Epidemiology Analyst, LA County Dept. of Public Health

Position Overview

Assists in the planning, design, and implementation of health-related surveillance systems or epidemiologic studies, including outbreak investigation and analysis of epidemiology surveys. 

Description

Positions allocable to this class typically report to an Epidemiologist or a higher-level supervisor and have responsibility for assisting in the design, development and implementation of epidemiology studies and field investigations. Under close supervision, Epidemiology Analysts conduct literature reviews, assist in the design and preparation of study, surveillance, and field investigation protocols; prepare survey instruments and surveillance forms; conduct data analysis, interpret epidemiologic findings; prepare technical documents; respond to public inquiries on epidemiologic issues; and perform a variety of other epidemiology related work. Positions typically follow defined or established protocols applied to less complex epidemiologic problems and require knowledge of epidemiology and surveillance methods and statistical methods, including biostatistics.

Essential Job Functions

• Designs and conducts epidemiologic surveys, analyzes surveillance data, and assesses risks of possible epidemics or health-related hazards; prepares epidemiological reports using health data from multiple sources.
• Investigates disease outbreaks by field participation or by analysis of pertinent data collected by district personnel, including developing case definitions, case report forms, and analyzing case-control study data to determine the cause and probable source of such outbreaks; prepares reports on investigation findings.
• Participates in the investigation of environmental health threats by collecting and analyzing health and environmental data, preparing interpretation of findings and disseminating recommended prevention and control measures.
• Responds to requests for data on health-related statistics and associated risk behaviors; designs, codes, and constructs variables by utilizing computer software appropriate for epidemiologic analysis.
• Prepares detailed statistical reports and analyses of data that include, but are not limited to, specific geographic area, population size, gender, race, age, and medical condition.
• Analyzes health trends and patterns in the county population and assists in the development of a community health profile with policy recommendations.
• Reviews epidemiological case history forms completed by District nurses or physicians to gather information and to ensure accuracy and completeness of forms.
• Prepares summaries of epidemiologic studies for presentations in community settings or at professional meetings.
• Assists in the preparation of a grant application to support enhanced surveillance and targeted epidemiologic research on a specific health-related issue.

 Desirable Qualifications

• Experience using SAS/ACCESS to import data in various formats including tab- or comma delimited, and/or analysis of large datasets using Base SAS.
• Experience using Microsoft Excel and/or Microsoft Access to enter and summarize data.
• Experience using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software to create thematic maps and conduct spatial analysis.
• Experience conducting literature searches using multiple methods including online journal databases and other internet sources.
• Experience as a lead or co-author on at least one peer-reviewed publication.

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