Laura Onasch-Vera M.S.W.
Project Administrator at University of Southern California- Claim this Profile
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English Native or bilingual proficiency
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Spanish -
Topline Score
Bio
Credentials
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Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence Peer Advocate
University of Southern California -
Internal Review Board Good Clinical Practice
University of Southern California -
Internal Review Board Human Subjects Training
USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work -
Motivational Interviewing
University of Southern California -
Problem Solving Therapy
University of Southern California
Experience
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University of Southern California
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Project Administrator
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Apr 2023 - Present
Coordinating a project focused on understanding personal, social network, and neighborhood environmental contributors to firearm access and violence among young adults experiencing homelessness:-Created the research calendar for Los Angeles through coordinating with the three drop-in centers that are our partners for data collection. -In charge of the budget and administrative tasks to maintain the project. -Coordinates with the Institutional Review Board to revise, manage and create necessary documents for the project: Informed Consent, SMART IRB, Etc.-Manage student workers at the drop-in center locations-Lead: recruiting, consenting, and administering surveys to youth experiencing homelessness aged 18 to 25 from three drop-in shelters in Los Angeles for the study -Lead weekly group check-ins and project management meetings- Present findings to agency partners and larger collective of stakeholders including former participants- Attend conferences and present research findings Show less
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Project Administrator
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Mar 2020 - Apr 2023
• Assist Dr. Rice the Principal investigator on administering all phases of the CESTTRR Project and coordinates all 5 subcontractors. • Administers day-to-day operations of the CESTTRR project including organizing all meetings internally, externally, and ensuring they are all informed and communicated to regularly. Ensures all meetings are well documented and shared to other co-investigators • Contributes to research protocols (i.e.: overseeing USC IRB submissions, overseeing the data use agreements between our research team institutions and partners) and for coordinating our community advisory board, technical advisory board, and focus groups. • Creates necessary documentation of the CESTTRR project developments (internally and externally) and monitors relevant work. Responds to questions from stakeholders regarding status of the project and overall developments. Serves as a key resource for CESTTRR project information and resolves problems or questions by internal/external sources. • Monitor project timeline that subcontractors contribute to monitor project budget with Hamovitch Research Center, create end of the year deliverables to provide the funder.• Generate Pilot protocol documents, schedule partner agency meetings to enroll 9 homeless service providers into the pilot, work with the agency partners throughout the process of the pilot, schedule the training with 18 case managers enrolled in the pilot, schedule qualitative interviews with case managers, conduct satisfaction survey over the phone with 36 clients who are enrolled in the pilot, schedule stakeholder meetings to discuss primary findings of the pilot, and support with producing the final documentation of the pilot findings. Show less
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Project Specialist
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May 2017 - Jun 2020
Coordinating the Have You Heard Research Project a homeless youth peer-leader H.I.V. prevention intervention utilizing artificial intelligence that is led by Eric Rice PhD.:-Created the research calendar through coordinating with the three drop-in centers that are our partners for data collection. -In charge of the budget and administrative tasks to maintain the project. -Coordinates with the Institutional Review Board to revise, manage and create necessary documents for the project: Informed Consent, Certificate of Confidentiality, Locator Forms, etc. -Co-created & facilitated trainings for oncoming volunteer and interns on projects working with this population-Manage up to 7 interns/volunteers at the drop-in center locations-Lead: recruiting, consenting, and administering surveys to over 800 youth experiencing homelessness aged 18 to 25 from three drop-in shelters in Los Angeles for a peer-led HIV intervention study -Lead four-hour trainings to groups of five peer advocates on HIV information, PREP, basic sexual health, consent, leadership, self-care & communication-Lead weekly group check-ins with the peer advocates for seven weeks following the trainings-Administered 1-month and 3-month follow-up surveys to evaluate the intervention -Lead ongoing communication and retention of participants over 3 month period-Manage Qualtrics account: create the surveys, create logic edits, and manage data collected-Assisted in developing the Peer Advocate intervention model- Co-facilitated a facilitator training for the Peer Advocate intervention model- Organize and host the West Coast Convening: a collective of service providers, advocates, community stakeholders, and researchers who meet every six months to share best practices and brainstorm new solutions to eradicate youth homelesssness- Present findings to agency partners and larger collective of stakeholders including former participants- Attend conferences and present research findings Show less
