Epidemiologist

Company: Washington County, OR
Location: Hillsboro
Posted on: January 18, 2023

Job Description:

THE POSITION

The Research, Analytics, Informatics and Data (RAID) Program within the Department of Health and Human Services is recruiting for its next Communicable Disease Epidemiologist. The RAID program is comprised of over 20 epidemiologists, data analysts and informaticists. Reporting to an epidemiology program supervisor, you will work closely with RAID epidemiologists, CD nurses, and the program supervisors in Environmental Health and Disease Control and Prevention.

You will spend time in communicable disease epidemiology, taking on the lead of communicable disease outbreaks and contact investigations, collecting and analyzing infectious disease information across jurisdictions, identifying disease trends and emerging infections, and planning for response to public health emergencies involving communicable diseases.

Outbreaks can occur at any time and often require immediate attention. You must be flexible in your work schedule, including occasional weekend/evening work as necessary and taking part in the 24-hour county health department communicable disease on-call role. The person in this position should meet the Tier 2 CSTE/CDC competencies for a public health epidemiologist as listed in the duties below.

The ideal candidate has multiple years of local government public health/Tribal experience in the area of communicable disease outbreak investigation outside of COVID-19.

Washington County values a culture of equity, diverse perspectives, and life experiences. Our organization embraces innovation, collaboration and work-life harmony. We offer job stability, a comprehensive benefits package, and an opportunity to serve and support our diverse community. We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity and an inclusive workforce. Women, minorities, veterans, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Why Washington County?
Are you interested in challenging, meaningful, and rewarding work? Join Washington County in our commitment to advancing racial equity. Our Board of Commissioners worked closely with various community stakeholders and subject matter experts to develop an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Resolution. Adopted in February 2020, this resolution commits to the equitable delivery of Washington County's services, resources, and opportunities for growth and development to every county resident.

Check Out Our Award-Winning Benefits & Wellness Program on the "Benefits" tab above!




ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES
Duties and competencies for this position follow the Tier 2 (Mid-Level epidemiologist) Competencies for Applied Epidemiologists in governmental public health agencies (CAEs) created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.

Duties may include:
1. Conduct epidemiologic investigations:

• Plans and conducts epidemiologic studies and urgent outbreak investigations to address essential and practical public health problems and to plan programs.
• Participates in the planning of epidemiologic investigations.
• Identifies and evaluates a wide range of health conditions within an assigned program area to recognize public health problems pertinent to the population and to determine feasibility and approach to epidemiologic investigation.
• Collaborates with scientists in the survey or investigation design process, including conducting a search or review of existing literature and data in a scientific area, determining methodological techniques and processes, and designing questionnaires and other data-collection instruments.
• Designs, manipulates, and uses databases for analysis of health problems to assess the potential public health impact.
• Conducts epidemiologic outbreak investigations; performs onsite review of facilities and procedures; interviews patients, healthcare providers, and others involved; and collects data from local agencies or other health entities.
• Performs statistical analysis related to complex analytical investigations involving highly specialized scientific data.
• Uses known techniques for analyzing epidemiologic investigation data, adapts, or combines a variety of existing statistical methods to fulfill specific project needs.
• Uses surveillance systems to collect disease or health outcome data.
• Generates descriptive analyses of surveillance data for a variety of audiences.
  2. Participation in surveillance activities:
  • Participates in the design, management, and use of surveillance systems for diseases of public health importance.
  • Identifies program surveillance data needs, designs instruments for collecting surveillance information and data, and implements new, or revises existing surveillance systems.
  • Conducts advanced descriptive and comprehensive analyses (e.g., simple regression, stratified analyses to control for confounding, adjusted odds ratios, and relative risks) of surveillance data for multiple audiences.
  • Reports key findings and performs evaluations of the surveillance system.
    3. Provision of epidemiologic consultation on scientific and technical issues:
    • Provides scientific advice and technical assistance to communities and outside partners with respect to surveillance and other epidemiologic data and evaluation expertise. This requires the application of program and epidemiologic expertise to complex public health issues, with an understanding of the appropriate cultural/social/political framework, as well as the ethical/legal issues related to epidemiologic data collection, dissemination, and use.
    • Consults on technical problems where solutions may not conform to established protocols and may require the modification of approaches or applications in a specialty area.
    • Provides epidemiologic advice and assistance in resolving technical issues that include significant barriers to program or project delivery.
    • Provides consultative services on large and complex programs or projects that have unusually demanding technical problems or issues.4. Development and dissemination of data and epidemiologic findings:
      • Conducts literature reviews for program planning, preparation of publications, and evaluation.
      • Designs and prepares reports from analyses of surveillance data, literature reviews, and other information.
      • Makes oral presentations to diverse audiences.5. Assists in creating a positive and supportive work environment; enforces a safe workplace; establishes a culture of teamwork and communication; creates a workplace that promotes the organizational values of workplace diversity, equity and inclusion and actively promotes an environment respectful of living and working in a multicultural society.
        
