Internship Opportunity at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health

The Massachusetts Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention has an internship opportunity open for graduate level students looking to exercise statistical and data management skills in public health. Tasks include:

• Help write SAS code for the development of a public health surveillance system using a variety of existing data sources.
• Help with data cleaning, labeling, and formatting of an analytic dataset.
• Document programs and produce codebooks for datasets.
• Help with other data-related tasks as needed.

Learning time:
Meet with Birth Defects Center staff for at least one hour/week to learn about the work of the Birth Defects Center (surveillance and research) and support the staff in its daily activities. This internship will be under the supervision of a senior epidemiologist/data analyst who will provide mentorship and guidance.

Schedule:
The work hours as well as duration of the internship will be agreed on between Center staff and intern. The weekly work schedule could range from 8 – 20 hours over few or several months. It can be spread over any number of days in the office; the schedule could further vary from week to week.

Location:
All work will have to be performed at DPH’s central office in downtown Boston (250 Washington St., Boston MA 02108) between the hours of 8am – 8pm, Mon – Fri.

Compensation:
There is no monetary compensation from the Commonwealth. This is a non-paid internship and the Commonwealth is not responsible for any travel or other expenses incurred by the intern. Nor will the Commonwealth provide any workers compensation to the intern. (However, future compensation at $17/hour is a possibility pending availability of funding.)

Potential for school credit towards a master’s thesis, practicum, or the like will be supported.

For questions, contact Alejandro Cajigal at alejandro.cajigal@state.ma.us or 617-624-5515.

To apply, send resume and cover letter by email as soon as possible, but no later than Friday, January 24, 2014. Submitted resumes will be reviewed as soon as they come in.

Executive-level Job Opportunity at the CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recruiting for a Director for the new Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services (CSELS) (proposed). The new Director will lead public health actions to promote surveillance, informatics, epidemiology, public health workforce development and laboratory services. CSELS has a budget of over $200 million and a workforce of approximately 650 employees and contractors. The position of Director, CSELS, is located in HHS, CDC, Office of Public Health Scientific Standards (proposed) and reports to the Deputy Director for Public Health Scientific Standards (proposed), who reports to the Director, CDC.

Responsibilities

The CSELS Director will have broad operating authority and responsibility for overall planning, direction and management of the Center. S/he will:

• Lead and manage the various Center programs to achieve the agency and Center goals and objectives. Establish partnerships with other CDC centers/offices and serve as a resource for the agency’s public health surveillance and prevention programs, and applied research and services activities.
• Provide scientific guidance and leadership to international, national, state, tribal and/or local government agencies, universities, health-related organizations, private and public foundations, and professional associations, in activities to improve critical public health problems and issues. 
• Provide consultation and maintain liaison with other state and federal health agencies as well as foreign countries.

Skills and expertise required

Applicants should possess proven, senior-level experience leading and directing the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programs and projects in surveillance, epidemiology or laboratory services. Applicants must also demonstrate a successful record of innovation, coordination and collaboration in advancing efforts to improve the public’s health.

Degree Requirements: MD, PhD or equivalent degree.
Salary: $118,846 – $199,700
*Note: Executive level compensation package is commensurate with qualifications and experience, which may result in a higher salary than reflected above.

How to Apply

Applications are NOT accepted via email. To be considered, apply before midnight EDT on 9/13/2013 using the appropriate link from below.

• MD’s, PhDs, and equivalent: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/345885600?share=email
• MD’s only: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/346215600?share=email

Questions may be directed to Vicki Hunter at vhunter@cdc.gov or 404.808.8321.

Job Opportunity: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Leadership Position

Director for the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)

Application Due: June 28, 2013 (before midnight ET)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is actively recruiting for the executive position of Director for the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). The selectee will lead public health actions to promote health and safe environments and prevent harmful exposures and diseases related to toxic substances.

An MD, PhD or equivalent advanced degree is required. In addition, desirable candidates should possess broad, proven knowledge in the field of environmental health, proven managerial experience in public health administration, and the ability to advance the scientific and public health impact of NCEH/ATSDR.  

The incumbent will be physically located in CDC’s Atlanta Headquarters. For more information on NCEH and ATSDR, please click here.

To be considered, apply before midnight EST on June 28, 2013 at: Link 1 (MD's only) OR Link 2 (MD's, PhD's and equivalent.

