Author Archives: Emma Butturini

Injury and Violence Prevention Certificate Program Information Session, 5/19

Category : News/Events

Event Summary 

The Injury Prevention Research Center at Emory will host this information session to provide students with information regarding the Injury and Violence Prevention Certificate at Emory University. Students will have the opportunity to asks questions about the program, electives, student opportunities, and the application process.

Click here to register for this information session on May 19th at 12pm


Post Doctoral Fellowship in MDR-TB, Harvard Medical School

Category : Alumni

Project Description

Applications from PhD or other doctoral-level degree holders are invited for a full-time project focused on improving the quality of evidence generated from observational treatment cohorts of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB).  The position will be based in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine (DGHSM) at Harvard Medical School, which conducts research to improve the practice of medicine, the delivery of treatment, and the development of health care policies locally and worldwide. Researchers at DGHSM have a long history of conducting research on tuberculosis, HIV, and other conditions. The selected candidate will join a team of epidemiologists and clinicians aiming to improve access to high-quality evidence-based care for MDR-TB around the world.

The postdoctoral fellow will work with us on two initiatives:

  1. The endTB observational study, comprised of over 2,600 patients in 17 countries, is the largest multi-country study of patients receiving MDR-TB treatment with the newer drugs, bedaquiline and delamanid.  The postdoctoral fellow will apply advanced epidemiologic methods (e.g., marginal structural models, g-estimation) to longitudinal data to answer pressing outstanding questions related to the safety and effectiveness of different MDR-TB regimens. Under this NIH-funded initiative, the postdoctoral fellow will also contribute to the implementation of a prospective cohort study of patients receiving a shortened, all-oral MDR-TB regimen in one of five countries. (70% effort)
  2. Research Excellence to Stop TB Resistance (RESIST-TB), in partnership with Harvard University, is leading a research initiative to explore the challenges associated with use of observational data and enhance its utility to guide the development of MDR-TB treatment recommendations. With collaborators from multiple institutions, the fellow will support development of tools and guidance for optimizing the confidence and evidence gleaned from observational studies of MDR-TB. Examples include adaptation of the STROBE checklist with a focus on quality for guideline development and guidance for minimizing loss of confidence in observational studies used for guidelines due to: limitations in study design or execution, imprecision, indirectness, inconsistency, and publication bias. (30% effort)

The successful applicant will be expected to participate as lead author on publications arising from this work and to communicate findings in oral presentations at national and international conferences.  We are seeking candidates willing to commit to at least 2 years of work on this project.

Qualifications and Skills

  • Doctoral degree holders (or 2020 degree candidates) in Epidemiology, Biostatistics or related field.
  • Experience applying advanced epi methods, including: marginal structural models, g-formula and simulation studies.
  • Advanced programming skills in a statistical package such as SAS, Stata, or R.
  • Strong writing skills.
  • Ability to work collaboratively.
  • Interested in global health.
  • Experience in any of the following areas is desirable: guideline development, application of GRADE methodology, meta-analysis, pharmacoepidemiology.

Additional Information 

  • Click here to learn more about the position
  • Click here for more information about the department. 

Application Instructions

Email the following items in one PDF with the surname as the first word of the PDF file:

  1. Cover letter stating long-term career aims, interest in the project, and suitability for the position, specifically referring to the criteria listed above
  2. Curriculum vitae
  3. Two or three relevant publications or manuscripts
  4. Contact information for three to five potential references. 

Applications should be emailed to: rebecca_grow [at] hms [dot] harvard [dot] edu

 


Senior Health Economist / Epidemiologist, Booze Allen

Category : Alumni

Position Description:

Drive transformational analytical change in a healthcare setting as a subject matter expert working within a DoD. Focus on leveraging technical expertise in support of their client, leading to data-driven decision making and improving the health of a large population of people. Apply data analysis expertise and translate complex ideas into actionable recommendations and support senior leadership of the agency by providing customized and comprehensive data sets. Provide clients with the critical insight that they need to improve the lives of those they serve. This position is located in San Antonio, TX.

