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Research Assistant Volunteer - National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Section on Growth and Obesity (Chief of Section: Jack Yanovski, MD, PhD)

The Section on Growth and Obesity at the National Institutes of Health is seeking 2 highly motivated undergraduate students to assist with two of our studies: The Children’s Growth and Behavior Study (CGB) and the Mobile Attention Retraining in Overweight Female Adolescents (AR).  The CGB study examines how eating behaviors contribute to weight gain and associated health conditions among children and adolescents.  This is a longitudinal study involving observations of eating behaviors, psychiatric and sleep assessments, and cognitive evaluations, among others. The AR study seeks to understand the relationship between eating patterns and the brain’s reactions to different images of food. The purpose is to see if a 2-week smartphone program can help retrain teenage girls’ attention biases away from unhealthy foods towards healthier food. The study involves an MRI scan, several magnetoencephalography scans (MEG), interviews to assess eating behavior, and laboratory test meals.

Responsibilities for both visits include participant recruitment, data collection and entry, and administrative and clerical responsibilities. In addition, highly motivated individuals in this position will have the opportunity to assist with patient visits. This competitive and highly regarded position is ideal for students considering careers in public health, psychology, or medicine. The successful applicant will have a solid academic record and will be extremely detailed-oriented and responsible.

The position would require at least 15 hours per week of dedicated time in the lab, and applicants must be able to commit to a full year (beginning in July 2018 and continuing through the academic semesters to July 2019). If interested, please send a CV or resume and application to Research Coordinator, Manuela Jaramillo (manuela.jaramillo@nih.gov). Please contact Dr. Jaramillo to request the application form.