Please see below for information on applying for this position. Questions regarding the application process may be directed to Vicki Hunter at vhunter@cdc.gov or 404.808.8321.

*Note: the salary indicated in the vacancy announcements is a recommended range. Final compensation determination is commensurate with qualifications and experience and may exceed the maximum salary rate identified.

CDC Job Opportunity - Director, National Center for Health Statistics

PLEASE SHARE BROADLY WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES!

JOIN CDC’S LEADERSHIP TEAM!

  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is actively recruiting for the executive position of Director for the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). As the nation’s principal health statistics agency, NCHS compiles statistical information and provides data to identify health issues that help guide public health and health policy decisions. The incumbent will report directly to the CDC Deputy Director for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services, and will serve as the agency’s senior advisor on all activities related to health statistics. The selectee will provide oversight and leadership in the design, development and operation of statistical and information systems for CDC, play an important leadership role in helping shape the nation’s health statistics system, and collaborate broadly across CDC, the Department of Health and Human Services and US government as a part of the network of Federal statistical agencies.

The incumbent will have broad operating authority for the executive planning, direction and management of NCHS. H/she will (a) lead overall management planning sessions in which program direction, feasibility of program changes, and allocation of funds are considered, (b) evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of program operations in relation to objectives and strategies in relation to legislative, budgetary and program planning, and (c) collaborate with other top agency management officials on the development and implementation of long range plans and assessments of their budget impact. H/she will be responsible for overseeing the development and maintenance of quality scientific and technical competence in NCHS and for assuring that actions and programs reflect scientific integrity and operational effectiveness.  H/she will serve as spokesperson for CDC on matters related to NCHS' mission. 

NCHS has an annual operating budget of approximately $212 million and a workforce of more than 600 full-time employees and contractors in two locations – Hyattsville, Maryland and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The incumbent will be physically located in the Hyattsville office and will be expected to travel to CDC’s Atlanta Headquarters as well as other domestic and international locations. For information on NCHS, visit www.cdc.gov/nchs.

To be considered, apply before midnight EST on June 7, 2013 at:

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/342020000?share=email  or

 https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/342191800?share=email

Please note: Degree requirements are MD, PhD or equivalent advanced degree in a field relevant to the duties of the position.

Questions regarding the application process may be directed to Vicki Hunter at vhunter@cdc.gov or 404.808.8321.

Job Opportunity: Senior Healthcare Data Analyst (“Epidemiologist II”)

Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention

Application Deadline: May 1, 2013
Detailed Job Posting

Overview

The Senior Healthcare Data Analyst will support a 3-year, multi-state collaborative CDC-funded grant developing a surveillance system for adolescents and adults with Congenital Heart Defects (CHDs). S/he will be responsible for cleaning, managing, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting of large analytic files from routinely-collected administrative datasets available in Massachusetts, including the All-Payer Claims Database, Vital Records, and Pregnancy to Early Life Longitudinal Data System (PELL), as well as some outside data sets. Most of the data will have to be linked and de-duplicated.

Some new data collection tools will need to be developed by the Senior Analyst, with input from others, to obtain primary retrospective and prospective data from health care providers. The Senior Analyst will make sure that all data-related grant requirements will be met in a timely and responsive fashion. S/he will further assist in disseminating results to develop and improve public health surveillance of individuals with CHDs.

Qualifications 

The ideal candidate will:

• Develop, improve, and evaluate the new public health surveillance system based on grant specifications and requirements.
• Conduct both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses on the data gathered.
• Document datasets, program code, and related materials to ensure reproducibility of work, including an audit trail for programming.
• Interpret, report, present and publish results of analyses.
• Provide leadership to assist program staff to frame questions and hypotheses suitable for investigation within the grant collaborative.
• Investigate validity and reliability of the data collected.
• Participate in planning and collection of additional data as needed.
• Assist in the preparation and conduct of cost analyses, as deemed feasible.
• Determine appropriate statistical tests.

Preferably the applicant will have a master’s degree in epidemiology, biostatistics, or related field. The ideal candidate will have excellent knowledge of SAS, including macros and SQL. Applicants must have experience working with large administrative datasets, linking data sets, de-duplication of data points, experience with database development, extraction of data from large data sources, creation of analytic databases, as well as experience conducting statistical analyses, including univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses. Excellent oral and written communication and organizational skills, and attention to detail, are a must for this position.

