Clinical Research Project Assistant, CHES
Job ID
24498
Location
Toronto, Ontario
Annualized Hiring Range
$57,283 - $78,764
*Compensation commensurate with experience
Dept/Program Name
Child Health Eval Sciences
Target Openings
1
Work Type
In Person
Hours of Work
35.00
FTE
1.00
Contract Length
1 year
Level of Police Check
Criminal & Judicial Record
Date Posted
2026-09-11
Deadline to Apply
2026-09-21
**About Sick

Kids**
Dedicated exclusively to children and their families, The Hospital for Sick Children (Sick

Kids) is one of the largest and most respected paediatric healthcare centres in the world.

As innovators in child health, we lead and partner to improve the health of children through the integration of healthcare, leading-edge research and education.

Our reputation would not have been built - nor could it be maintained - without the skills, knowledge and experience of the extraordinary people who come to work here every day.

Sick

Kids is committed to ongoing learning and development, and features a caring and supportive work environment that combines exceptionally high standards of practice.

When you join Sick

Kids, you become part of our community.

We share a commitment and determination to fulfill our vision of
_Healthier Children. A Better World_
.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to work alongside the world's best in paediatric healthcare.
**Position Description**
The Saunders Lab is seeking a full-time Clinical Research Assistant to support a focused program of research, evaluation and implementation work related primarily to somatic symptom and related disorders (SSRDs) in children and youth.

This work sits at the intersection of paediatrics, mental health, rehabilitation, health services research and integrated care, and is directly connected to efforts to improve recognition, care delivery, family engagement, functional recovery and health system outcomes for children with complex physical and mental health needs.

The successful candidate will join a small, collaborative and highly productive lab led by Dr.

Natasha Saunders, Staff Physician in the Division of Paediatric Medicine at Sick

Kids and Senior Associate Scientist in Child Health Evaluative Sciences at the Sick

Kids Research Institute.

The role will primarily support Dr.

Saunders' SSRD-related portfolio, including research studies, quality improvement and evaluation activities, integrated care pathway work, knowledge translation, and operational projects involving clinical, research, patient/family and health system stakeholders.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is organized, thoughtful, detail-oriented and interested in paediatric mental health, integrated care, quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methods research, and the practical work of moving evidence into clinical programs.

The Research Assistant will work closely with Dr.

Saunders, lab staff, trainees, clinicians, operational partners, patients, families, providers and collaborators across Sick

Kids and affiliated institutions.
**Key Responsibilities**
Support day-to-day coordination of SSRD-related research, evaluation, quality improvement and implementation projects within the Saunders Lab.

Assist with preparation and maintenance of study and project documentation, including protocols, study manuals, recruitment materials, consent forms, data collection tools,



standard operating procedures, reports, abstracts, presentations and manuscripts.

Support Research Ethics Board, quality improvement and institutional submissions, amendments, renewals and reporting requirements.

Conduct literature searches and synthesize relevant evidence related to paediatric SSRDs, mental health, integrated care, health services research, implementation science and patient/family experiences.

Assist with participant recruitment, scheduling, consent processes, interviews, surveys, data collection and follow-up, as appropriate to each project, including work involving patients, families and healthcare providers.

Support quantitative data activities, including data entry, database maintenance, data cleaning, chart review, descriptive summaries and preparation of tables or figures under supervision.

Support Delphi consensus, qualitative and mixed-methods evaluation activities, including preparation for interviews, surveys or focus groups with patients, families, clinicians and other stakeholders; transcription tracking, coding, thematic analysis and summary of findings.

Maintain accurate, organized and secure project records, ensuring data are handled confidentially and in accordance with Sick

Kids policies, privacy requirements and applicable research ethics standards.

Coordinate meetings, prepare agendas and minutes, track action items, follow up on deliverables and support communication across clinical, research and operational teams.

Contribute to grant applications, progress reports, knowledge translation products, conference abstracts, manuscripts and other academic or operational outputs.

Participate in lab meetings, project meetings and relevant clinical or program meetings to support coordination, knowledge sharing and project progress.

Work collaboratively in a small lab environment where flexibility, initiative, accountability and strong communication are essential.
**Here's What You'll Need**
Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline, such as health sciences, psychology, neuroscience, public health, epidemiology, social sciences, life sciences or a related field.

Previous research experience, preferably in a hospital, academic, clinical or health services research setting.

Demonstrated interest in child and youth mental health, paediatrics, integrated care, health services research or related areas.

Strong organizational skills, attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks, timelines and competing priorities.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Ability to work independently while also contributing effectively to a small, collaborative team.

Comfort communicating with clinicians, researchers, trainees, patients, families, patient partners, providers and other stakeholders in a professional and sensitive manner.

Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Power

Point and Outlook.

Commitment to confidentiality, research integrity,



respectful collaboration and equity-oriented work.

Preferred Qualifications
Experience or training in mental health research, paediatric research, clinical epidemiology, health services research, implementation science, quantitative/big data, qualitative research or mixed-methods evaluation.

Familiarity with somatic symptom and related disorders, functional neurological symptom disorder, co-occurring physical and mental health conditions, or integrated care models.

Experience supporting participant recruitment, interviews, focus groups, Delphi consensus processes, chart review, REDCap databases, data entry, data cleaning or basic analysis.

Experience preparing research ethics or quality improvement submissions.

Experience with reference management software, qualitative analysis software or statistical software would be an asset but is not required.

Strong judgement, professionalism and comfort working with sensitive health-related topics.
**Employment Type**
This is a 1.0 FTE temporary contract position with modified benefits.

The position is based at Sick

Kids in Toronto, Ontario, and will require access to secure hospital and research systems to support chart review, data management, administrative data projects, Delphi consensus activities, meetings and coordination with clinical, research and operational teams.

The role includes both quantitative/data-focused work and interpersonal research activities with patients, families, providers and other stakeholders, depending on specific project needs.

Limited hybrid work may be considered in accordance with institutional, project and operational requirements.
#LI-DNI
**Our Commitment to Diversity**
Sick

Kids is committed to championing equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do, fostering an intentionally inclusive and culturally secure environment that reflects the diversity of the patients, families and communities we serve.

Learn more about workplace inclusion. (https://www.sickkids.ca/en/about/edi/workplace-inclusion/)
**Accessibility & Accommodation**
If you require accommodation during the application process, please reach out to our
aSKHR team ( [email protected] )
.

Sick

Kids can provide access and inclusion supports to eligible candidates to support their full engagement during the interview and selection process as well as to ensure candidates are able to perform their duties once successfully hired.

If you are invited for an interview and require accommodation, please let us know at the time of your invitation to interview.

Information received related to access, inclusion or accommodation will be addressed confidentially.
**How To Apply**
Technical difficulties? Email
[email protected]
with a short description of the issues you are experiencing.

We will not accept resumes sent to this inbox but we are happy to respond to requests for technical assistance.
**Tip:**
Combine your cover letter and resume into
**ONE**
document of 20 pages or less as you cannot upload multiple documents as part of your application.

Every application is reviewed by a human recruiter and all hiring decisions are made by people.

In some cases, AI-assisted tools are used to help review applications based on job-related qualifications.

All positions posted on the Sick

Kids Hospital's Careers Site represent current vacancies, unless otherwise posted in the job description.

📌 Clinical Research Project Assistant, CHES (Toronto)
🏢 SickKids
📍 Toronto