Month: December 2019

DMCHWD Internship

The Division of Maternal and Child Health Workforce Development (DMCHWD) Internship, based in the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is designed to educate, engage, and support future leaders in Maternal and Child Health (MCH).

DMCHWD accepts applications from highly motivated graduate students in good standing at schools of public health or other health-related training programs in the United States.

DMCHWD Internship Application Package

Statement of Interest – Address the following (500-word max):

  • What do you hope to gain from this MCH-focused internship experience, and how does this internship align with your career goals?
  • How have your experiences shaped your definition of diversity? What does it mean for you to have a commitment to diversity? In your opinion, what is the purpose of promoting health equity over health equality?
  • Have you been involved with any of DMCHWD’s graduate or undergraduate education programs? If so, please describe your involvement.

Resume/Curriculum Vitae

Unofficial Transcript (most current)

Statement of Availability

  • Include the months and days of the week available, total hours needed (if submitting as a university requirement), and any concurrent responsibilities.
  • Example: Available June through August, 3-4 days per week, 300 total hours needed, working as a graduate research assistant 10 hours per week.

Submit your complete application package to Samantha Croffut.

Applications should be received by 11:59 PM on:

  • January 25, for Summer Internships
  • April 25, for Fall Internships
  • August 25, for Winter/Spring Internships

For more information, click HERE.


ORISE, Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) CDC

Category : Alumni

OSH has a mission to develop, conduct, and support strategic efforts to protect the public’s health from the harmful effects of tobacco use. Priorities for the division, along with its partners, are to promote tobacco control interventions, including actions to prevent youth from starting to use tobacco, smoke-free environments, programs to help tobacco users quit, and steps to eliminate tobacco-related health disparities in different population groups. The Epidemiology Branch (EB) within OSH has broad responsibility for the Division’s evaluation, surveillance, and research activities. The Research Team, housed in the EB, is the center for the Division’s research activities and works closely with others in OSH to lead and support tobacco control and prevention research. The research team’s mission is to advance scientific evidence to eliminate the burden of tobacco use. We accomplish this through the application of behavioral, epidemiologic, and economic theories, methods, using qualitative and quantitative techniques.

The Research Team endeavors to:

· Provide research technical assistance to internal and external partners.

· Conduct impactful, high-quality research within the overarching impact areas identified by the Division and as described in Epi’s research agenda.

· Provide scientific support and key translation products for the Division’s funded programs

· Conduct systematic reviews on key topics

The ORISE fellow will support the multi-disciplinary Research Team within the Epidemiology branch that provides research support to grantees and partners, conducts research studies, and disseminates scientific information. The fellow will work on several high-priority projects including, but not limited to, doing literature reviews and analyses to understand the prevalence of youth and young adult tobacco cessation behaviors, and which cessation interventions are effective for these populations. The ORISE fellow may also help with ad-hoc analyses and analytic support as needed (e.g. for Surgeon General’s Reports, for congressional/external inquiries).

The fellow will gain experience by:

· Supporting the research work of the Division.

· Providing research technical assistance to internal and external partners.

· Participating in systematic reviews on key topics

· Analyzing data and dissemination results from key Division initiatives such as the National Youth Tobacco Survey and the National Quitline Data Warehouse.

Specific requirements for candidates for CDC OSH Surveillance team:

In general, the ORISE fellow searches, synthesizes and interprets information relevant to advance tobacco prevention and control efforts.  Reviews and analyzes studies and projects assessing public health issues related to tobacco prevention and control in order to make recommendations or processes, procedures and/or policies related to public health programs, practices and research. Communicates information to various audiences. Prepares scientific and other articles and technical reports for publication.

More specifically, the fellow will be trained in surveillance and evaluation, and provide analytic support related to critical priorities of the Office; the fellow will serve a key role in: conducting surveillance, analysis, and research; assist in developing data summaries/briefing documents, authoring (co-authoring) papers and other materials, and supporting activities with internal and external audiences to advance tobacco prevention and control efforts. The fellow will also support the three cycles of National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) – i.e., work on publications based on collected data from past year; day to day survey support for administration of current year’s data; help prepare the data collection of future years.

