Public Health Epidemiologist

The Board of Health for Madison and Dane County has a full-time (1.0FTE) vacancy for a Public Health Epidemiologist in Madison, WI.

The Eligibility List created will be used to fill future vacancies over the next six (6) months. All are encouraged to apply.

Commitment to Equity AND Inclusion 

As an employer, we strive to provide a work environment where diversity and differing opinions are valued, creativity is encouraged, continuous learning and improvement are fostered, teamwork and open/honest communication are encouraged, and meeting customer needs through quality service is a shared goal. All employees must be able to demonstrate multicultural competence – the awareness, knowledge, and skills needed to work with others who are culturally different from self in meaningful, relevant, and productive ways. Applicants from traditionally underrepresented populations including women and racial and ethnic minorities, and persons with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.

DEFINITION

Public Health Epidemiologists serve as the lead professional in studying how health, disease and illness are distributed across populations and communities in the county. In alignment with the Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists’ Applied Epidemiology Competencies, Public Health Epidemiologists utilize their technical skillset to collect, analyze, interpret, and disseminate health-related data. Working in an ‘applied epidemiology’ space, they ignite the translation of health data into action and policy. They utilize software across the data life cycle; rapidly adapt to an evolving data modernization and technology landscape; and communicate health data in an easy-to-understand way that centers community. A key partner to Public Health program staff, Public Health Epidemiologists collaborate to support a culture of data-based decision making and continuous improvement. The role requires flexibility, multi-tasking, and strategic thinking. Working in both teams and independently, they have project-level decision-making authority under the general oversight of the Public Health Supervisor. 

EXAMPLES OF PUBLIC HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGIST DUTIES BY PROGRAM

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH—partners with Environmental Health Division and community partners to conduct surveillance and analysis of topics such as childhood lead poisoning, foodborne illness, PFAS, mosquito, air and water quality, climate change, water fluoridation

REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE—partners with Community Health Division and community partners to conduct surveillance and analysis of topics under the umbrellas of sexual and reproductive health and maternal & child health; specific areas of analysis may include birth outcomes, infant and maternal mortality, sexually transmitted infections

COMMUNICABLE DISEASE—partners with Community Health Division and community partners to conduct surveillance and analysis of topics related to communicable disease, including COVID and other respiratory infections, tuberculosis, immunizations, and foodborne illness

VIOLENCE AND INJURY PREVENTION—partners with Policy, Planning, and Evaluation Division and community partners to conduct surveillance and analysis of topics related to violence and injury prevention such as drug/alcohol harm and overdose, suicide, mental health, alcohol density, firearm violence, sexual violence

INFORMATICS AND COMMUNITY HEALTH—partners cross-divisionally to establish databases and perform data management; conducts surveillance and analyses of topics related to the Community Health Assessment, which may include mental health, housing, chronic disease, youth health, occupational health 

INFORMATICS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS—partners cross-divisionally to conduct surveillance and analysis of topics related to emergency preparedness such as public health impacts of extreme climate events; utilizes healthcare syndromic surveillance system and provides department-wide geospatial (GIS mapping) and electronic health record system support

Public Health Epidemiologists may provide support across areas as the needs of the community and health department evolve

SUMMARY OF DUTIES

Identify public health problems pertinent to the population. Use critical thinking to determine whether a public health problem exists. Articulate the need for further investigation or other public health action on the basis of results of literature review and assessment of current data. Collaborate with others inside and outside the agency to identify the problem and form recommendations.

Conduct surveillance activities. Design surveillance for the particular public health issue under consideration. Identify surveillance data needs. Implement new or revise existing surveillance systems. Work with PHMDC and other partners to identify key findings from the surveillance system. Evaluate surveillance systems. 

Investigate acute and chronic conditions or other adverse outcomes in the population. Conduct a community health status assessment. Recommend priorities of potential public health problems to be addressed. Select investigative processes. Assist in design of investigation (e.g., disease investigations, studies, or screening programs). Use investigation techniques consistent with the public health problem.

Ensure culturally competent epidemiologic practice. Use accepted standard practice and ability-centered language to describe populations by race; ethnicity; culture; societal, educational, and professional backgrounds; age; gender; religion; disability; and sexual orientation. Establish relationships with groups of special concern (e.g., disadvantaged or minority groups, groups subject to health disparities, historically underrepresented groups). Design surveillance systems to include groups subject to health disparities or other potentially underrepresented groups (using standard categories where available). Conduct investigations using languages and approaches tailored to population. Use knowledge of specific sociocultural factors in the population to interpret findings. Recommend public health actions that relevant to communities most affected by disparate health outcomes.

Ensure study design and data collection, dissemination, and use follow ethical/legal principles. Follow ethics guidelines and principles when planning studies; conducting research; and collecting, disseminating, and using data. Apply relevant laws to data collection, management, dissemination, and use of data and information. Apply Institutional Review Board processes as necessary. Manage conflicts of interest as necessary. Apply knowledge of privacy laws to protect confidentiality, including Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and applicable state and local privacy laws. Know agency procedures for handling Freedom of Information Act requests. Apply ethical principles in preparing and submitting publications.