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Graduate Research Assistant
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May 2016 - Apr 2017
Have You Heard Research Project by Professor Eric Rice-Assisted in recruiting, consenting and administering surveys to 120 youth experiencing homelessness aged 18 to 25-years old from two drop-in shelters in Los Angeles for a peer-led HIV intervention pilot study -Co-facilitated four-hour trainings to three groups of five peer leaders on HIV information, PREP, basic sexual health, leadership, self-care & communication-Co-led weekly check-ins with the peer leaders for seven weeks following the trainings-Administered 1-month and 3-month follow-up surveys to evaluate the intervention -Took initiative to organize and managed incentive money, incentive logs, locator forms, consent forms, & reimbursement forms for the research team-Participated in academic writing regarding this study Homeless Youth Risk and Resilience Multi-City Survey Led by: Robin Petering-Assisted in recruiting, consenting, and surveying 287 homeless youth at drop-in centers in Los Angeles and San Jose, CA to better understand the experiences of youth homelessness nationwide-Collaborated to include a question to better understand exchange sex among this population-Helped create/ conduct the qualitative interviews with youth experiencing homelessness- Presented findings to the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors and APHAExperiences of Homeless Former Foster Youth and HIV Risk Survey by Amanda Yoshioka-Maxwell-Assisted in recruiting, consenting, and administering surveys to 150 former foster youth experiencing homelessness at a drop-in center in Los Angeles to assess their experiences in foster care and impacts of their social networksEvent Planning: West Coast Convening (WCC)-Prepared and organized two WCC events for key players working with youth experiencing homelessness-Presented data from the Homeless Youth Risk and Resilience Survey with Robin Petering -Collaborated to create a survey for WCC attendees to assess how the change in marijuana legislation has impacted agency policies Show less
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Director of Research
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Jan 2023 - Present
Managing and executing the research projects contracted to Lens Co that provide accessible data and insight for innovative programs that are working to address the needs of young people experiencing homelessness with the overall goal of ending youth homelessness. This includes: creating project proposals, timelines, project monitoring, participant management, creating data tools, longitudinal data collection, qualitative data collection, data management, attending grant meetings, creating end-of-year documentation, creating invoices, and taking the lead in outward reporting of project status and results. -Lead data collection. This includes creating protocols, coordinating with research partners, scheduling, building survey tools, training research assistants, leading intervention trainings, leading fieldwork, managing participant incentives, data cleaning, creating reports/presentations, and presenting findings. Show less
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PRO Unlimited
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United States
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Software Development
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700 & Above Employee
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User Experience Researcher - Product Inclusion at Google via PRO Unlimited
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May 2022 - Dec 2022
We follow a simple but vital premise in the User Experience group: "Focus on the user and all else will follow." We're passionately interested in our users and strive to learn everything we can about their goals and needs, attitudes and emotions. The User Experience team is a critical driving force behind gathering these insights and then using them to inspire and inform design. Responsibilities: Research internal documents to understand Product Inclusion (PI) in the UXR area & what is known internally, Support in creating a quarterly newsletter to share PI updates internally & externally, Co-facilitate Product Inclusion summit workshops, events, and activities, Co-facilitate monthly office hours for other company staff/researchers, Attend UXR meetings with internal stakeholders, Coordinate with internal thought partners to discuss current and upcoming relevant research/ partnerships, Co-facilitate monthly method workshops about PI, Create and lead research proposals in the UXR PI space, Create quantitative and qualitative tools for research, Create and manage Qualtrics surveys/data for ongoing research, Create and coordinate vendor requests, Point of contact for vendors throughout the research process, Conduct qualitative user research, user study moderation, and administering questionnaires and surveys Assist other user researchers with various user research preparation activities including: Thought partner on 11 research proposals/projects, Literature reviews, Conducting qualitative and quantitative research, Analysis and reporting internally. Lab setup & management (Liaise with participant recruiting teams and participant onboarding): Work with content at many levels (style guides, templates, analytics). Reporting back to larger PI UXR team Working with a multi-disciplinary team of interaction designers, visual designers, user researchers, copywriters and web developers Show less
