The CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health (ISPH) is recruiting for a Regional Coordinator for New York City, for a 5-year NIH-funded randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a socialization and sex education program among individuals with mild to moderate developmental disabilities, under the direction of co-Principal Investigators Suzanne McDermott and Heidi Jones, faculty at the CUNY School of Public Health.

The randomized controlled trial (RCT) will test a socialization and sex education curriculum among 856 adolescents and young adults (ages 16-27) with Down syndrome and other types of mild/moderate intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) who receive services in four of the five Developmental Disabilities Regional districts of the New York State Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). Half of the participants will be randomized to receive a socialization and sex education curriculum, and the other half a physical exercise and nutrition intervention. The interventions will be 6-weeks and there will be questionnaires administered at numerous points before and after the interventions.

This position involves (1) recruitment and Informed Consent of adolescents and young adults, ages 16-27 years, who agree to participate in the study and be randomly assigned to a reproductive health intervention or a healthy living intervention, (2) conducting an assessment of each individual before and after the intervention, and (3) providing the delivery of the interventions in individuals home (for the Reproductive Health arm) and in small groups (for the Healthy Living arm). The NYC Regional Coordinator will have a caseload of approximately 24 individuals every 8 weeks. The start date is April 1, 2023 (or mutually agreed upon alternative).

The NYC Regional Coordinator will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operation of the trial within Region 4 of OPWDD (NYC). The Regional Coordinator will be supervised by a Lead Regional Coordinator and the Project Manager, through weekly in-person and/or remote meetings.

Regional Coordination duties include, but not limited to :

• Recruitment of study participants through service providers in NYC, Region 4
• Attendance at Service Provider meetings to encourage recruitment
• Coordination of intervention and data collection by scheduling appointments, maintaining accurate visit completion records, and data entry
• Administration of informed consent/assent to NYC participants
• After receiving training on the interventions, implementation of the 6-week individual socialization and sex education curriculum (in people’s homes) and the 6-week group physical and nutrition intervention (in community meeting places). based on randomization scheme
• Administering surveys before and after the intervention to all participants
• Working with Lived Experience Consultants to modify the program, and to identify solutions to challenges that arise
• Completing progress reports

• At least two years of fieldwork experience with adolescents or adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD)
• At least a bachelor’s degree (BA or BS)
• Ability to travel around NYC to provide the intervention in people’s homes or in community settings
• Evidence of supervision and/or collaboration with colleagues

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