, or certifications based upon program content and services. Proven ability to lead and guide others.