Hearing Science Accelerator Coordinator

Overview

Overview:

The House Institute Hearing Science Accelerator (HSA) is a program to advance biomedical research on hearing disorders for which there has long been a lack of new treatment options. The HSA program engages experts from around the world both inside and outside of hearing science through a three-stage process:

1. Disease prioritization and an in-depth review of the medical literature
2. An in-person three-day workshop with experts from within the field of hearing science along with thought leaders from other disciplines
3. Disease initiative

The HSA Coordinator will provide project management support throughout the three-stage process. Currently the HSA on sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) is in the Disease Initiative phase while the HSA on vestibular schwannomas is beginning the three-stage process in October 2023. The coordinator will be responsible for moving the SSHL disease initiative activities forward while simultaneously supporting the HSA on vestibular schwannoma. Our expectation is that there will be HSA’s on at least two diseases or conditions each year.

The successful applicant must be willing to acquire fluency in the history, current treatments, and literature on the HSA topics. Project management skills with attention to details and follow-through are critical. Experience convening and leading working meetings is desirable. Strong candidates will be familiar with medical literature reviews, research and academic institutional norms, and consensus building methodologies. They will exhibit a self-motivated, highly organized, resourceful, and investigative personality. This role requires the ability to synthesize complex information, ideas, and input, effectively delegate to peers and superiors alike, take sound executive action, and maintain clear and consistent lines of communication with internal and external stakeholders.

Essential Responsibilities

• Develop and manage detailed timelines throughout the three-stage process of simultaneous HSA’s.
• Coordinate scheduling and communication with steering committee, sub committees, workshop participants, and internal stakeholders. Includes preparing meeting material, taking notes, and following up on action items.
• Assist program chair with identifying and recruiting the steering committee and participants for each HSA program.
• Serve as the primary contact with cross-sectoral stakeholders including research scientists, physicians, public health professionals, policy makers and government entities.
• Spearhead three-day workshop planning by collaborating with internal events production team, coordinating facilitator training, organizing speakers and drafting presentations.
• Develop and manage HSA annual budget.
• Facilitate literature review by developing a timeline, scheduling meetings, organizing medical literature, and providing support in writing summaries for workshop.
• Oversee the collection of data to evaluate the HSA overtime.
• Obtain feedback, propose new ideas, and seek to improve the planning and execution of the HSA year over year.
• Work closely with Marketing and Communications to design and implement a coherent external affairs strategy that promotes the mission and vision of the HSA.
• Engage with the HIF research program through bimonthly program meetings and research committee meetings.
• Serve as back-up coordinator for clinical trials.

Education and Experience

• B.A. or B.S. plus minimum of three years of project management and/or high-level administrative or coordinator experience in (or adjacent to) medical research.
• Prior experience in an academic, medical or research setting.
• Project management certification or master’s degree preferred.

Qualifications, Skills, and Abilities

• A strong commitment to advancing HIF’s mission and values.

• Commitment to delivering the highest quality program that furthers HIF’s reputation for innovation and excellence.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with staff, faculty, administrators, and international experts.
• A respectful and assertive delegator with impeccable follow through.
• Skilled in written and verbal communication in both formal and informal situations.
• Familiarity with deliberative methods to reach consensus and principles of multi-stakeholder engagement preferred.
• Ability to motivate and manage diverse personalities.
• Available for periodic early morning and evening meetings to accommodate national and international stakeholders.
• Willingness to travel locally and regionally (e.g., approximately two workshops per year)
• Energized by competing priorities and responsive to deadlines.
• Excellent organizational and planning skills with an eye for detail.
• Self-directed working style while maintaining flexibility and receptiveness to feedback.
• A positive, lateral thinker who is determined to remove barriers to administrative and program goals.
• Proficient in the use of audiovisual equipment, PC computers using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Windows, and Outlook applications) and G-Suite.

Compensation and Benefits

• Hearing Science Accelerator Coordinator salary range: $65,000-$74,900.
• HIF offers a generous benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, life insurance, paid sick and vacation time, and a 401K retirement savings plan.
• HIF employees benefit from a flexible and fun working environment where the focus is placed on outcomes and success.

About HIF:

Founded in 1946, the House Institute Foundation has been at the forefront of advancements in

hearing health for the past 75 years. Our seminal contributions to prevention, treatment, education, research, and humanitarian efforts exemplify our threefold mission of hearing and neuroscience research, education, and global hearing health, "so all may hear."

The Institute is named for Dr. Howard P. House, a pioneering Otologist who, along with his

brother Dr. William “Bill” House, is responsible for some of the earliest work in the world toward development of surgery techniques, temporal bone research, the first standardized functional hearing test, and the first cochlear implant system.

The House Institute (including the name) has evolved over the decades. Distinct contributions and areas of emphasis characterize the generations of research and education. For example, research conducted at the Institute led to workplace noise regulations, pioneering work on auditory brainstem implants and in partnership with 3M the development of the first FDA approved cochlear implant for adults and children. The contemporary focus is on translational research, grounded in and inspired by the patient-physician relationship.

Our current research program supports clinical trials and five research centers specializing in acoustic neuromas/ neurofibromatosis type 2, Meniere’s disease, auditory prosthesis, neurosurgery, and pediatric hearing health. In addition to the Director of Research Administration, the HIF research program includes two research scientists, two clinical research coordinators (CRC), a Hearing Science Accelerator (HSA) program coordinator, and project-specific interns.

In July 2022 the HIF research program moved into a new space that includes private offices for the research scientists, a sound booth dedicated to research, and workstations for research staff. The research program offices are co-located with the House Children's Hearing Center and House Hearing Health Center in downtown Los Angeles.

Current HSA activities:

The first HSA program focused on Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL). The cause, or etiology, of SSHL is unknown and the most common treatment, steroids, is not FDA approved. These fundamental issues regarding etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of SSHL made it an ideal topic for the first HSA program. The HSA on SSHL was guided by a steering committee of five experts from around the country. Following an extensive literature review, a workshop including 28 thought leaders in hearing science and adjacent fields met in Washington, D.C. The group reached a consensus on: (1) limitations of current treatments, (2) barriers to advancing treatments, and (3) the most salient research questions. A summary will be published in a medical journal later this year. The disease initiative phase of the program includes the development of a central hub for information on SSHL for patients, as well as opportunities for academics and physicians to stay informed of the most recent real-time research efforts and findings. 

Application Process

Resumes and cover letters can be submitted via e-mail to researchadmin@hifla.org. Resumes submitted without cover letters will not be considered. Applications will be reviewed on October 9 and 16. Only candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted.