We are hiring a Research Concierge in Northridge, CA. This is a full time, in person role
Responsibilities
PURPOSE: The Research Concierge serves as the primary bridge between a partner medical practice and the adjacent research site. This role is designed to maximize the conversion of established practice patients into qualified clinical trial participants through proactive schedule intelligence, in-practice engagement, warm handoffs to the research team, and ongoing patient education about clinical research.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
Pre-Visit Intelligence & Schedule Scrubbing
- Review partner practice clinic schedules weekly (at minimum) in advance of each physician’s clinic day to identify patients who may qualify for active or upcoming trials.
- Use EHR crawlers to data-mine the partner practice patient database for qualifying diagnoses, medications, labs, and demographics.
- Produce a prioritized candidate list for the practice physicians before each clinic day, flagged by study and qualification rationale.
- Maintain and update a tracking log of patients identified, approached, and converted.
In-Practice Patient Engagement
- Receive warm handoffs from physicians following in-room introductions to potential study candidates.
- Conduct brief, non-coercive study conversations with interested patients in a private setting within the partner practice.
- Walk interested patients to the research site for a facility tour and/or extended discussion when appropriate.
- Represent research participation as a positive, patient-centered opportunity - never as a sales transaction.
- Document all patient interactions and disposition in Salesforce.
Prescreening Support
- Facilitate limited prescreening activities for patients who express interest, including: vital signs (blood pressure), point-of-care testing, medication history capture, and brief eligibility screening.
- Assist patients in completing informed consent for prescreening visits where applicable.
- Schedule formal prescreening or screening visits at the research site in coordination with the research coordinator team.
- Communicate screening outcomes and patient disposition to the recruitment and clinical teams.
Patient Education - Clinical Research Literacy
- Serve as a frontline educator on what clinical research is, how trials work, and what participation involves - for patients who are curious, skeptical, or entirely unfamiliar.
- Proactively distribute site-approved educational materials in the partner practice waiting area and exam rooms (brochures, FAQs, study-specific one-pagers).
- Address common patient concerns directly: time commitment, safety, compensation, the difference between research and standard care.
- Build familiarity with the research site across the broader partner practice patient population, not only among patients currently flagged for a specific trial.
- Contribute to developing and refining patient-facing educational content in collaboration with the Site Director and research team.
Relationship Management
- Build and maintain trusted, ongoing relationships with partner practice clinical staff, medical assistants, and front desk personnel to facilitate smooth referral flow.
- Serve as a visible, accessible point of contact for patients who have questions about research participation.
- Maintain awareness of all active protocols at the research site to accurately represent study requirements and patient commitment.
General
- Represent the organization in a professional and courteous manner (verbal, written and in appearance) when interacting with all staff, clients, and vendors.
- Additional duties as assigned by management.
Required Skills
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND/OR ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS:
- Work is performed on-site at the partner medical practice, with regular movement between the practice and the adjacent research site.
- Standing for periods of time and movement throughout the clinic.
- Occasional light lifting of materials.
- Direct patient contact.
- A valid driver’s license may be beneficial for occasional off-site outreach activities.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
- Education: High school diploma or equivalent required. Clinical background preferred: Medical Assistant (MA), CNA, CRC, or LPN certification.
- Experience: 2+ years of experience in a patient-facing healthcare, community health, or clinical research setting required. Prior experience in patient navigation, community health outreach, or clinical trial recruitment preferred.
Preferred Skills
Knowledge and Skills:
- Demonstrated ability to communicate complex medical or research information to lay audiences clearly and compassionately.
- Comfortable with electronic health record systems and digital scheduling tools.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail in documentation.
- Demonstrated discretion and professionalism in handling Protected Health Information (HIPAA compliance required).
- Familiarity with the partner practice’s patient populations and therapeutic areas (preferred).
- Experience with EMR data mining or patient panel management (preferred).
- Bilingual skills a plus, based on local community demographics (preferred).
- Patient-centered communication: meets patients where they are and adapts message to literacy and comfort level.
- Proactive initiative: self-directs schedule scrubbing and outreach without being prompted.
- Attention to detail: accurate data capture, tracking logs kept current, nothing falls through.
- Cross-entity navigation: manages workflow across two separate organizations with grace and professionalism.
- Trustworthiness: handles PHI with discipline and maintains patient and physician trust consistently.
- Research fluency: can explain trial participation basics, eligibility concepts, and patient rights.
Schedule/Shift
Monday-Friday; Normal Business Hours
*We will consider for employment all qualified Applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance (FCIHO), Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers (ULAC), The San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (FCO), and the California Fair Chance Act (CFCA).
*As a job position within our Clinical Sciences division, a successful completion of a background check may be required as a condition of employment. This requirement is directly related to essential job functions including but not limited to: high-risk working environments (laboratories, clinical settings), handling hazards chemicals or lab specimens, conducting direct patient care, accessing medical and confidential records, access to prescription medication or other drugs, and job duties that can cause serious injury or death as a result of error. Due to these job duties, this position has a significant impact on the business operations and reputation, as well as the safety and well-being of individuals who may be cared for as part of the job position or who may interact with staff or clients.