Epidemiologist - American Technology Consulting

Purpose of Position/Summary:The Electronic Case Reporting Specialist serves as an Indiana state employee inthe HIV/STD/HEP Division at the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH). The purposeof this position is to minimize morbidity and mortality associated withinfectious diseases among Indiana residents by conducting a broad and complexrange of investigative and analytical epidemiologic activities. The scope ofthis position includes, but is not limited to:Essential Duties/Responsibilities:• Act as the lead for establishing and implementing electronic case reportingfor infectious diseases within the HIV/STD/HEP Division;• Conduct authoring for electronic case reporting within the ReportableConditions Knowledge Management System (RCKMS) for all reportable conditions;• Serve as the liaison to subject matter experts and the Office of Technology &Compliance regarding electronic case reporting;• Create educational materials regarding electronic case reporting for bothinternal and external stakeholders;• Assis the NBS/Surveillance team in implementing workflows and automationwithin the state surveillance system, NBS, to process electronic case reports;• Maintain current subject matter knowledge of the epidemiology and biology ofinfectious diseases;• Provide epidemiologic consultation and technical assistance to local healthdepartments, health care providers, veterinarians, and the general public withrespect to electronic case reporting;• Conduct routine epidemiologic surveillance for infectious diseases;• Lead or coordinate epidemiologic investigations of individual cases and/oroutbreaks of infectious diseases;• Design and conduct applied epidemiologic studies of infectious diseases;• Manage and analyze data collected through routine surveillance, public healthinvestigations, and applied epidemiologic studies;• Prepare and disseminate written and oral reports and presentations thatcommunicate necessary information to internal and external partners;• Conduct educational presentations and/or trainings regarding electronic casereporting for a variety of audiences, including local health departments, healthcare providers, veterinarians, and the general public;• Engage directly with members of the public at health fairs and other outreachevents;• Participate in writing grants and other funding proposals;• Serve as an agency spokesperson at the invitation and direction of the ISDHOffice of Public Affairs;• Evaluate the impact of legislation or policy proposals at the invitation anddirection of the ISDH Director of Legislative Affairs;• Serve as the IDOH epidemiologist on call after business hours forapproximately two to three weeks per year;• Perform related duties as assigned.Job Requirements:• Education:o A master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., public health, biologicalsciences, or social sciences) and = 2 years’ relevant public health experience,ORo A doctoral-level degree in epidemiology or other relevant field, ORo A graduate or professional degree in a health-related field (e.g., RN, MD/DO,DDS/DMD, DVM, PhD, RS) with specific epidemiology training (e.g., MPH degree,CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service, or CSTE Applied Epidemiology Fellowship), ORo A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and = 4 years of relevant publichealth experience.• Knowledge, skills, and abilities:o Knowledge of the epidemiology and biology of infectious diseases;o Knowledge of state laws and regulations as well as federal public healthguidance documents pertaining to infectious diseases;o Skill in identification of public health problems pertinent to Indianaresidents;o Skill in conducting epidemiologic surveillance activities, including selectionand use of appropriate field methods as well as use and evaluation of publichealth surveillance systems;o Skill in eliciting relevant information from patients in structured orunstructured telephone interviews;o Skill in conducting public health investigations of individual cases and/oroutbreaks of infectious diseases;o Skill in designing descriptive and analytical epidemiologic investigations,including hypothesis generation;o Skill in managing large datasets, performing complex data analyses, andidentifying key findings;o Skill in recommending evidence-based interventions and control measures inresponse to epidemiologic findings;o Skill in preparing written and oral reports, presentations, and educationalmaterials that communicate necessary information to internal and externalpartners;o Skill in applying principles of informatics, including data collection,processing, and analysis, in support of epidemiologic practiceo Demonstrated skill in statistical, analytical, and/or geospatial software(e.g., EpiInfo, SAS, ArcGIS, SQL, SPSS, R, Python, Stata, etc.);o Ability to identify appropriate laboratory resources and use themappropriately;o Ability to provide prompt, courteous, and helpful customer service;o Ability to collaborate with others inside and outside the agency to identifypublic health problems and form recommendations;o Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, usingprinciples of risk communication where appropriate;o Ability to prioritize tasks efficiently to meet internal and externaldeadlines;o Ability to appropriately document work activities and maintain organizedrecords.Supervisory Responsibilities/Direct Reports:They may be responsible for directing and coordinating the work of internsassigned to the program.Difficulty of Work:The incumbent must have or rapidly acquire expert knowledge of the epidemiologyof infectious diseases. They must use this knowledge and their critical thinkingskills to ascertain the existence of public health threats, conduct publichealth investigations, and identify appropriate interventions. The incumbentwill routinely exercise independent judgment to identify appropriate actions incomplex situations that are not explicitly described in state regulations andpublic health guidance documents. The incumbent must routinely reorganize theirwork activities to prioritize emergent public health threats, often with littleto no advance warning. They are expected to show initiative in independentlyidentifying and executing process improvements and/or special projects thatwould benefit ISDH and Indiana residents. Failure of the incumbent to properlyexecute their duties could have grave consequences for Indiana residents.Responsibility:The incumbent is expected to support IDOH's vision, comply with agencyadministrative and fiscal policies, and practice cultural sensitivity in allwork activities. The incumbent must have knowledge of state and federal privacylaws and protect patient confidentiality at all times. The incumbent initiallyworks under the close supervision of their supervisor, but works moreindependently with acquired experience. The supervisor sets the overallobjectives and determines what resources are available. The incumbent and thesupervisor will work together to develop guidelines, projects, and work to bedone. The incumbent plans, directs, monitors, evaluates and identifies needs andresolves most conflicts within assigned projects. The incumbent interprets andapplies policies in terms of established goals, objectives, and acceptedpractices. The incumbent is expected to bring controversial or complex issues tothe attention of the supervisor for more detailed direction and guidance. Theincumbent is expected to keep the supervisor informed of progress andpotentially critical items. Completed work is reviewed for feasibility,conformance to program policy and practices, and effectiveness in meetingspecific goals and objectives.Personal Work Relationships:The incumbent is a part of the NBS/Surveillance program within the EpidemiologyResource Center at IDOH. The incumbent works closely with the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention, the IDOH Laboratories, health care providers,veterinarians, and local health departments. The incumbent is expected tomaintain good working relationships with these entities as well as otherinternal and external partners.Physical Effort:The incumbent must be physically able to type on a computer, to communicate viatelephone, and to sit and/or stand at a workstation for a 7.5-hour workday.Working Conditions:Work is performed in an indoor office setting. Occasional field work and/orovernight travel may be required. The incumbent must be willing to receiveimmunizations for communicable diseases when necessary and appropriate.