Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center: Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

Biomedical Informatics

Job Summary:

POSITION OVERVIEW
The Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) at Vanderbilt Health is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Research Assistant 1 to join a dynamic research group focused on clinical decision support (CDS), patient safety, and the application of machine learning and data science to improve inpatient and outpatient clinical care.

This position will support multiple active research projects led by a physician-informatician, including work on prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), predicting and preventing inpatient hypoglycemia, quality improvement initiatives, and clinical tool development. The Research Assistant will work across the full project lifecycle—from data collection and chart review through data analysis, tool development, stakeholder coordination and dissemination support.

This role is an excellent opportunity for individuals considering future careers in medicine, clinical research, or medical informatics.

About the Research
Our group sits at the intersection of patient safety, quality improvement, and health information technology. Active and anticipated projects include:
• Developing and validating machine learning models to predict hypoglycemia in hospitalized patients prescribed insulin
• Building and evaluating clinical decision support tools integrated into Epic, Vanderbilt Health's electronic health record (EHR)
• Conducting a randomized trial of CDS interventions to improve lipid lowering therapy in primary care
• Exploring applications of large language models to clinical care
• Quality improvement projects (e.g., assessing FRAX utilization for osteoporosis screening , developing prediction models for urinary tract infections in patients on SGLT2 inhibitors)

WHY JOIN OUR TEAM
We are at a remarkable moment in medicine: recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models offer unprecedented opportunities to make care smarter, safer, and more effective for patients and the clinicians caring for them. Our team is at the forefront of applying technology to improve real-world patient care. As a Research Assistant, you will:
• Gain hands-on experience across multiple clinical research projects in a world-class academic medical center
• Work alongside physicians, data scientists, and informaticians in the largest biomedical informatics department in the world
• Develop a deep understanding of clinical research methods, EHR data, and healthcare quality improvement
• Receive mentorship and professional development support in a collaborative, mission-driven environment
• Access to weekly academic seminars, providing ongoing exposure to cutting-edge research in clinical informatics, AI, and medicine
• Build a strong foundation for future careers in medicine, research, informatics, or data science

REQUIRED:
• Bachelor's degree
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Self-motivated, industrious, and able to work independently with minimal supervision
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and adhere to HIPAA standards when working with patient data (training will be provided)
• Ability to work onsite at Nashville office
• Familiarity with basic programming or data analysis (e.g., Python, R, SQL) is preferred; advanced coding skills are not required, but are a plus.

This position will work on site at 2525 West End. Ave. in Nashville, TN and will work Monday-Friday, traditional daytime business hours.

ALL APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS SHOULD CONTAIN BOTH A RESUME AND COVER LETTER.

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DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Vanderbilt Health is a nationally recognized academic medical center and research institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) is the largest biomedical informatics department in the world and is home to internationally recognized leaders in clinical informatics, AI, and clinical decision support. DBMI's close partnership with Vanderbilt Health's operational health IT infrastructure creates a uniquely powerful environment for translating research into real-world clinical impact.

Key Responsibilities

Chart Review, Data Analysis & Data Quality

• Perform structured medical record reviews to verify data accuracy and support the development and validation of clinical prediction models
• Identify and document data discrepancies or anomalies, supporting overall research quality
• Perform analyses of clinical data

Project Coordination & Stakeholder Engagement

• Coordinate user-centered design sessions with multidisciplinary stakeholders, including scheduling, preparation of materials, and follow-up
• Assist with distribution and collection of user surveys evaluating new clinical tools
• Support coordination of research activities across collaborating departments and institutions
• Track project timelines, tasks, and deliverables to keep multiple concurrent projects on schedule

Research Support

• Assist with literature reviews, manuscript preparation, and presentation materials
• Support IRB submissions and regulatory documentation as needed
• Assist with quality improvement analyses and data summaries

Our Academic Enterprise is one of the nation’s longest serving and most prestigious academic medical centers. Through its historic bond with Vanderbilt University and integral role in the School of Medicine, Vanderbilt Health cultivates distinguished research and educational programs to advance a clinical enterprise that provides compassionate and personalized care and support for millions of patients and family members each year.

World-leading academic departments and comprehensive centers of excellence pursue scientific discoveries and transformational educational and clinical advances across the entire spectrum of health and disease.

Aligning with Vanderbilt Health’s Strategic Directions, the Office of Research provides shared research resources, administrative expertise and professional guidance to enable the trans-disciplinary environment and highly collaborative culture that advances discovery and training for all the research faculty, trainees, students and staff.

Core Accountabilities:

Organizational Impact: Delivers job responsibilities that impact own job area/team with some guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Uses existing procedures, research and analysis to solve standard job related problems that may require some judgement. Breadth of Knowledge: Requires subject matter knowledge within a professional area to meet job requirements. Team Interaction: Individually contributes to project/ work teams.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues: - Develops Self and Others: Continuously improves own skills by identifying development opportunities.- Builds and Maintains Relationships: Seeks to understand colleagues priorities, working styles and develops relationships across areas. - Communicates Effectively: Openly shares information with others and communicates in a clear and courteous manner. Delivering Excellent Services: - Serves Others with Compassion: Invests time to understand the problems, needs of others and how to provide excellent service. - Solves Complex Problems: Seeks to understand issues, solves routine problems, and raises proper concerns to supervisors in a timely manner. - Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Listens carefully to understand the issues and provides accurate information and support. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Checks work quality before delivery and asks relevant questions to meet quality standards.- Ensures Continuous Improvement: Shows eagerness to learn new knowledge, technologies, tools or systems and displays willingness to go above and beyond. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Demonstrates basic knowledge of conditions that affect safety and reports unsafe conditions to the appropriate person or department. Managing Resources Effectively :- Demonstrates Accountability: Takes responsibility for completing assigned activities and thinks beyond standard approaches to provide high-quality work/service. - Stewards Organizational Resources: Displays understanding of how personal actions will impact departmental resources. - Makes Data Driven Decisions: Uses accurate information and good decision making to consistently achieve results on time and without error. Fostering Innovation: - Generates New Ideas: Willingly proposes/accepts ideas or initiatives that will impact day-to-day operations by offering suggestions to enhance them.- Applies Technology: Absorbs new technology quickly; understands when to utilize the appropriate tools and procedures to ensure proper course of action. - Adapts to Change: Embraces changes by keeping an open mind to changing plans and incorporates change instructions into own area of work.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications :

Work Experience :

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level :

Less than 1 year

Education :

Bachelor's

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.