Undergraduate Student Research Assistant, Collaborative Priority-Setting to Strengthen Community-Based Mental Health Care in Rural Nova Scotia Study

Program: Interdisciplinary Health Program
Position Duration: Fall semester with option to renew
Hours: 10 hours per week
Hourly Pay: $20/hour

Please note this position is only open to current StFX students.

Overview of the position:

The Undergraduate Research Assistant will work as a member of the REACH Lab to support a Research Nova Scotia funded study called “Collaborative Priority-Setting to Strengthen Community-Based Mental Health Care in Rural Nova Scotia”. This study takes a collaborative approach to understanding the experiences of people living in rural Nova Scotia with accessing mental health services in their communities and explores what their priorities are for improving mental health service access and appropriateness close to where they live. The Undergraduate Research Assistant will work under the supervision of Dr. Jill Murphy, Assistant Professor and Research Chair in Mental Health and Addictions, to support a Rapid Service Mapping exercise that will help identify what community-based mental health services currently exist in Nova Scotia. There will be opportunities to support other aspects of the project and to learn about other REACH Lab activities. This position would be a great fit for someone who is interested in mental health and would like to build skills in health services research.

Key Duties:

• Participate in relevant meetings with project partners
• Perform online searches and review grey literature to identify relevant mental health services
• Maintain a database of information about these services using a pre-determined template
• Follow-up with key organizations by email or phone to clarify details
• Support analysis by identifying and summarizing key categories
• Prepare a summary report of Rapid Service Mapping findings
• Prepare visual summaries (e.g. infographics) to display results to various audiences (community members, policy maker)

 Required Skills:

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Comfort with cold calling and/or emailing relevant organizations
• Professionalism and strong communication skills
• Proficiency with using Microsoft Excel to maintain a database
• Strong written communication skills and the ability to synthesize information
• Proficiency with Canva or other graphic design platforms
• Demonstrated respectful communication when collaborating with diverse project collaborators, including people with lived experience of mental health conditions

Additional considerations:

This position will be supported during the Fall 2025 semester. There is an option to renew this position in subsequent semesters based on performance and the interests of the Research Assistant.

How to Apply:

Please submit a cover letter detailing your interest in the position, relevant experience and why you’re interested in the position and a current CV by email to: jkmurphy@stfx.ca by August 31st, 2025. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Ideally the candidate should be able to start as soon as possible.