Basic Qualifications:

  • 5+ years of experience with basic SQL for data manipulation or SAS Institute’s statistical analysis software packages
  • 1+ years of experience with software management and data retrieval
  • Experience in public health, epidemiology, population health, or developing and deploying clinical performance metrics in a health setting
  • Experience with working in a direct client-facing consulting role and building trust with clients
  • Experience with using data and predictive modeling to provide recommendations to clients in a healthcare setting
  • Knowledge of Tableau or Qlik
  • Ability to lead the development of briefings and technical reports for senior organizational leadership
  • Ability to obtain a security clearance
  • MA or MS degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a health research-related field or 5 years of experience in public and population health, data analytics, or informatics fellowship in lieu of degree

Additional Qualifications:

  • Experience in working with the DoD and Air Force clients
  • Experience with working in healthcare quality improvement
  • Ability to operate on shift work, evening, weekend schedules, and on-call hours to support mission

Additional Information:

Applicants selected will be subject to a security investigation and may need to meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

Apply: 

Click here to learn more about the position and apply online! 


COVID-19 Related APE Opportunities, RSPH

General Description:

The following positions are being offered as Applied Practice Experiences (APE) for current MPH students in the Rollins School of Public Health.  These positions will work in partnership with Emory faculty and key staff at the Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH) to enhance GDPH’s surveillance and response process to the current COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia.  There are seven projects or APE opportunities available.  Interested students are asked to review the general job responsibilities and project-specific descriptions outlined below and indicate in a cover letter which top two projects/APE opportunities interest them. After a student has been selected for an APE opportunity they will meet with the designated Emory faculty who will serve as the student’s APE Field Supervisor.  The student and Field Supervisor will meet to identify how the APE will meet MPH foundational and concentration competencies, discuss the project’s goals/objectives, and outline the specific deliverables that will be produced at the end of the APE.

General Job Responsibilities (Students will assist with some but not likely all of the following):

  1. Provide assistance with data collection, data cleaning and data quality assurance of data reported to the GDPH on COVID-related cases in Georgia
  2. Provide assistance with descriptive analyses, network analyses and the development of risk profiles for various demographics related to COVID-related infection
  3. Provide assistance in the development of public health reports/tools to assist GDPH with COVID-related risk mitigation and decision-making

Project Descriptions:

Project I: Geospatial

  1. Assist in geocoding process and develop central repository of geocoded information
  2. Establish spatial connections among cases (e.g., network analysis)
  3. Assist in the development of descriptive and predictive analyses, including the development of items/products for dissemination
  4. Assist in the ongoing development and maintenance of Facility Tool in SendSS

Project II: Persons Under Investigation

  1. Ensure data quality by:
    1. Identifying where pertinent data are missing (e.g., county, city, exposures, symptoms, outcomes); providing a standard file with documentation of which data points to modify and how, and; creating standard code to perform data quality checks
    2. Identifying where data are logically inconsistent and providing standard file with documentation of which data points to modify and how
    3. Providing weekly standardized analytic file following data quality checks
  2. Provide standardized means of characterizing the burden of COVID-19 in Georgia. Consider analyses conducted in other projects (Geospatial, Health Inequity, etc.)

Project III: Syndromic Surveillance

  1. Analyze textual information from syndromic surveillance data to identify potential COVID emergency department visits
  2. Analyze textual information on death certificates as a means of determining if they may be used as syndromic surveillance

Project IV: Health Inequities and Underlying Conditions

  1. Characterize health inequities specific to COVID in Georgia (e.g., health care access, health care coverage)
  2. Characterize burden of COVID among persons with known underlying conditions
  3. Assist in the development of risk profiles for differing demographics (e.g., care takers)
  4. Develop recommendations to mitigate impact of health inequity on COVID-19 transmission

Project V: Injury

  1. Describe injury-related outcomes (e.g., homicide, suicide, accidental firearm, overdoses) using available data sources
  2. Monitor motor vehicle crash burden
  3. Assist in the analyses of burden of injury among the elderly who are living at home
  4. Identify analyses to characterize the relationship between domestic violence and sheltering in place policies

Project VI: Social Media

  1. Develop method for surveilling COVID-19 using social media feeds
  2. Develop analyses and products to assist in using this analysis for the purpose of ongoing surveillance
  3. Perform retrospective analysis of social media

Project VII: Transmission Dynamics

  1. Ensure quality and completeness of data fields germane to disease transmission (e.g., exposures – household, institution, incarceration, travel), also subsequent data cleaning and curation.
  2. Estimate reproductive numbers at county-level and facility-level.
  3. Estimate serial interval based on contact tracing data and explore potential heterogeneity among different types of contacts (e.g. between different age groups and sex), potentially can be cross validated with third-party (e.g. facebook) social contact information.
  4. Conduct social distancing and disease transmission analyses to better understand relationships between: a) policies, b) social distancing and other “behaviors” (e.g., transportation), and c) disease transmission.

How to Apply: 

Submit a cover letter and resume to Laura Donnelly at ldonnel [at] emory [dot] edu

*Please note that in the cover letter you should specifically indicate which top two of the seven projects you would like to apply to as an APE.

Timeline: 

These APE positions will begin in May 2020.


Practicum Opportunity, Morningside Center

Practicum Goal:

For each type of cancer, find, evaluate and summarize existing clinical data (retrospective and small prospective studies) on supporting the use of off-label combinations of FDA approved non-cancer and cancer drugs. 

Background:

Cancer patients have co-morbid conditions like diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  Therefore, along with their cancer treatments (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, etc.) they are also taking drugs like metformin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBS), and statins.  Many observational studies (case-control and cohort) have investigated the associations of these non-cancer drugs with cancer outcomes (off-label use).  Evaluation of quality and statistical methods used in these studies will allow us to determine if a given drug is ready for prospective clinical trials.

Tasks:

  • For each type of cancer, search PUBMED and other databases for Human data on off-label use.
  • Review statistical methods used and determine quality of the paper.
  • Summarize papers using a pre-agreed format and considering both safety and efficacy (QOL, PFS, OS; RR), and any biomarker use.
  • Tabulate studies for different agents (Aspirin/NSAIDS, metformin, statins, etc.).
  • Summarize the reviewed literature in a form of a meta-analysis (if sufficient number of studies is available)

Organization Description:

The Morningside Center for Innovative and Affordable Medicine (Morningside Center): We are an interdisciplinary unit within the Woodruff Health Sciences Center at Emory University consisting of a core group of staff, and affiliated faculty from across Emory. Extending the vision of GlobalCures Inc., a non-profit medical research organization, the Morningside Center was created to promote research, education, and advocacy for effective and affordable medical treatments.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • MPH (1st or 2nd year) or PhD candidate

How to Apply: 

Send an email to Nika Fedirko vfedirk [at] emory [dot] edu and Krista Charen kharkre [at] emory [dot] edu by May 15th:

  • In the subject line indicate that you are applying for the summer position/practicum
  • Attach your CV and a writing example
  • Describe your level of proficiency with reviewing and summarizing epidemiologic literature

 

 

 


Data Intern, DBHDD

State of Opioid Response- Health Education and Program Development Intern

About DBHDD: 

Created by the Governor and General Assembly in 2009, the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) and its network of community providers offer treatment and support services to help people with behavioral health challenges achieve recovery by focusing on their strengths. Through uniquely tailored supports and services, we help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities attain independence and lead meaningful and fulfilling lives. Within DBHDD, the Office of Behavioral Health Prevention and Federal Grants (OBHPFG) is charged with providing prevention leadership, strategic planning, and services to improve the mental/emotional well-being of communities, families, and individuals in Georgia. OBHPFG works in substance abuse prevention, suicide prevention, and mental health promotion while being mindful of cultural and linguistic competency in all three areas. OBHPFG assists its providers in developing strategic plans specific to their communities to provide appropriate services to pre- vent substance abuse, prevent suicide, and promote public health. OBHPFG gathers data from its providers and analyzes their effectiveness in reducing the burden of substance abuse and suicide throughout Georgia. OBHPFG uses data from various sources to first develop the state’s priority issues and then to develop a statewide strategy to then assess progress made towards those priority issues.

 

Intern Description: 

The Data Intern will assist the OBHPFG Data Analyst in supporting the projects and ac- tivities of OBHPFG. OBHPFG manages and operates 22 prevention projects throughout the state of Georgia. The intern will become familiar with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) and understand how it is used to effectively plan and im- plement prevention work. Intern experience will include working closely with OBHPFG staff, particularly in the review of data products either for the public or in-office use. Intern may conduct literature reviews on specific data indicators within substance abuse prevention or suicide prevention. Intern will assist with developing and producing infographics and fact sheets for in-office use as well as office-sponsored public events. This will include translating data into consumable facts, effectively writing for a specified audience, and using the ba- sics of graphic design to create a visually appealing product. Intern will participate in and assist with planning the State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup.

