JOB TITLE: EPIDEMIOLOGY RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

JOB CODE: 34480

DEFINITION: This is advanced professional analytical work in public health or environmental health epidemiology.

An employee in this job leads or advises on complex investigations or studies and performs advanced design and development of methods and systems to collect, analyze, disseminate, and interpret highly complex and specialized public health or environmental health data. Work involves analyzing data and ensuring data quality; preparing reports and summaries; or providing consultation and outreach in the public health or environmental health program. Work includes collecting and manipulating surveillance data; providing technical assistance and consultation to field staff, county/municipal health departments, health care entities, and others; researching and analyzing health problems to assess potential public health impacts; recommending further investigations; or recommending control, mitigation, or prevention methods. Work also involves providing program progress measures and participating in grant writing. Work is performed independently, or as a team or project member, and is reviewed by a higher level epidemiologist or public health official for conformance with accepted epidemiologic and statistical principles, choice of methodology, and soundness of recommendations.

EXAMPLES OF WORK: (NOTE: The examples of work are representative of the work, but every position classified to this job may not perform all examples of work listed. Conversely, this is not an all-inclusive list of work examples.):

• Collaborates with federal, state, and local agencies to secure and analyze data related to infectious diseases, chronic diseases, maternal and child health, bioterrorism/emergency response, environmental health, injury, occupational health, oral health, substance abuse, toxic substances, or mental health.

• Designs, reviews, evaluates, enhances, and improves data collection, reporting, and investigation methods and systems.

• Leads implementation, evaluation, and use of surveillance systems.

• Organizes, interprets, and ensures quality of data from surveillance systems, investigations, literature reviews, toxicological data, or other sources.

• Plans and leads investigations or studies, provides technical leadership to lower level epidemiological staff participating in investigations, and ensures their proper completion.

• Participates in designing and carrying out epidemiological studies relating to toxic and carcinogenic substances.

• Explains relevance and limitations of available data and its proper application to potential health impacts.

• Identifies and discusses key study findings, data definitions, and limitations of data.

• Develops evidence-based interventions and control, containment, or mitigation measures.

• Reviews and evaluates historical reports for potential relevance to current health threats and methods to reduce exposure.

• Reviews case level data to ensure accuracy.

• Applies social or cultural factors of the affected population to interpretations of findings.

• Recommends public health or environmental health actions that would be relevant to the affected community.

• Prepares descriptive, narrative, or statistical reports using techniques commonly employed in epidemiologic analyses.

• Provides data, narrative, or other justification to support the development, expansion, or maintenance of statewide public health or environmental health program plans, including program funding requests.

• Plans, coordinates, prepares, and delivers presentations, reports, and scientific posters for presentations, meetings, conferences, and peer reviewed journals.

• Conducts training sessions for field personnel on data collection, reporting, and methods to ensure compliance with epidemiologic principles and standards.

• Conducts and prepares reports of health consultations.

• Prepares environmental health risk assessments.

• Participates in workgroups with internal and external stakeholders.

• Prepares and provides oral presentations on epidemiologic findings to diverse audiences.

• Travels on a regular basis.

• Performs related work as required.

ENTRY LEVEL KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of epidemiologic principles, concepts, and procedures.

• Knowledge of biological mechanisms of disease.

• Knowledge of public health or environmental health investigation principles, concepts, and procedures.

• Knowledge of research methods and techniques.

• Knowledge of scientific investigation methods and techniques.

• Knowledge of data confidentiality and security practices.

• Knowledge of health risk factors.

• Knowledge of social determinants of health.

• Knowledge of statistical methods and techniques used in sampling, collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of health data.

• Knowledge of disease etiology, prevention, or control methods.

• Ability to analyze and interpret data.

• Ability to interpret and apply policies, rules, or regulations.

• Ability to communicate effectively orally.

• Ability to communicate effectively in writing.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING: (NOTE: Based on the Entry Level Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities):

• One year of professional experience performing public health or environmental health epidemiological investigations or studies, or designing and managing a disease surveillance system; and a master's degree that includes or is supplemented by six credits in epidemiology, environmental health, statistics, or research.