The Hutchinson Study of Youth and Adult Smoking (HSYAS) is a seven year follow-up study to a survey regarding smoking and non-smoking in teens given to high school juniors in Washington State. The follow-up study looks at how attitudes have changed about smoking since high school in a cohort of 25-28 year old smokers. I was responsible for tracking participants by contacting their primary contacts from high school (primarily their parents) and/or by using on-line search engines and social media. My primary function was to attain current contact information so the study could mail them a survey, with the priority of completing the survey over the phone. Because of my success at locating participants in this hard to reach group, I was able to complete a high volume of surveys over the phone, significantly contributing to an overall completion rate of 82%. I also mastered the study's complex Access database where I recorded all phone contacts, updated contact information, and entered survey data.

The Prostate Cancer Genetic Research Study (PROGRESS) is a national study investigating the environmental and hereditary causes of prostate cancer. As a program assistant I was responsible for making contact with participants and medical facilities for study purposes including: requesting medical records and tumor tissue samples, arranging blood draws, answering participants' inquiries, contacting participants to update their contact information, and verifying and tracking newly diagnosed cases of prostate or other types of cancer. I was responsible for study-related mailings and dealing with State Vital Records offices to request death certificates. I was also critically involved in the successful mailing and tracking of two follow-up surveys which both had high overall completion rates.