 

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Student currently pursuing a master’s degree in Public Health or a related field who will have completed on year of coursework upon starting the internship
  • Ability to work at assigned office (2 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30303) as needed
  • Ability to effectively work from home, including participation in virtual meetings

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • Strong computer skills, particularly with Excel, PowerPoint, and Stata
  • Research experience (can include skills gained from completing coursework)
  • Working knowledge of prevention, health promotion, and health literacy

How to Apply and Additional Information:  


Summer 2020 Internship, Remedy Partners

General Application:

Remedy hires interns across our company including Analytics, Technology, Product, and Corporate departments. If you’re interested in healthcare but are unsure what you want to do, please submit an application here and we’re happy to work with you to find what’s best!

Our Mission:

Remedy Partners is an innovative healthcare services and technology company specializing in “bundled payment” programs. Bundled payments are an innovative new payment model that includes financial and performance accountability in episodes of care. Episode payment programs represent an important advance in the organization and financing of health care services in both the public and private sectors. 

The company’s mission is to dramatically improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery by developing and managing episodic payment programs in partnership with leading healthcare organizations.

We take our role seriously and constantly remind each other that every patient in Remedy’s program is someone’s mother, brother, father, sister, friend or other relative. Empathy for the challenges patients face after a hospitalization keeps us focused on the important role we can play. 

 
We are looking for candidates who have the following:
  • Interest in a career in the healthcare field
  • An ability to independently find solutions to a problem; organizational skills to breakdown a complex issue into a manageable action plan
  • Strong analytical and trouble-shooting skills
  • Ability to work cross-functionally and communicate with both technical and non-technical audiences
  • Strong listening skills to gather requirements and understand the technical and non-technical barriers to project completion
  • An interest in learning about healthcare data and technology and how it’s applied in a professional setting
  • Expected graduation date in 2021
Program Benefits
  • Paid internship
  • Potential opportunity for full-time position
  • Volunteer opportunities
  • Weekly Lunch & Learns with executive leadership

Apply

Click here to learn more about the position and apply on Handshake!

 

Biostatistical Analyst, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Category : Alumni

Description:

The Biostatistical Analyst manages, coordinates, and performs data- and programming-related activities for health services research studies examining the science of surgical care delivery. Functioning very independently and under the general direction of the Principal Investigator, performs complex statistical analyses of health services data often involving cleaning and merging of large administrative datasets. May identify, develop, and implement new computational techniques. In this position, the biostatistical analyst will: 

  1. Under general supervision of the Principal Investigator, applies, researches, and develops statistical models for analysis, inference, and prediction from a variety of large data bases.
  2. In collaboration with investigators and trainees, contributes to scientific literature, reports, journals and presentations.
  3. Assists in orientation and training of graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and other personnel as needed.
  4. Participate as a collaborator in the preparation and dissemination of research findings through presentation and publication in scientific journals.

Database administration responsibilities:

  1. Maintain data security and compliance in adherence to Partners Data and Research computing standards for DUAs, IRBs, Data Storage, etc.
  2. Addition database responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
  3. Acquire potential data sources and follow-on steps of cleaning, aggregating and importing data from a variety of sources
  4. Analyze data quality and recommendations for remediation of quality issues
  5. Manage reviews of all data includes data collected via surveys and other mechanisms
  6. Other duties as assigned
Qualifications: 
  • Masters degree in quantitative field such as statistics, biostatistics, or epidemiology. 
  • Strong academic credentials required. (MPH with concentration in epidemiology and biostatistics is acceptable with appropriate post-graduate experience.)
  •  This position is a good fit for someone with 0-2* years of research experience in analysis of complex health services-related datasets.
  • *Preference 2+ years of experience

Skills/Competencies Required: 

  • Strong theoretical statistical background and data analysis skills.
  • Substantial experience applying sophisticated statistical methods to analyze complex datasets.
  • Solid data analysis programming skills using STATA, SAS and/or R.
  • Excellent time management/organizational skills.
  • Excellent written and verbal presentation skills.
  • Ability to work well in a multidisciplinary team setting.
  • High degree of initiative and ability to persevere on challenging research problems.
  • Willingness to seek and accept guidance from senior personnel, as needed.

Apply: 

Click here to learn more about the position and apply online. 


Shepard Award Finalist Presentations, 5/8

Category : News/Events

Please join us for the Charles C. Shepard Award Finalist presentations on May 8th, 12-1:15PM EST.

Event Details 

Each student finalist has their own Zoom link and participants can enter and exit different sessions throughout the event. Feel free to listen and ask questions as you would in an in-person poster event. 

Click here to view a list of the finalists, their thesis topics, and individual Zoom links for presentations. 

 


Geospatial Epidemiologist, Perspecta

Category : Alumni

Team Description

The Health group provides solutions to help government healthcare agencies lower administrative costs, reduce fraud and abuse, and improve the quality of services for individuals. We also provide analytics that combine clinical knowledge with big data technology and techniques to transform petabytes of data into meaningful solutions for our customers.

Job Responsibilities

  • The Geospatial Epidemiologist will be required to provide task areas such as:
  • Geospatial science, analysis, technology and visualization (SATV) projects that focus on the use of GIS in public health
  • Analyze geospatial and temporal patterns and trends evident in public health data
  • GIS consulting, advice, and technical guidance within the context of projects
  • Provide expertise in application of geospatial concepts, methods, and tools to public health disciplines
  • Apply expert knowledge and experience with the ArcGIS suite of GIS products and extensions
  • Provide expertise, direction, consultation, and training on geospatial epidemiology concepts, methods, and techniques
  • Provide expert services in geocoding, visualization, and geospatial analyses of exposure information, health informatics, and risk factors that could affect exposure and health outcomes in epidemiological studies
  • Provide expertise for developing, refining, and implementing study plans and protocols supporting the examination of public health data from a geographic perspective
  • Provide expertise in the use of mobile technology, GPS, and drone devices to gather spatially referenced data and/or images supporting aspects of public health investigation and practice
  • Provide expertise for GIS application and general public health application development
  • Provide guidance and expertise on the integration and interoperability of GIS systems
  • Provide expert statistical and geostatistical support in applicable public health discipline
  • Provide GIS and general public health database design, development, administration, and data management expertise
  • Support data collection and visualization
  • Support public health content and publication development
  • Participate in oral and written communications, as needed, to interface with the diverse and multi-disciplinary program staff to obtain clarity in requirements and communicate complex GIS science and technology concepts to staff who collaborate with the program on various projects.

Qualifications

  • Requires 10 to 12 years with BS/BA or 8 to 10 years with MS/MA or 5 to 7 years with PhD
  • Experience in geospatial science, technology, and visualization, computer science, application development and data management, epidemiology, geospatial statistics, environmental science and modeling, and project coordination.
  • Ability to provide subject matter expertise, direction, consultation, and training on GIS-related concepts, methods, and techniques.
  • Experience supporting geospatial SATV projects that focus on the use of GIS in public health to protect populations from outbreaks, incidents, and hazards spanning the public health disciplines (environmental health, emergency preparedness/response, chronic disease, infectious disease, injury).
  • Expertise in the use of GIS science and technology as applied to collection, coding, analysis, and interpretation of scientific data contained within information systems and databases related to public health.
  • Experience with demographic analysis, network analysis, time-series analysis, cartography, web/desktop/mobile application development, database development, and other GIS-related fields. Ability to analyze geospatial and temporal patterns and trends evident in public health data.
  • Experience with the ArcGIS Suite of products (ESRI, Inc.), R, and other GIS analysis, GIS data manipulation, and map production tools.
  • Ability to explain technical concepts and applications to non-GIS project partners
  • Willingness to learn and adapt to rapidly evolving geospatial technologies
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills are a must
  • Experience supporting Public Health Agency is preferred

Education:

  • BS/BA in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Public Health, or related field.  Master of Public Health preferred.

Apply:

Click here to learn more about the position and apply online. 


Upcoming Events

  • Humphrey Fellows Noontime Seminar Series April 25, 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,…
  • Tips from the Other Side of the Peer-Review Process to Help Get Your Scientific Manuscript Published April 25, 2024 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Guest Lecture Event Type: Guest LectureSeries: Center for Faculty Development and ExcellenceSpeaker: Bruce G. Weniger, Adj Assoc Prof, RSPHContact Name: Carol ColaninnoContact Email: ccolani@emory.eduLink: https://forms.gle/uhaExcRPKar39LuC7Examples good and bad, templates, andanecdotes from journal-editor experience tolimit the burden and skepticism of busyreviewers who use conscious criteria andsubjective, often unconscious intuition to judgepublication worthiness using only yourmanuscript and revision cover…
  • 2024 Charles C. Shepard Award Symposium May 8, 2024 at 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm zoom.us… Online Location: https://zoom.us/j/96537866614The Charles C. Shepard Award is given to thegraduating masters student who is deemed bythe faculty to have prepared the most scholarlyresearch paper. Please join us to recognize andcelebrate this year’s finalists who will present aposter of their work.

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