Please direct any questions at Gerlinde Munshi, Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention: gerlinde.munshi@state.ma.us or 617-624-5507; www.mass.gov/dph/birthdefects. 

The Department of Public Health is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

Job Opportunity: Director, OSELS, CDC

The following job opportunity is brought to you from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recruiting for a Deputy Director for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services. The incumbent will be the central focus to coordinate, complement, and extend program-specific epidemiology and surveillance activities; strengthen the national public health laboratory systems through partnerships between CDC and state and local health departments, and tribal and territorial governments; and expand policies and procedures throughout the Agency for informatics and electronic health systems.

The incumbent will serve as Director for the Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services (OSELS) and will have broad operating authority for overall planning, direction and management of OSELS. S/he will (a) participate in overall management planning sessions in which program direction, feasibility of program changes and expansions, and allocation of funds are considered, (b) evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of program operations in relation to objectives and in relation to legislative, budgetary and program planning, and (c) collaborate with other top agency management officials on the development and implementation of long range plans and their budget impact. H/she will be responsible for overseeing the development and maintenance of quality medical, scientific and technical competence in OSELS for assuring that actions and programs reflect scientific integrity and operational effectiveness.  H/she will serve as spokesperson for CDC on matters related to OSELS' mission.  Learn more about OSELS at www.cdc.gov/osels.

Degree requirements: MD, PhD or equivalent degree.

Applicants should also possess proven, senior-level experience leading and directing the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programs and projects in surveillance, epidemiology or laboratory services.

To be considered, apply before midnight EST on April 19, 2013 at:

Physicians, PhD’s and equivalent (AD-601): https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/338999900                       

Physicians only (AD-602): https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/339000300                                                                    

Physicians, PhD’s and equivalent (ES-601): https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/338838600 

Physicians only (ES-602): https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/338872800 

We encourage you to share this information with any of your professional colleagues who might be interested in this opportunity. 

Questions may be directed to Vicki Hunter at vhunter@cdc.gov or 404.808.8321

Job Post - Director of Syndromic Surveillance Unit, NYC DOHMH

Director of Syndromic Surveillance Unit, Bureau of Communicable Disease

NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

The Bureau of Communicable Disease tracks over 73 infectious diseases and investigates disease outbreaks in New York City.   The bureau is looking for a highly qualified epidemiologist to direct the Syndromic Surveillance Unit responsible for the processing and analysis of surveillance data.   

• Supervise City Research Scientists who conduct daily operations of the Bureau’s syndromic systems.

• Maintain, refine and implement the Bureau’s syndromic systems to: detect and respond to statistical signals, provide situation awareness and advance the use of data for non-infectious disease surveillance.

• Administer current grants to enhance systems and disseminate data.

• Seek new grant funded opportunities and assist with co-writing proposals.

• Collaborate with other local, state and federal agencies and academic experts on outbreak detection methods and infectious disease modeling.

• Respond to internal and external requests for technical
 assistance on the use of syndromic data systems.

• Serve in an emergency response role, with a focus on data management and analytic needs for the Department in the event of any public health disaster.

• Review abstracts and manuscripts.

• Mentor staff and students

Preferred Skills

Knowledge and experience with communicable disease epidemiology, outbreak investigations, advanced statistical and epidemiologic methods to detect disease aberrations; public health informatics with ability to interact and provide input on issues related to information systems and software application development; significant administrative and supervisory experience, including grant writing, project management and supervising technical staff; ability to coordinate interdisciplinary workgroups and the ability to implement, interpret and assess agency and programmatic objectives and plans. Excellent writing and speaking ability, strong interpersonal communication skills and time management and organizational skills.

How to Apply

Apply online with a cover letter to https://a127-jobs.nyc.gov/.  In the Job ID search bar, enter: job ID number # 116345. 

The City of New York/DOHMH is an equal opportunity employer.

Job Opening - Health Scientist (Informatics) - Los Angeles, CA

ISDS would like to share a recently released employment opportunity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Please find all details below.

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Position Title:           Health Scientist (Informatics)

Department:             Department of Health and Human Service

Agency:                     Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Service:                     Excepted Service Position, Title 42

Duty Location:         Los Angeles, CA (1 vacancy)

Duration:                   2-Year Term Position

Salary Range:          $85,000 - $101,035

INTRODUCTION

This position is a scientific position, with an emphasis on public health informatics.  This is a standard position and can be located in various Centers/Institutes/Offices throughout CDC/ATSDR.  The primary purpose of the position is to develop scientific policies for public health informatics and to perform a variety of activities and analyses related to health care informatics.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Develops and implements scientific policies and procedures on informatics practices and principles.  Provides leadership in designing, coordinating, and maintaining information technology (IT) project goals, objectives, and priorities within a CIO and/or CDC/ATSDR and in the general public health community.  Serves as a nationally and internationally recognized expert, providing scientific advice and consultation on solutions to critical problems that require outstanding creativeness in generating new hypotheses, approaches, and standards to be used within the applicable CIO, across CDC/ATSDR and in some instances to be used internationally.  Develops and coordinates the sharing of health related informational materials so that scientific advice and assistance is shared. Develops strategies to meet short and long-range goals for the applicable program and assures that strategies reflect most promising directions in research, preventive, and clinical approaches as it relates to public health informatics.  Applies new methods, approaches, and technology to new and unusual situations and these methods have broad applications in the field.  Collaborates and provides expert scientific advice to a variety of nation-wide and international organizations to synthesize, develop and implement informatics policies and directions for future development.  Collaborates with and provides expert advice to all organizational levels with the agency, as well as with various state health agencies, and partner organizations.  50%

Provides leadership in the development, testing, implementation and evaluation of scientific information technology and information systems needs and applicable software systems relating to public health informatics within the area of responsibility.  Explores alternatives, suggestions and approaches from internal and external partners, focusing on data acquisition/multi-jurisdictional databases, communication directories, and standardization codes.  Plans and develops strategies for new models of health information interchange and automation in medicine and public health.  Responsible for evaluating and developing approaches for strengthening the standardization and utility of national health information systems, their products, policies and processes, with special emphasis on electronic data interchange and electronic media.  Promotes the development, use and dissemination of information and information technology in regards to health data systems, with an emphasis on public health applications.    50%

Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

Specialized experience is experience which is directly related to the position which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of the position to include:  (1) provide scientific advice, consultation and leadership in designing, coordinating and maintaining public health informatics project; (2) conduct evaluations and analyses for the purposes of developing recommendations to leadership on issues related to public health informatics; (3) design, oversee, implement, and conduct scientific surveys/studies or projects to identify and solve health system related problems; and (4) manage projects through administrative, planning, and budgetary activities.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

• Knowledge of public health theories, principles, concepts.
• Ability to provide scientific advice, consultation and leadership in designing, coordinating and maintaining public health informatics, more specifically Health IT related project goals, objectives and priorities.
• Ability to communicate to various audiences and subject matter experts on scientific and technical information.
• Skill in the application of administrative, planning, budgetary, human resources management, contracting and related programs.
• Ability to design, oversee, implement, and conduct scientific surveys/studies or projects to identify and solve health system related problems.
• Ability to communicate in writing. 

All interested applicants should email their resume to Tracie Strength:

Tmd9@cdc.gov

With a subject line of: Health Scientist, LA County

Resumes will be accepted through March 12, 2013

NYC DOHMH Job Posting: Syndromic Surveillance Informatics Manager

Job Title: Syndromic Surveillance Informatics Manager

Civil Service Title: Computer Systems Manager

Proposed Salary Range: $49,492.00 - $81,903.00 (Annual)

Work Location: 42-09 28th Street, Long Island City, NY

Division/Work Unit: IT Solutions and Delivery

Job Description: The Informatics Unit is an innovative operational unit within the Bureau of Informatics and Development responsible for implementation activities and strategic planning of large scale city-wide critical systems and infrastructure including NYC Syndromic Surveillance Reporting. The Unit liaises and coordinates with NYC hospital electronic medical records IT staff to implement upgrades and enhancements for data quality and timeliness of syndromic reporting. In addition, NYC DOHMH is taking on a new initiative to integrate with CDC’s BioSense system in order to track syndromic data and response activities across jurisdictions. The Syndromic Surveillance Informatics Manager, under the direction of the Director of Informatics and Data Services, with great latitude for independent thinking, will be responsible for implementing and overseeing the following activities: 

• Act as the main IT point of contact with NYC area hospitals regarding transmission of syndromic surveillance data and meeting Meaningful Use requirements.

