Conflict of Interest Associate, Research Activities

The Office for Interactions with Industry (OII) at Mass General Brigham (MGB, formerly Partners HealthCare) is seeking an individual to serve as an Associate on the OII Research Team. The Research Team identifies and manages financial interests of MGB research investigators and MGB institutions in connection with institutional academic medical research activities. This work advances and preserves the integrity of the academic mission of MGB hospitals by facilitating positive collaborations with industry that improve academic research and ultimately patient care while ensuring that these collaborations do not cause bias in how the academic research is conducted. The position reports to the OII Program Manager for Research Activities; OII reports to the General Counsel of MGB.

• Under the direction of the Program Manager, reviews individual and institutional financial interests in connection with MGB research activities. This entails reviewing the institutional and personal financial interests of MGB investigators engaged in government- or private-funded research projects and determining whether, pursuant to applicable policies and regulations, a conflict of interest exists between the financial interest and the research project, and when necessary implementing and monitoring compliance with management plans for such conflicts.
• Contributes to the development of policy refinements in the area of Research conflicts of interest review, based on live cases and other policy priorities or other initiatives as identified by the Program Manager, other OII leadership and MGB committees and management.
• Provides support to the MGB committee that oversees research conflicts of interest review, including assisting with agendas, preparing and presenting cases and other matters for review by the committees, codifying committee decisions in minutes, and committee follow-up with relevant parties. Works with the committee co-chairs to handle cases administratively within committee-approved guidelines.
• Communicates with MGB researchers on case-related matters and triages questions appropriately. Facilitates constructive interactions with industry by enabling investigators and institutional officials to understand the impact of their personal financial interests on their MGB research and other institutional responsibilities.
• Works as a member of the OII Research Team on the design, continuous improvement, and implementation of systems to handle daily workflow in the area of Research conflicts of interest review, including electronic systems for intake and evaluation of work, fielding customer inquiries and cases and standard procedures for managing cases and follow-up.
• Coordinates information and processes between OII and other MGB departments such as the MGB Institutional Review Board, MGB Clinical Research Office, MGB Innovation, and Research Management.
• Maintains a current and in-depth understanding of policies and regulations that govern the area of Research conflicts of interest review.
• Works within OII Research team to develop communications and educational materials regarding the disclosure of financial interests and conflicts of interest in the academic medical research arena.
• Tracks cases and prepares case reports.
• Other duties as assigned by the Program Manager or the Director of OII.

As a not-for-profit organization, Mass General Brigham is committed to supporting patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community by leading innovation across our system. Founded by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Mass General Brigham supports a complete continuum of care including community and specialty hospitals, a managed care organization, a physician network, community health centers, home care and other health-related entities. Several of our hospitals are teaching affiliates of Harvard Medical School, and our system is a national leader in biomedical research.

Education and Work Experience:

• Bachelor's degree required. An undergraduate degree in science or experience in scientific research is strongly preferred. A J.D. or other advanced degree preferred.
• Experience working in the area of conflicts of interest and/or academic research and working with physicians and administrators in large complex not-for-profit institutions preferred.
• Prior experience at MGB a plus.
• The level of this position will be determined by the amount of the candidate's relevant experience. Associate I: one to three years of relevant experience; Associate II: Two to four years of legal, research grants management or other comparable experience; Senior Associate: five or more years of research grants management or comparable experience with at least a year working in the area of conflicts of interest in a large complex not-for-profit institution.

Skills required:

• Strong analytical and organizational skills
• Excellent interpersonal and written and oral communication skills
• The ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• The ability to work without supervision, take ownership of and manage numerous projects at the same time and meet tight deadlines
• Integrity and a strong sense of professional ethics
• A high level of initiative and energy
• Proficiency in MS Office and presentation software
• Knowledge of MGB research systems (Insight) preferred