Desired skills:

  1. Strong data analysis skills
  2. Experience with following statistical tools: SAS and SAS-callable SUDAAN
  3. Good writing skills

Stipend:

  1. The initial stipend is determined primarily in consideration of the educational level obtained.
    1. Master’s degree = equivalent to GS-9 step 1
    2. MD/PhD/equivalent = equivalent to GS-11 step 1

MD/PhD equivalent with at least two years of related post graduate work will have a stipend equivalent to GS-12 step 1. Additional steps at this degree level may be added for related post graduate work experience up to a maximum of the equivalent of GS-12 step 4.  Specifically, MD/PhD equivalent with at least three years of related post graduate work will have a stipend equivalent to GS-12 step 2, at least four years GS-12 step 3, and at least five years GS-12 step 4.

How to apply:

  1. Send CV to jze1 [at] cdc [dot] gov with subject line: “ORISE fellow candidate”
  2. Go to: https://www.zintellect.com/, and register

Early Childhood Epidemiologist, Tennessee Department of Health

Category : Alumni

Job Overview

The Tennessee Department of Health’s Division of Family Health and Wellness is hiring an Epidemiologist 2 for the Early Childhood section in Nashville, TN. This position is responsible for professional scientific and epidemiological assessments of considerable difficulty for multiple programs.

Key Responsibilities

Evidence Based Home Visiting

• Serve as the main contact for Evidence Based Home Visiting Program staff and Central Office program staff for questions related to data reporting

• Perform data cleaning and analysis of data submitted by community home visiting program staff and collaborates with staff from other state agencies to obtain linked administrative for federal reporting and state reporting, including the Home Visiting Legislative Report

• Oversee preparation and submission of quarterly and annual reporting to federal partners

• Oversee internal and external program evaluation projects related to Early Childhood Section

• Work with grantees to improve quality of data entry at the local level and run reports as needed throughout the year to support continuous quality improvement (CQI) efforts

• Attend local and national home visiting meetings

• Assist with preparation of fact sheets and reports

• Participate in strategic planning activities

• Fulfill ad-hoc data and/or analysis requests

Care Coordination

• Translate programmatic requirements into the development of appropriate data collection instruments

• Participate in strategic planning activities

• Collaborate with Division Clinical Application Coordinator and Information Technology (IT) in development of program business requirements for data collection system

• Prepare routine reports of program participation and outcomes to internal and external partners

• Fulfill ad-hoc data and/or analysis requests

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

• Maintain online surveillance submission portal

• Ensure complete and accurate data through weekly data cleaning

• Provide technical assistance to portal users, including user management

• Complete weekly, monthly and annual surveillance reports to the Commissioner and other stakeholders.

Supervision Responsibilities

This position supervises two staff persons in the Epidemiologist 1 job class.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a doctorate degree in epidemiology.

OR

Education and Experience: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a doctorate degree in medicine (MD), osteopathic medicine (DO), veterinarian medicine (DVM) public health, biostatistics, statistics, health informatics health sciences, biomedical sciences or environmental sciences with experience equivalent to two years’ work experience in epidemiology. Substitution of Education for Experience: Additional graduate coursework in public health or an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Fellowship may substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis to a maximum of two years. OR

Education and Experience: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a master’s degree in epidemiology, public health, biostatistics, statistics, or health informatics with experience equivalent to four year’s work experience in epidemiology. Substitution of Education for Experience: Additional studies with an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Fellowship may substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis to a maximum of two years. OR Education and Experience: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a master’s degree in health science, biomedical science or environmental science with experience equivalent to six year’s work experience in epidemiology. Substitution of Education for Experience: Additional studies with an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Fellowship may substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis to a maximum of two years.

To apply:

Please send cover letter and resume to Dr. Kimberly Lamar, Kimberly [dot] lamar [at] tn [dot] gov


PhD Candidate: Davit Baliashvili

Category : #WeAreEmoryEPI

For this week’s #IamEmoryEpi spotlight, we met up with Davit Baliashvili!

Tell us a little bit about your academic history:

I went to Medical school in Tbilisi State Medical University, in the country of Georgia. Then did my MPH in the same university before coming to Emory for my MSCR (Master of Science in Clinical Research) degree in 2013-2014

What are your primary research interests?

My research interest is infectious diseases in general, although my research is mostly focused on tuberculosis and viral hepatitis C. I have co-advisors in the PhD program: Dr. Neel Gandhi and Dr. Henry Blumberg

What were you up this this past summer?

The first few weeks of summer I was “healing wounds” (i.e. lying on the couch doing nothing but watching TV and playing video games) from the PhD qualifying exam that we took in early June. Then I went to country of Georgia, where I started to work on my dissertation ideas and developed a concept letter.

Are there any exciting projects or experiences you are involved in right now?

Recently I attended The Union’s World Conference on Lung Health where I presented my project that I am working on as part of my Research Assistantship. I am also working on a manuscript about hepatitis C seroprevalence and genotype distribution in the country of Georgia. However, most of my time is focused on dissertation, in which I am studying co-infection of tuberculosis and hepatitis C in the country of Georgia.

What is your favorite part about earning your PhD at Rollins?

Agh, so many things! I feel like I learned more things in past two years that I have during all my previous years of education. But if I have to name just one favorite part of getting PhD at Emory, it’s getting to know my fellow PhD students. Amazing people!

What advice do you have for MPH students?

Try to separate your work hours and rest/relax hours as much as you can. The more focused you are during work hours, the more productive these hours are and more time is left for relaxation and fun activities. If possible, try completing all the schoolwork at school or in library, and enjoy the well-deserved rest at home.

What books are you currently reading, or what podcasts are you currently listening to?

I am currently reading/listening three books in parallel – The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman on my Kindle, Favorite Poems of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as a print book and Aesop’s Fables as an audiobook.

What are three fun facts that you want people to know about you?

  1. I had a pet turtle when I was a kid
  2. I learned how to ride a bike when I was 29 (still don’t know how to drive a car)
  3. I translate science fiction and fantasy books from English into Georgian (my native language) together with my friend, and we have translated and published 10 books so far.

Postdoctoral Fellow – Global Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology

Category : Alumni

Position Description
The HaSET (“happiness” in Amharic”) Global Maternal and Child Health Research Program at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow. Our program works closely with partners in Ethiopia and Ethiopia’s Federal Ministry of Health to generate evidence to improve maternal and child health programs and policies. In addition, we provide technical capacity building to colleagues in program implementation, data analysis, and use of evidence for policy and action.

Research will be conducted jointly by the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston Children’s Hospital, and several Ethiopian institutions. The Postdoctoral Researcher will provide research and implementation leadership in Ethiopia, under the mentorship of Professor Grace Chan, and will work closely with the Boston and Ethiopia teams to oversee study activities. The successful candidate will develop and extend skills in study implementation and supervision, project research design, protocol development, data quality monitoring, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, results dissemination, and will have an opportunity to lead substudies and collaborate on research papers. The successful candidate will also join the HaSET fellowship program, which offers teaching opportunities and partnerships with Ethiopian postdoctoral fellows. The candidate will work closely with the growing Boston and Ethiopia-based research teams comprising program managers, data analysts, field implementers, data system developers, trainees and faculty on the HaSET team.

Basic Qualifications
Doctoral qualification in epidemiology, statistics, public health, or a related field with 2+ years research experience. The ideal candidate will have experience conducting research in global health, particularly in low-and-middle income countries. Desired skills include:
● Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills to ensure high quality data collection, cleaning, and analysis.
● Knowledge of study design, sampling approaches and sample size estimation, descriptive and advanced statistical methods such as longitudinal data analysis, causal inference methods, complex survey analysis etc.
● Experience analyzing prospective cohort and health surveillance system data is desired.
● Experience conducting mixed methods studies and qualitative data collection (e.g. in-depth interviews, focus groups, Delphi methods) is an asset.
● Experience with scoping and systematic literature reviews (and meta-analysis).
● Knowledge of STATA and data management (e.g., web-based electronic data capture system such as REDCAP or ODK).
● Excellent interpersonal and oral and written communication skills.
● Ability to work independently and as part of a team with collaborators, stakeholders, and research staff.
● Research experience in global maternal and child health, particularly in East Africa, is an asset.

