Description:

Position Summary

The Tribal Communicable Disease Epidemiologist (CD Epi) is responsible for leading data analysis, data communication, training, and coordination activities related to the Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center’s (NWTEC) communicable disease surveillance and prevention activities in addition to advancing data analysis and reporting related to vaccinations. Duties include, but are not limited to: conducting statistical analysis and interpretation of data; developing and providing trainings to Northwest Tribes on communicable disease epidemiology, outbreak investigations, and vaccine epidemiology; providing consultation on the epidemiology, control, and prevention of communicable diseases to Tribes and other partners and assisting with survey/tool development; participating in the development of local-level health status reports, manuscripts, dashboards, and presentations; supporting data access and quality improvement activities, such as record linkages; and providing technical assistance to Tribes and Tribal health programs on a variety of data and public health issues.

The CD Epi must have knowledge of communicable disease processes and control measures, notifiable conditions and their associated reporting, and vaccination principles. They must have experience in management and analysis of large and/or complex databases. They must have intermediate to advanced skills in statistical software such as SAS, SPSS, R or Stata. SAS and R programming experience are preferred. They must demonstrate a willingness and capability to learn new software applications, such as QuickSight, Match*Pro, AWS, and other applications.

The CD Epi supports the NPAIHB’s Epidemiology & Surveillance Unit of 5 public health professionals who provide routine surveillance, data analysis, and reporting to Northwest Tribes.

The CD Epi reports to the Project Director of the Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit. This scope of work is housed within the NWTEC Division.

This position is based at NPAIHB’s offices in Portland, Oregon. Local travel and/or overnight travel outside of the area is required approximately 15% of the time.

Essential Functions

CD Epi Main Functions

• Serve as a subject matter expert for communicable disease epidemiology within NWTEC, with a focus on sexually transmitted infections, respiratory diseases, and vaccines
• Prioritize and pursue access to communicable disease and immunization data sources based on Tribal needs
• Design and conduct statistical analysis of survey data and health status data, including but not limited to: communicable disease registry data, immunization registry data, vital statistics, hospitalization, emergency department, and health services utilization data.
• Understand and document dataset limitations, and maintain and support quality improvement and data management activities
• Prepare and maintain technical documentation related to communicable disease and immunization-related analyses
• Assess racial misclassification in AI/AN communicable disease/immunization-related data, disseminate findings, and support NWTEC work to correct misclassification and improve recording of racial data
• Conduct interpretation of statistical findings and translation of results for tribal health status reports and other publications
• Participate in preparation of reports, manuscripts, and presentations to disseminate project activities and results
• Respond to communicable disease and immunization data requests and provide technical assistance to Tribes and partners upon request
• Support epidemiology and surveillance by working with NWTEC data modernization efforts
• Participate or lead state, regional, and national workgroups related to AI/AN communicable disease/immunization data and support NWTEC and Tribal data interests
• Assist in collecting and analyzing evaluation data to measure progress towards grant and organizational goals
• Participate in assessing tribal data and training needs, and lead the development of trainings, capacity building tools, and products to respond to tribal needs
• Ensure that all project data are maintained with complete confidentiality in accordance with the Federal Privacy Act, IRB specifications, and NWTEC policies for data management, analysis, and dissemination

Administrative and Reporting Functions

• Collaborate with internal and external partners in order to achieve tribal, organizational, and grant-related goals
• Ensure compliance with all human subjects requirements for confidential and/or limited data access
• Assist in preparing and submitting IRB protocols, data sharing and confidentiality agreements, and ensuring compliance with all human subjects requirements
• Assist the Project Director with outreach, planning, and implementation of project activities.
• Participate in and lead meetings, site visits, and conferences as required to achieve project objectives
• Maintain well-organized filing system for documents and computer files
• Submit a Monthly Activity Report (MAR) to the Project Director at the end of each month and any additional tracking of project activities as needed

Other Duties

• Research, and with the approval of supervisor, attend trainings as needed to improve skills that enhance overall capabilities related to job performance
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Epidemiology & Surveillance Unit Project Director and/or Executive Director or designee

Skills/Eligibility:

Qualifications

Education

Minimum education required:

• Master of Public Health (MPH) Degree, with focus in epidemiology and/or biostatistics, or related field

Experience

Minimum experience required:

• At least four (4) years of experience managing, analyzing, and/or interpreting public health data
• At least four (4) years of experience in a health or public health field, preferably as an epidemiologist or biostatistician

Additional experience preferred:

• Direct experience working with Northwest Tribes
• Experience in the planning, organization, implementation, and follow-up of public health-related coalitions
• Some experience with GIS software and Epi Info a plus.
• Some familiarity with substance use and maternal child health epidemiology due to comorbidities and risks

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated knowledge, discretion, tact, judgment, and overall ability in working effectively with federal, Tribal, and other professionals, and facilitating participation and partnership in the activities of the Epidemiology & Surveillance Unit
• Proficiency with computer applications (specifically Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft Office Suite programs)
• Strong technical writing skills, including good spelling and grammatical skills, and the ability to produce polished deliverables under a deadline
• Excellent research and analysis skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Must be sensitive to cross-cultural differences, and able to work effectively within their context
• Ability to work with minimal supervision, exercise initiative, and make independent decisions and recommendations
• Ability to make professional oral presentations in settings at the national, regional, and community levels, as well as in Tribal settings
• Ability to complete tasks in a timely and accurate manner
• Ability to travel occasionally (approximately 15% of the time)