Manage, analyze and summarize data from surveillance, investigations, or other sources. Define database requirements, if indicated. Manage databases. Create analysis plans for data. Conduct analysis of data. Apply principles of informatics, including data collection, processing, and analysis, in support of epidemiologic practice. Apply knowledge of epidemiologic principles and methods to make recommendations regarding the validity of epidemiologic data. Assess need for special analyses, including survival or longitudinal analyses, or cost-effectiveness/cost benefit/cost utility analyses. Identify key findings from the study, making limitations explicit.

Recommend evidence-based interventions and control measures in response to epidemiologic findings. Refer to health equity and other appropriate frameworks to structure recommendations or interventions. Use scientific evidence in preparing recommendations for action or interventions. Bring epidemiologic perspective in the development and analysis of public health policies.

Assist with program evaluation. Assist in development of measurable and program-relevant goals and objectives. Assist in development of program logic models and theories of action. Identify surveillance and other data for use in tracking program objectives and outcomes. Record progress toward program objectives and outcomes. Communicate information about progress toward program objectives and outcomes to program managers and staff for use in program planning and modification.

Support overall agency goals. Conduct epidemiologic activities within the financial and operational plan of the agency. Assist in developing a fiscally sound budget that will support the activities defined in the operational plan and is consistent with the financial rules of the agency. Assist in preparation of proposals for extramural funding. Support the epidemiologic perspective in the agency strategic planning process. Promote the organization’s vision in all programs and activities. Use performance measures to evaluate and improve epidemiology program effectiveness. Promote ethical conduct in epidemiologic practice. Promote workforce development. Prepare for and support emergency response.

Education, Training and Experience:

A bachelor’s degree in public health, epidemiology or other health-related field and four (4) years of professional experience in developing and using statistical tools for gathering, assessing and acting on quantitative health-related data. A Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology or other health-related field can substitute for two (2) years of professional experience. 

Special Requirements:

Must have access to reliable transportation to and from the work place. Employees are required, as a condition of employment, to be current and remain current with certain immunizations and vaccinations. A list will be provided at the time of job offer.

For Bilingual Positions:

1. Provide services in both English and the required foreign language (e.g., Spanish, Arabic, Hmong, etc.). 
2. Applicants being considered for bilingual positions will be tested during the recruitment process prior to employment. This will primarily consist of passing an oral language proficiency assessment from English to foreign language and foreign language to English, but may require additional language testing, such as written translation, if it is an essential function of the job. 

*If applicable, individuals may confirm with the Employee Relations Division whether results of bilingual language certifications/ examinations they currently hold qualify them for the position’s bilingual designation.

Background Check Statement: Some positions may require a criminal background check which can include fingerprinting due to the nature of the job's responsibilities. Wisconsin's Fair Employment Law, s. 111.31 – 111.395, Wis. Stats., prohibits discrimination because of an arrest or conviction record. However, Dane County may disqualify an applicant if the position's responsibilities are substantially related to the applicant's criminal history (e.g., the nature of the crime and its relationship to the position, whether hiring, transferring or promoting an applicant would pose an unreasonable risk to the business, its employees, customers and vendors, etc.) Management reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

Physical and Environmental Work Requirements:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job under non-emergency conditions. Public health emergencies, such as communicable disease outbreaks, natural disasters and bio-terrorism events, will result in working with people in emergency situations, working with policymakers and the media, and being available to work on a 24/7 basis when necessary. While performing duties of this job in an emergency situation, the employee will be expected to wear protective equipment, and may be exposed to extremes in temperature, varying degrees of noise, air and water quality, and discomfort, including fatigue, thirst and hunger. Work occurs at any one of PHMDC’s office locations and a variety of community settings. Travel within and outside of Dane County may be required.

Advanced knowledge of applied epidemiology principles and practice, including knowledge of foundational statistics and statistical analyses relevant to epidemiological investigation. Demonstrated proficiency in statistical analysis software (e.g., R, SAS) to clean and analyze quantitative data. Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Experience creating maps using geographical information systems (GIS). Experience or ability to learn data visualization software such as PowerBI and Tableau. Ability to learn other software skills as required to complete work assignments. Ability to plan, coordinate, and monitor epidemiological investigations. Ability to develop, implement, and monitor a data management system. Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, making complex data and information accessible to audiences of diverse educational, cultural, and professional backgrounds. Ability to collect, organize, and analyze data; identify significant findings, make recommendations, and prepare reports. Ability to develop and maintain operating procedures and policies. Ability to maintain effective working relationships and build collaborative partnerships with stakeholders to improve access to local-level data. Ability to serve as data lead on various coalition roles. Experience and comfort with ongoing data requests and presentations to local officials. Demonstrated experience working with diverse, underserved communities. Knowledge of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic inequities in health outcomes.