Additional Qualifications
The position is based in Boston with frequent travel to Ethiopia. Commitment is for one year with the potential for renewal for an additional year.

Special Instructions
Applications should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a statement of research, and three references.

Contact Information
Jenna Daniel, HaSET Program Coordinator

Contact Email jennadaniel [at] hsph [dot] harvard [dot] edu

For more information and to apply, click HERE.


“No, those are dermatologists…”

Category : PROspective

As the semester is winding down, we will all head out in different directions over the coming weeks. Many of us will find ourselves sitting across the table from family and friends – some of whom have never even heard about epidemiology, much less know what it is. We’re a passionate (and nerdy!) bunch – and often feel most comfortable rattling off the nitty gritty details of the exciting work that we’re doing. Unfortunately, not all grandparents or college friends care to learn about the awesome macro we wrote, or how we’re working through several methods to quantify potential bias in our results. The holidays present a great opportunity for us to practice our soft skills of communicating our work and its value in a way that is accessible to a broad audience. 
 

“We use math and critical thinking to figure out who gets sick and why”

 
When talking to people outside of our field, my go-to way to describe what epidemiologists do is that we use math and critical thinking to figure out who gets sick and why (and no, we don’t study skin – those are dermatologists). I’ll often follow-up with a few classic examples of things that we’ve learned through the hard work of the epidemiologists who have come before us (the link between smoking and lung cancer is always a good one!).
 

“No matter what we study, there are always individuals who are sick, suffering, or dying – and we’re all trying to do our part to reduce the frequency of those negative outcomes”

 
When I first started studying stillbirth, I always struggled with the question “so, what’s your research about?” because it was always sure to put a quick damper on the conversation. As I thought about it, I realized that nearly all of the work that we do in public health is difficult – no matter what we study, there are always individuals who are sick, suffering, or dying – and we’re all trying to do our part to reduce the frequency of those negative outcomes. Over time, I found a good lead-in to help describe what I do, and put it in context: “My research focuses on maternal and child health, and specifically stillbirth. Stillbirth is far more common in the US than most people think – in fact, it is 17 times more common than Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.” This helps to start a conversation, and eases the tension when talking about a difficult and sensitive topic. 
 
No matter where your passion lies – whether it’s vaccination, genetics, cancer, or diarrhea – I encourage you to think about why that topic matters to you, and how you can talk about it with those who might be less familiar and convince them of its importance, too. One additional piece of advice that I’ll leave here is to think carefully about which of these topics are best left to discuss until after your holiday dinner!
 

“The work that we do can take its toll on us, and it’s important that we don’t forget to take care of ourselves when we’re off trying to save the world”

 
Whatever you do this holiday season, I hope that you will find some time to relax and recharge. The work that we do can take its toll on us, and it’s important that we don’t forget to take care of ourselves when we’re off trying to save the world. We look forward to seeing you back in January – ready to tackle all that the new semester and decade (!!) have to offer. 

Global Field Experience in Rwanda and Zambia, Info Session 1/17/20

Category : News/Events

A Mass Ebola Vaccination Campaign in Rwanda on the border with the DRC for 10-12 weeks. RZHRG will be vaccinating 200,000 adults and children living on the DRC border and studying vaccine feasability as well as safety in pregnant women. Working with High Risk Women, including Female Sex Workers and Single Mothers, in Zambia for 10- 12 weeks. A number of projects are available including M&E of women enrolled in a phase 2b HIV vaccine trial, LARC promotion, and diagnostic STI and early HIV testing using GeneXpert.


Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) fellowship

EGRP has open Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) fellowship positions in genomic epidemiology and in project management, evaluation, planning, coordination, and analysis. These fellowship positions offer a rich learning experience that affords successful candidates the opportunity to help coordinate, develop, and administer current and emerging activities related to these three scientific areas.

