Position announcement: Director, Division of Informatics Solutions and Operation, CDC

The following is a message from Jim Buehler, MD, Director of the Public Health Surveillance & Informatics Program Office (proposed) within the Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. 

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to draw your attention to the posting for the position of Director, Division of Informatics Solutions and Operations (DISO) within the Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, & Laboratory Services (OSELS) at CDC. The URL for the posting is: http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/PrintPreview/300993300. Please share this message with colleagues who might be interested.

While the announcement lists the Division as being in the Public Health Informatics and Technology Operations (PHITPO), the Division will soon become part of the new Public Health Surveillance and Informatics Program Office, which will arise from the merger of PHITPO and the OSELS Public Health Surveillance Program Office (PHSPO). The merger acknowledges the critical relationship between surveillance and informatics while emphasizing that the role of public health informatics extends well beyond surveillance. The mission of this new office will be to advance the science and practice of public health surveillance and informatics.  We will do that by:


 *   Managing several large national surveillance programs, including the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, BioSense, and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System;
 *   Providing leadership and services that support the surveillance and informatics infrastructures for public health at local/state and national levels; and
 *   Serving as a “home” at CDC for addressing cross-cutting issues in surveillance, including biosurveillance as part of emergency preparedness, and informatics practice.

As a Program Office, we will have a unique vantage at the crossroads between CDC and its constituents in local, state, and territorial health departments, other federal agencies, and partner organizations in addressing the spectrum of issues that affect public health surveillance and informatics practice.  While our primary focus is on domestic issues, we will also have a role on the global stage.

A critical function of our new office will be to continue and strengthen the leadership role that PHITPO, as well as PHSPO, has played in advancing the Meaningful Use of electronic health records for both healthcare and population health objectives.

The Division of Informatics Solutions and Operations is responsible for providing informatics and information technology services that support not only the surveillance systems within the Program Office but also infrastructures that support surveillance and other program services across CDC and in state and local health departments.  We are seeking candidates who can provide scientific leadership in the field of informatics, lead and manage an interdisciplinary team of federal employees and contract staff in the federal government environment, oversee the management of large and complex information technology contracts, and embody OSELS’ commitment to service on behalf of CDC’s mission.

For additional information about the position, contact information is provided in the position announcement. Thanks very much for your interest and support.

Jim


James W. Buehler, MD
Director, Public Health Surveillance & Informatics Program Office (proposed)
Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, & Laboratory Services
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention