Evidence-based Prevention of Sexual and Dating Violence in California Communities – YEDI-Affiliated Data and Systems Research Assistant
Sabrina Boyce, Professor
Public Health
Applications for Fall 2024 are closed for this project.
Sexual and dating violence (SV/DV) is pervasive in communities and disproportionately impacts marginalized populations. SV/DV during adolescence (ages 13-17) has immediate and long-term health consequences, including increased risk of future victimization, poor sexual and reproductive health, substance use, depressive symptoms and suicidality, across the life course. Currently, there is a dearth of evidence-based community-level approaches to preventing SV/DV that target the systems, structures, and social norms that facilitate violence. The Boyce Research Group is working to fill this gap by building the community-level evidence around violence prevention.
The position will support the first rigorous evaluation of Close to Home (C2H), a community-led, community mobilization approach to sexual violence prevention in California. This Centers for Disease Control (CDC)-funded study is evaluating the impact of C2H on youth (ages 14-24) across 11 diverse communities across the state. This program, supported for the past 15 years by the California Department of Public Health, is one of the few approaches that goes beyond individual and interpersonal levels to address broader social norms and structures within communities. This role will assist in 24-month follow-up data collection among youth ages 14 to 24 for the evaluation.
Additionally, this role will contribute to the maintenance and systematic updating of data for the California Safety, Health, Resilience, and Equity (CalSHARE) Data Hub, an initiative funded by the California Department of Public Health Injury and Violence Prevention Branch. CalSHARE is a one-stop-shop for data related to violence prevention at the neighborhood and community levels, aiding local and state practitioners in understanding the strengths and challenges in local communities across California. This work supports ongoing efforts to provide Californians with data-driven insights to prioritize and improve health equity, wellness, and safety across communities.
This project is affiliated with the YEDI program. YEDI (Youth Equity Discovery Initiative) is a research apprenticeship and mentorship program that supplements your URAP/volunteer research work with weekly workshops in both Fall and Spring semesters. YEDI creates a cohort of undergraduate scholars (usually around 20-30, many from underrepresented backgrounds) that are working on youth equity research projects. The year-long program utilizes cascading mentorship, skill-building workshops, and professional development to provide supportive pathways into research careers, service, and leadership addressing adolescent inequities and well-being. Scholars greatly benefit from (and enjoy!) the extra training and support, as well as the professional development opportunities (including faculty guest speakers, graduate student and practitioner panels). The program culminates in a research symposium presentation at the end of the program. The 2024-2025 YEDI cohort will meet in-person in Berkeley Way West on Tuesdays from 4:30pm - 6:00pm beginning September 24, 2024. In order to take part in the YEDI program, you MUST be able to attend the in-person workshops at this time. As a YEDI scholar, you will sign up for a PH198 class and receive 1 unit. This is in addition to the units you are receiving for your URAP research project, independent research units or volunteer agreement. For any questions about YEDI, please contact Marieka Schotland at mschotland@berkeley.edu or visit our website here (https://i4y.berkeley.edu/youth-equity-discovery-initiative-yedi-program).
Role: Role Responsibilities:
• Assist in sending follow-up survey invitations and reminders to youth participants.
• Assist in retaining youth participants via text or email through personalized communication.
• Contribute to team idea generation on how to engage youth in follow-up surveys
• Update and maintain participant retention tracking sheets in Excel.
• Develop manuals and step-by-step instructions for updating and processing new data for the CalSHARE dashboard.
• Query data repositories and websites for updated datasets with indicators relevant to violence prevention and health equity.
• Document and maintain release schedules for new datasets.
• Use pre-written R or Python scripts to extract and format data.
Qualifications:
1. Strong communication and writing skills.
2. Exceptional attention to detail.
3. Strong initiative and openness to feedback.
4. Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
5. Comfort or interest in working and learning to use Excel and R.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Ricardo Vera Monroy, Staff Researcher
Hours: 6-8 hrs
Off-Campus Research Site: Work and meetings with mentor are all remote. To be negotiated are 1-1 meetings with faculty and office space to do the work.
Related website: https://gehdev.ucsd.edu/youth-connect-study/
Related website: https://www.calshare.org/