        6. Participation in administrative and program projects and activities (related to technical, scientific, and programmatic expertise):
        • Participates in writing grants and other funding proposals and develops requests for proposals and contracts for data analysis and evaluation projects.
        • Participates on internal and external committees and workgroups related to areas of expertise.
        • Participates in program evaluation, conducts literature reviews, designs methods, and analyzes data to evaluate program progress and effectiveness.
        • Coordinates state program-planning efforts with respect to surveillance and other epidemiologic data and evaluation.
        • Develops and conducts training for local staff in the conduct of investigations and appropriate methods of controlling diseases and preventing injuries.7. Per Public Health Emergency Response Annex Q and PH Policy Gen308, trains for and responds to emergencies in assigned duty areas to support public and environmental health emergency functions including but not limited to: conducting identification of at-risk populations, advising health officials regarding the event and potential associated health risks, data analysis, risk monitoring, and evaluation of relief efforts.
          MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
          Education and Experience:
          
          • A Master's Degree with a focus in epidemiology and at least two (2) years of work experience in epidemiology with a public health agency; OR
          • A doctoral-level degree in epidemiology; OR
          • Other non-epidemiology graduate degree or certification (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).Additional Licenses, Certificates, Physical Abilities and Specialty Requirements:
            Please be advised that this position is required to pass a criminal background check post offer.
            
            Please be clear and specific in the applicable sections of the employment application about how your background is relevant. This information must also be consistent with your supplemental question responses. Please note: Answers to the supplemental questions are typically evaluated separately from your application.
            SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
            Washington County is committed to using a Merit-based System in which recruiting, selecting, and advancing employees is based on their relative knowledge, skills, and abilities.
            
            Selection Process:
            1. Week of January 16, 2023: An evaluation of training and experience of submitted application packets will be performed by Human Resources.
            
            2. Week of January 23, 2023: A Subject Matter Expert (SME) Panel will perform an evaluation of experience and training taken from your employment application materials including responses to the supplemental questionnaire.
            
            3. Our goal is to schedule oral panel interviews with candidates that successfully passed the SME evaluation step as soon as possible.
            
            Please note: candidates that are successful in the evaluation process may have their applications referred for additional vacancies in the same classification, or job family.
            
            Veterans' Preference
            If you are a Veteran and would like to be considered for a Veterans' preference for this recruitment, please review instructions using this link: Veterans' Preference Points.
            
            Accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act
            Reasonable accommodation is available to anyone whose specific disability prevents them from completing this application or participating in the selection process for this recruitment. To obtain confidential assistance please contact Human Resources 503-846-8606, or email: HR@washingtoncountyor.gov at least 48 hours before any step in the recruitment and selection process for which you feel you need accommodation.
            
            Status of Your Application
            You will be advised by e-mail of your status at each step in the application process, from initial application to final employment disposition. Please note that Washington County communicates with all candidates via email. If you "opt out" or "unsubscribe" of email notification from notices in NEOGOV it will impact our ability to communicate with you about job postings.
            
            Questions (?) Regarding This Recruitment
            Contact HR@washingtoncountyor.gov
            
            Additional Resources:
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Keywords: Washington County, OR, Hillsboro , Epidemiologist, Other , Hillsboro, Oregon