Job Description

Company : IWK Health
Req ID: 206873
Department/Program: HEM/OCC, Research Services
Location: Halifax
Type of Employment: Temporary Hourly FT long-assignment (100% FTE) for 1 year x 1 position(s)
Start Date: July 2025
Union Status: Research, Management/Non Union Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $23.8224 - $29.7775 /hour
Closing Date: July 23, 2025 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)
IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across . People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other's talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our , and enjoy access to enhanced and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.
Promoting an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi'kma'ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi'kmaq people. Working in Mi'kma'ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.
The Opportunity
The Canadian Pharmacogenomics Network for Drug Safety (CPNDS) is a surveillance program to identify, enroll and evaluate the safety and effectiveness of medication in children - otherwise known as adverse drug reactions (ADRs) or 'side effects'. The overarching goal of the program is to conduct pharmacogenomic analyses to identify predictive genetic biomarkers of ADRs to make medication use safer and more effective. The CPNDS is funded (2025-2029) by the Genome Canada, Canadian Precision Health Initiative for the project "Longitudinal, Deep-Phenotyped Pediatric Databank of Medical and Drug Outcomes."
To collect the necessary data, the CPNDS has established personnel at academic health centres across Canada. The IWK research assistant is responsible for conducting patient recruitment and enrollment, collecting timely and accurate data on cases and controls at the IWK and meeting the project goals and priorities set forth by Network.
The research assistant will build relationships with physicians, nursing and pharmacy staff and other health care clinicians and utilize the resources of institutional health records and laboratory departments. The successful candidate will work closely with the on-site investigator(s) Dr. Kulkarni and Dr. Goralski as well as the Primary Principal Investigator Dr. Bruce Carleton and his staff in Vancouver, BC
The successful applicant must excel at exercising judgment/decision making and must be able to manage and complete multiple tasks simultaneously and meet time-sensitive critical deadlines. The applicant must be able to demonstrate the ability to work independently with minimal supervision and in a cooperative manner. The ability to liaise with other health care professionals and to communicate effectively verbally and in writing is essential.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Identify patients experiencing ADRs, either referred by health care professionals or by performing active monitoring in conjunction with other clinicians;
• Obtain informed consent from patients for participation in studies, and collect DNA samples (saliva, buccal swabs or blood);
• Collect clinical data relevant to the ADR, grade causality of ADR;
• Conduct chart reviews with complete medication profile, current medical conditions, laboratory data and other relevant information documented;
• Accurately complete data entry into the CPNDS electronic data base in a timely manner
• Develop educational materials and presentations for clinical pharmacists, physicians and other health professionals involved in the project;
• Maintain up-to-date ethics approval through local research ethics board along with records of project progress, number of patients recruited and enrolled;
• Participate in activities central to the promotion and advertisement of the project throughout the associated facilities;Liaise with personnel across all national CPNDS study sites and participate in regular meetings and training sessions;
• Prepare required study reports and other duties as required

Hours of Work
Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours week
Your Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or above in a health sciences, allied health or clinical sciences is required
• A minimum of 2 years patient care and interaction experience is strongly preferred
• Clinical and clinical trial experience is preferred
• Exemplary interpersonal skills both verbally and in writing
• Confidence and interpersonal communication skill set necessary to establish new working relationships with various clinicians and teams.
• Ability to liaise and network with other health professionals within other provincial health jurisdictions.
• Superior skills in organization, problem solving, critical thinking and attention to detail
• Confident to assume independent work and to actively seek support when required.
• Organize and manage workload with accuracy
• Working knowledge of computer software and relational databases

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.
Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.
This is a Management/Non Union bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.
An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.
If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.