The starting salary range for this position is $20.00-$24.00 per hour depending upon qualifications and is non-negotiable. 

FUNCTION OF THE UNIT

The Body Image, Sexuality, and Health Lab (BISH Lab), directed by Dr. Aaron Blashill, conducts research focused on sexual orientation and gender identity-based disparities in mental health, physical health, and health behaviors.

The Cancer Disparities and Cancer Communication Lab is directed by Dr. Kristen Wells. Research in this lab focuses on the development of patient navigation, community health worker, and health communication interventions.  

Drs. Blashill and Wells received funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct and facilitate research on suicide prevention in gender and sexual minority individuals.

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

Under the immediate supervision of Drs. Aaron Blashill and Kristen Wells, the Mental Health Advocate will assist with guiding participants who are identified as high risk for suicide to medical, mental health, and social services by addressing systematic environmental and personal barriers to care. Additionally, the Mental Health Advocate will provide participants with skills to reduce suicide risk. The Mental Health Advocate will provide these patient navigation services as part of a suicide prevention intervention program that is being evaluated in a research study.

The Mental Health Advocate is responsible for but not limited to:

Core Responsibilities

Targeted Intervention Delivery:

• Assist participants with developing and maintaining a personalized safety plan.
• Conducts thorough periodic assessments to assess safety risk.
• Provides mental health crisis management.
• Assist with basic health education on mental health services and minority stress.
• Provide navigation services to participants such as identifying and addressing participant barriers to care (e.g., fear, knowledge, clinic visit logistics, etc.), preparing and facilitating participant interaction with clinical providers, and providing support and empathy.
• Aid participants in assessment and acquisition of insurance for uninsured participants.
• Provide a variety of support services such as arranging various forms of financial assistance, arranging interpretation services, ensuring coordination of services among medical staff, provide social and emotional support among other services (or connect participants to community and social support services).
• Provide navigation services to participants such as identifying and addressing participant barriers to community involvement (e.g., fear, knowledge, logistics, etc.), preparing and facilitating participant involvement with community support and social resources, and providing support and empathy.

General Participant Support:

• Contact participants to invite them to intervention appointments.
• Maintain good relationships with participants.
• Make reminder and follow up telephone calls.
• Assist participants in scheduling clinic appointments and obtaining screening services.
• Assist participants in scheduling intake appointments and provide an overview of mental health services.
• Assist participants in scheduling community support activities.

Administrative Tasks:

• Attend regular supervision meetings with Principal
• Prepare for and attend all training sessions.
• Complete and submit activity forms in a timely manner.
• Follow all protocols, standard operating procedures, and human subject research regulations.
• Maintain excellent data entry practices to ensure effective participant tracking and efficient evaluation.
• Maintains a list of current mental health, social/community, and emergency resources (food, clothing, shelter, counseling). Partners with community resources.

Other Duties & Opportunities

• Opportunity to pursue adjacent personal research projects.
• Opportunity to interact with multidisciplinary research labs focused on LGBTQ+ health, clinical psychology, health behavior, social and psychiatric epidemiology, and intervention development.
• Opportunity to develop research skills.
• Opportunity for further academic or clinical career development.

Knowledge and Abilities 

• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with clinical providers, including physicians.
• Ability to display cultural sensitivity and respect to ethnically, culturally, sexually, and gender diverse individuals, communities, and organizations.
• Ability to interact empathetically with participants.
• Ability to interact with persons of varied education and socio-economic levels.
• Ability to manage multiple and competing priorities.
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary research environment.
• Ability to work with and motivate others.
• Available to work flexible hours, which may include evenings and weekends.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to follow detailed protocols.
• Basic organization skills, attention to detail, time management skills, and motivation to meet deadlines and achieve goals.
• Basic computer literacy ability to comply with department needs and expectations (i.e., electronic medical record documentation, obtaining background information and reports on participants, following up on appointments, etc.).
• Persistence in finding solutions to problems/addressing barriers.

Required Experience/Education

MINIMUM EDUCATION

• Equivalent to graduation from a four-year university

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE

• One-year of experience in technical research or statistical work experience

Desired Experience/Education

• A bachelor’s degree in social work or in another health-related field (i.e., equivalent to graduation from a four-year university education)
• One (1) year experience working with LGBTQ+ individuals.
• One (1) year experience working with youth and adolescents.
• One (1) year of research experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS AND SPECIAL SKILLS

• Experience working in a fast-pace clinical research setting .
• Experience working with culturally and ethnically diverse communities.
• Knowledge of clinical services and support programs.
• Knowledge of data collection and management and study protocols.
• Knowledge of referral policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of the community resources, health and social service systems in San Diego County and skill in establishing working relationships with community partners.
• Personal experience and/or interest in mental health services.

ADDITIONAL APPLICANT INFORMATION:

• Candidate must reside in California and live in a commutable distance from SDSU at time of hire.
• A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with SDSU Research Foundation
• San Diego State University Research Foundation is an EEO/AA/Disability/Vets Employer