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Director of Projects
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Jul 2019 - Sep 2022
-Manage and execute research projects contracted to Lens Co. that range from service providers that do direct service to youth experience homelessness to evaluation projects with the Los Angeles Homelessness Service Authority. This includes: project timeline creating, project monitoring, participant management, creating data tools, longitudinal data collection, qualitative data collection, data management, attending grant meetings, creating end of year documentation, creating invoices, outward reporting of project status and results.-Co-coordinator of the West Coast Convening a collective of service providers, advocates, those with lived experiences, community stakeholders, and researchers who meet every six months to share best practices and brainstorm new solutions to eradicate youth homelessness. -Manages administrative tasks that includes onboarding new staff/contractors, supervising research staff, interviewing MSW interns, managing interns over school year, supervising MSW interns for field placement, running payroll, managing staff benefits, accounting on active project budgets, support with program development, sending and accounting all participant incentives, and managing active projects. -Lead data collection. This includes creating protocols, maintaining the IRB admissions, coordinating with research partners, scheduling, building survey tools, training research assistants, leading intervention trainings, leading fieldwork, data cleaning, create reports/presentations, and presenting findings. Supports Lens Co-founder on the company and new project development:-Co-coordinator of the Los Angeles Coalition to End Youth Homelessness. This includes working with the co-chairs, youth expert board and steering committee to identify areas and strategies for coalition building, community outreach, & advocacy. -Supports with creating research proposals Show less
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Research Associate
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Oct 2018 - Jun 2019
Research Associate serve as general support for ongoing research andimplementation projects at Lens Co. -Directly report to Senior Researcher, Dr. Robin Petering and performs other duties asassigned.-Manage diverse projects, scopes of work, and budgets.-Participates in the editing and proofing of research proposals, reports, and peerreviewed manuscripts for publication as well as Institutional Review Boardapplications.-Manages and oversees ongoing data collection for active projects.-Reads and understands relevant scientific literature.-Demonstrates a significant level of intellectual input into the design of the project.-Communicates results and collaborates with other professionals in the field.-Prepares figures and diagrams for presentations and publications.-Supports the conduct of research studies, research projects and related administrativetasks, under supervision.-Support preparation and dissemination of conference presentations, communitypresentations, data analysis and results dissemination.-Ability to maintain positive and professional interactions with clients, peers andfunded agencies. Show less
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USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
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Higher Education
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100 - 200 Employee
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Coordinator for the Los Angeles County Homeless Youth Count
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Nov 2018 - Jan 2019
Service Provider Area (SPA) 6 Coordinator for USC and Homeless Youth Providers. -Attend Youth Count Planning meetings to identify deployment and access sites for the SPA -Assisted in creating a strategy for SPA 6 to do their Youth Count. -Work closely with LAHSA and USC to identify the capacity of the SPA -Assist with facilitating and coordinating planning meetings -Hot Spot planning logistics and recruitment of youth participants for hotspot planning -Coordinate survey teams and survey sites -Oversee all trainings -Supply delivery of giftcards and materials -Onsite SPA Lead Coordinator during Blitz Day Show less
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USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
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Higher Education
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100 - 200 Employee
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Coordinator for the Los Angeles County Homeless Youth Count
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Dec 2017 - Feb 2018
Service Provider Area (SPA) 4 Coordinator for USC and Homeless Youth Providers. -Attend Youth Count Planning meetings to identify deployment and access sites for the SPA -Assisted in creating a strategy for SPA 4 to do their Youth Count. -Work closely with LAHSA and USC to identify the capacity of the SPA -Coordinate with 7 service providers in SPA 4 -Assisted in coordinating SPA 6 by attending their strategy meetings and helping with day of deployment on their conceded effort day Show less
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Center For Lupus Care
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United States
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Hospitals and Health Care
