Administrative Assistant

Department:	ideas for Health, Department of Health Studies and Gerontology	Effective Date:	October 1, 2004
Grade:	USG 4	Reports to:

General Accountability

The Administrative Assistant is accountable to the Principal Investigator. The incumbent will provide administrative and clerical support to the Principal Investigator, the Project Manager, and other project staff as necessary.

Nature and Scope

The Organization

The ideas for Health group in AHS (formerly known as the Resident Assessment Instrument – Health Informatics Project or RAI-HIP) currently has funding for two major research projects: “Enhancing the Use of interRAI Instruments in Primary Health Care: The Next Step toward an Integrated Health Information System” and “Enhancing the Use of interRAI Instruments in Mental Health: Making an Integrated Mental Health Information System Happen”. The ideas for Mental Health and ideas for Primary Care projects are directed by Dr. John Hirdes (Department of Health Studies and Gerontology) and are funded by the Primary Health Care Transition Fund (Health Canada). They are scheduled to start immediately and continue until April 2006. There is the possibility of renewal and/or of the Principal Investigator receiving other funding which would allow research staff to retain their positions.

The combined budget for these two projects is $3.5 million. The research is part of a collaborative effort with a team of researchers, clinicians, and policy-makers from Ontario and the United States. The project will provide vital information for health policy in Canada, will train young researchers, and will substantially elevate the level of expertise among Canadian policy-makers and clinicians with respect to the use of evidence from an integrated health information system. At the two primary project sites, the staffing complement will consist of the Principal Investigator, the Senior Research Associate/Health Scientist, the Educator and Field Coordinator, a post-doctoral fellow, the Project Manager, computing support staff, graduate students, and other staff.

Challenges of the Position

The incumbent will work closely with the Principal Investigator and Project Manager to ensure the smooth operation of all administrative functions within the research environment at both primary locations (UW and Homewood). The incumbent will be required to prioritize tasks and to work efficiently to complete a wide variety of clerical tasks for a number of concurrent projects in a timely manner.

Statistical Data

The current ideas for Health projects build on the success of the previous $1.7 million Resident Assessment Instrument – Health Informatics Project, which was funded by Health Canada and which ran from 1999 to 2001. The new projects expand the range of study populations and applications of the assessment instruments developed during the RAI-HIP study.

The two ideas for Health research projects currently involve 15 co-investigators (from within UW and from 12 other institutions), two project consultants, six full-time staff, and an initial complement of ten grad students and part-time staff. As the projects progress, additional staff, students, and expert consultants will be brought on to the team. The project has two primary bases of operation: UW and Homewood Research Institute in Guelph.

Specific Accountabilities

Complete clerical tasks, including photocopying, courier shipments, telephone, filing, meeting arrangements (e.g., room booking, catering orders), meeting minutes, key permits, supply inventory and orders, etc.
Transcribe dictation of journal manuscripts and research reports using Word and dictation/voice-recognition software
Assist in communications among project staff and co-investigators (e.g., maintain current contact information, transmit faxes and/or e-mail memos re meeting notices, etc.)
Maintain administrative records (vacation/sick time, contract renewal dates, etc.), general project schedule (e.g., project team meetings, external presentations, educational events), and document library (e.g., journal articles, project files)