To learn more about EGRP’s fellowship opportunities – including salary, benefits, and how to apply – click the buttons below or visit EGRP’s job opportunities website. We invite you to share this message with others in your network who may be interested in these opportunities.

 


Cookies & Cocoa: an EPI Study Break

Category : News/Events

Monday and Tuesday, 12/9 and 12/10, 1-3pm, CNR, 3rd floor


CDC Health Communications Fellowship

Category : Alumni

Application Deadline: 1/27/2020 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

An opportunity is currently available with the Communications, Education, and Behavioral Studies Branch, in the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE), within the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.

The mission of the DTBE is to promote health and quality of life by preventing, controlling, and eventually eliminating tuberculosis in the United States.

The research participant will be placed in the Communications, Education, and Behavioral Studies Branch (CEBSB) within the DTBE. This project will provide the participant with an educational experience in health communications and social marketing around tuberculosis disease and latent tuberculosis infection.

Under the guidance of a mentor, the participant will be involved in the following activities:

  • Contributing to the development of health communication materials, products, and messages
  • Conducting communications research
  • Disseminating health information through a variety of communication channels
  • Participating in the development and implementation of a communications campaign to reach key target audiences with important health messages
  • Supporting community engagement and mobilization activities through social marketing efforts
  • Contributing to drafting and reviewing documents and reports
  • Presenting findings and recommendations at national forums and in peer-reviewed journals
  • Contributing to formative research efforts and communications to eliminate tuberculosis in the United States
  • Participating in message testing efforts around tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis infection testing and treatment for high risk groups
  • Participating in Branch and Team meetings
  • Maintaining communication with project leaders
    This participant will be engaged with Branch leadership and project staff. Opportunities for networking with subject matter experts will be made available.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: January 6, 2020

This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and CDC. The initial appointment can be up to one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of CDC contingent on the availability of funds. The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. The appointment is full-time at CDC in the Atlanta, Georgia, area. Participants do not become employees of CDC, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits.

Qualifications
The qualified candidate should have received a master’s degree in one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within five years of the appointment start date.

Preferred skills:

Some experience in social marketing, health education/communication
Excellent oral and written communication skills
Eligibility Requirements
Degree: Master’s Degree received within the last 60 month(s).

To apply, click HERE.


Upcoming Events

  • Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Seminar Series March 28, 2024 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Seminar Series Event Type: Seminar SeriesSeries: Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Seminar SeriesSpeaker: Jie Chen, PhDContact Name: Porchia Coleman-ArnoldContact Email: Porchia.Arnold@emory.eduRoom Location: CNR PLAZA - Rollins AuditoriumTitle: Retrospective detection of multiple change points: Methods and Applications
  • Humphrey Fellows Noontime Seminar Series March 28, 2024 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Networking and Guest Lecture and Meeting and Special Event and Student Event; zoom.us… Online Location: https://zoom.us/j/95325531576Event Type: Networking,Guest Lecture,Meeting,Special Event,Student EventSeries: Noontime SeminarSpeaker: Various Speakers - see details by dateContact Name: Kris ValerianoContact Email: kvaleri@emory.eduRoom Location: RRR_R809Link: https://sph.emory.edu/departments/gh/fellows/humphrey-fellows/index.htmlFellows will present on a topic pertaining to their home country, culture and/or their work in public health.Deb Mcfarland Room, 8th floor RRR.3.28: Abeselom Gutta, MD &Yeshoda Aryal, MPH4.11: Ola Ziara,…
  • Emory Farmers Market Stroll April 2, 2024 at 11:00 am – 1:30 pm Networking and Special Event Event Type: Networking,Special EventContact Name: Staff CouncilContact Email: rsphstaffcouncil@emory.eduLace up your sneakers and join the RSPH Staff Council for a refreshing walk to the Emory Farmers Market. Grab lunch, support local businesses, and stay as long as you like. Meet between RRR and O. Wayne Rollins Buildings at 11 AM to walk over as a…

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