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M.S.W. Intern
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Sep 2015 - May 2016
-Utilized Motivational Interviewing techniques, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Problem Solving Therapy during individual case management with clients diagnosed with lupus -Assisted clients by researching and providing referrals to Rheumatologists, disability advocates, and food banks -Advertised and co-facilitated monthly psycho-educational support groups about healthy eating, research findings about lupus, stress relief, and ways to talk about lupus with others -Created a phone-tree for support group members called the "Butterfly Network" to empower them to support each other and build their community -Planned, advertised, and organized a community- based educational event about lupus and its effects on individuals. -Updated and consolidated their donor list and made an electronic copy -Participated in Board Meetings -Participated in grant-writing alongside the Chief Executive Officer -Helped to create and update their quarterly newsletter Show less
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Projects for All
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Non-profit Organizations
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Communications Coordinator
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Aug 2015 - Apr 2016
- Maintained and grew social media platforms by 450 followers (e.g. Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook)- Developed creative media content to share across social media platforms to: engage followers, inform them on the status of the project, and increase awareness around the issue addressed by the organization- Tracked social media analytics as a way to improve the strategy of engaging supporters and ways to share the story of the organization- Worked independently on self motivated work while maintaining diligent communication with the Founder and COO Show less
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B.S.W. Intern
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May 2015 - Aug 2015
400 hours of social work practicum hours that included: - Managed 5 social media platforms on behalf of the organization to engage followers and keep partners informed- Was an active member in sustaining their brand- Participated in weekly supervision with daily task supervisor and a clinical supervisor- Worked along the grant writer to create an extensive log of potential funders that ranked each opportunity by deadline, amount given, how good of a fit the funder would be to the organizations mission, and their current partners- Learned about Trauma-informed care through clinical supervisor who is an expert in the field. - Transcribed videos of community members who were impacted by the work of the organization.- Performed interviews with local newspaper and with community members who were involved with the organization Show less
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University of Iowa
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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University of Iowa School of Journalism Resource Center Assistant
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2013 - 2015
- Cataloging magazines, newspapers, journals - Troubleshooting computer and printers - Reception duties - Cataloging magazines, newspapers, journals - Troubleshooting computer and printers - Reception duties
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PMR
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Fairfield, Iowa
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Assistant
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2009 - 2014
- Personal Assistant: organization, cleaning, documentation, filing, indexing, accounting, and daily task assistance. - Professional Assistant: technological product inspection/ testing, large quantity packaging, product documentation, inventory, and shipping. - Personal Assistant: organization, cleaning, documentation, filing, indexing, accounting, and daily task assistance. - Professional Assistant: technological product inspection/ testing, large quantity packaging, product documentation, inventory, and shipping.
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Stanley Family
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Fairfield, Iowa
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Play Therapist
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2009 - 2011
- Played structured games to improve social and cognitive skills with son on autism spectrum - Created day plans to work collaboratively to improve social skills - Temperament/conflict management throughout the day and tasks - Role Playing in story telling and games to improve emotional regulation - Role model for socially appropriate behavior including emotional and physical behaviors - Social support - Played structured games to improve social and cognitive skills with son on autism spectrum - Created day plans to work collaboratively to improve social skills - Temperament/conflict management throughout the day and tasks - Role Playing in story telling and games to improve emotional regulation - Role model for socially appropriate behavior including emotional and physical behaviors - Social support
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Education
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2015 - 2017
University of Southern California
Master of Social Work (MSW), Concentration: Community, Organization, Business Innovation, Social Work -
2011 - 2015
University of Iowa
Bachelor’s Degree, Social Work
Community