• Work with NYC Hospital EDs to implement syndromic reporting for those that are currently not reporting.

• Liaise with NYC-area hospitals to implement electronic reporting of syndromic surveillance emergency department data from non-standard methods to standard HL7 formats consistent with Meaningful Use.

• Coordinate transition of data transmission of ED data to HL7 standards that are consistent with Meaningful Use requirements, including work with BCD Syndromic staff to test new HL7 file data quality and timeliness, as compared to existing methods.

• Possess strong analytic skills along with the technical skills needed to work with large data systems and strong working knowledge of SAS (SAS eBI 9.2,  Proc SQL, Macros) and SQL (Database server Application), is required. Ability to program in capacity in SSRS or ability to learn SSRS is a plus.

• Extensive knowledge working with HL7 messages and HL7 parsing tools as well as XML messages and XML framework.

• Identify data quality issues independently or in coordination with BCD Syndromic Surveillance unit.

• Identify, troubleshoot and resolve issues with interruptions in reporting from NYC hospitals to DOHMH.

• Escalate reporting issues to Informatics and BCD Syndromic Surveillance unit.

• Work with NYC hospitals to improve data quality and timeliness of syndromic ED reports.

• In coordination with DIIT technical staff and BCD Syndromic data analysts, design a central database for syndromic ED data.

• Investigate methods to electronically submit data to BioSense.

• In coordination with DIIT application developers and BioSense technical team, design a method to report NYC Syndromic ED data to BioSense.

• Ability to utilize Geographic Information Systems tools (GIS) such as ESRI and ArcGIS Server to assist surveillance programs to map ELR data.

• Examine other electronic data sources linked to syndromic surveillance and identify methods to improve data quality.

• Use knowledge of syndromic surveillance to collaborate with colleagues on various data matching and surveillance projects.

• Escalate reporting issues to Director of Informatics and DOHMH surveillance programs as necessary.

• In addition, the Syndromic Surveillance Informatics Manager will prepare presentations, manuscripts, and reports describing initiatives, systems, methodologies and results as well as participate and represent DOHMH in conferences, meetings and seminars.

For complete information regarding Minimum Qualification Requirements and Preferred Skills, visit the full Job Posting on the NYC Gov Careers Site.

To Apply: 

Apply online with a cover letter to https://a127-jobs.nyc.gov/.  In the Job ID search bar, enter: job ID number #113535.

Posting Date: 11/26/2012
Post Until: Until Filled

Job Opening: Syndromic Surveillance Epi - IN State Department of Health

Job Title:   Syndromic Surveillance Epidemiologist

Job ID:   581393

Apply Before:   10/05/2012

Location:   Indianapolis, IN

Full/Part Time:   Full-Time

Regular/Temporary: Regular

Job Description:

This position conducts continual, timely syndromic surveillance for potential public health emergencies. This position maintains the statewide plan for the ISDH syndromic surveillance system; establishes key relationships with external agencies and local public health departments. This position also serves as the division coordinator for the Indiana National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (I-NEDSS) and coordinator for Early Warning Infectious Disease Surveillance (EWIDS). This position also supervises the Quality Assurance Epidemiologist and future Biostatistician (E7) positions and serves as a tertiary division director to assume divisional supervisory responsibilities in the absence of the division director and field epi director.

Preferred Experience:

Five (5) years of experience in epidemiology or public health; plus a Bachelor's degree in a Biological Science, Chemistry, an Environmental or Health Science, Mathematics, Nursing, Pharmacology, Public Health, a Social Science, Statistics, Toxicology, or a closely related area from an accredited college. A combination of experience and accredited graduate/doctoral education in Epidemiology and/or the areas listed may be considered.

If interested, you are encouraged to go to the job posting to learn more about this position and how to submit your application online. You may find the job posting here: http://www.in.gov/spd/2334.htm

Contact information for this job posting is below:

Thomas Duszynski, MPH

Director of Surveillance and Investigation

Epidemiology Resource Center

Indiana State Department of Health

Office 1-317-233-7009

tduszyns@isdh.in.gov