Author Archives: Emma Butturini

GSK Fellowship, Task Force for Global Health

Job Description

The Task Force for Global Health is offering a fellowship opportunity to a graduate student from June – August 2020.
Fellows will have an opportunity to:

  • Work as part of an ongoing Task Force program/department
  • Become exposed to a pressing global health issue
  • Become familiar with working with coalitions and collaborative concepts
  • Work with a supervisor who is interested in mentoring

Program Background

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) virus cause 1.3 million deaths per year and over two million new infections occur annually. Because hepatitis B vaccination, curative therapy for hepatitis C and other interventions can effectively prevent viral hepatitis transmission and mortality, the 2016 World Health Assembly endorsed goals for hepatitis elimination and preventing 7 million deaths by 2030. However, to eliminate hepatitis, access to effective interventions must improve. In 2019, to help countries build effective programs and accelerate progress toward hepatitis elimination, The Task Force for Global Health launched the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination (CGHE). CGHE, www.globalhep.org, builds capacity for hepatitis elimination globally through delivery of technical assistance, knowledge generation and dissemination, and advocacy among partners united in a community of practice.

Project

CGHE is looking for a Fellow to support data analysis, operational research and technical assistance activities of the Coalition. CGHE works closely with the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington to analyze and disseminate hepatitis burden of disease data. Coalition operational research projects look to answer gaps in the evidence about effective models for delivering hepatitis prevention, testing, and treatment interventions to affected populations. Currently, CGHE is conducting a review of national hepatitis action plans and coordinating an operational research study on retreatment options for persons living with HCV who fail first line treatment. CGHE is looking to launch additional operational research studies on simplified HBV treatment models of care in low-resource settings and HCV testing and treatment of people who inject drugs (PWID). Coalition technical assistance projects respond to the needs of national and sub-national hepatitis elimination programs in planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. CGHE technical assistance priorities are currently in supporting national programs in developing improved testing algorithms and strategies and assessing laboratory capacity for testing scale-up to reach elimination goals.

Activities and Opportunities

Under the supervision of the Director of CGHE, Dr. John Ward, and the Assistant Director of CGHE Ms. Lindsey Hiebert, the Fellow will support the advancement of the initiatives described above. Specific activities and roles for the Fellow will include:

  • Lead analyses of hepatitis burden of disease data from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation
  • Contribute to the design and implementation of systematic reviews on topics such as hepatitis C testing among PWID
  • Develop evidence summaries and toolkits for elimination programs, i.e. national plan template
  • Assist in implementation of technical assistance projects on hepatitis testing with Ministries of Health and community-based organizations
  • Conduct data collection and analysis for operational research projects on hepatitis prevention, testing, and treatment
  • Write blog posts, scientific manuscripts, or reports, as appropriate, to summarize outcomes and findings from activities
  • Draft social media and news content on Coalition project outcomes and results

The fellowship will provide a stipend of up to $2,500 paid bi-weekly at $14.25 per hour. The total hours worked will not exceed 230.

Application Requirements

Fellowship applicants should meet the following qualifications:

  • Currently enrolled as a graduate student in public health, international development, or health sciences
  • Completion of first year of graduate studies in high academic standing
  • Coursework in public health, global health, or health sciences
  • Outstanding oral and written communication, excellent facilitation, and presentation skills
  • Experience in data analysis (Excel, Stata, R, SPSS or SAS)
  • Global health field experience


How to Apply

  • A cover letter stating the applicant’s area of interest in public health that includes an overview or summary of related projects, experiences, or publications produced by the applicant (maximum one page)
  • Resume
  • Letter(s) of Recommendation from instructors or supervisors in related positions that details the performance of the individual
  • Completed application packages should be emailed to Ms. Hiebert (lhiebert [at] taskforce [dot] org) or hand delivered to the Task Force for Global Health office, or received via mail by the deadline: May 8, 2020.

Refer to the posting on Handshake to see more details about the position. 


EGHI Global Health Forum, 4/14

Category : GLEPI News/Events

Click here to register for this Global Health Forum on “Preserving Mental Health during the Global Coronavirus Pandemic,” on Zoom!

See attached flyer for more details. 


Respiratory Disease Surveillance Epidemiologist, Florida Department of Health

Category : Alumni

Position Description

The Bureau of Epidemiology, Florida Department of Health is seeking a full-time respiratory disease surveillance epidemiologist.

Position specific responsibilities include:

  • Serve as a subject matter expert on influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, coronavirus disease 2019, and other respiratory diseases of public health significance.
  • Produce the Florida Flu Review, Florida’s weekly report on influenza surveillance.
  • Manage, analyze, and summarize respiratory disease surveillance data from a variety of sources and systems, including syndromic surveillance data, mortality data, outbreak data, and laboratory data. Help to improve and implement changes in these systems.
  • Manage and report Florida’s data in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) respiratory disease surveillance systems, including ILINet, Secure Access Management Services, and National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System.
  • Respond to respiratory disease related inquiries from the media and public.
  • Assist county health department (CHD) epidemiologists with investigations of influenza-associated pediatric deaths and other respiratory disease case investigations. Coordinate laboratory testing and report data to CDC as needed.
  • Provide written and verbal guidance to CHD epidemiologists reporting respiratory disease outbreaks in Merlin, Florida’s reportable disease surveillance system. Review respiratory disease outbreak reports in Merlin, as requested by the Bureau of Epidemiology. 
  • Assist CHD epidemiologists with conducting respiratory disease surveillance in their counties, including reporting of activity levels to the state.
  • Conduct yearly trainings for CHD epidemiologists on influenza surveillance. Produce and distribute resource packets to CHDs to support county-level respiratory disease surveillance activities.
  • Manage the influenza sentinel provider program, including onboarding new providers, conducting trainings, assisting with data reporting, coordinating laboratory testing, and summarizing data for reports.
  • Communicate respiratory disease surveillance information at regular meetings with colleagues at CHDs and at the state office.
  • Coordinate grant-related activities, including ensuring all deliverables are met, submitting quarterly reports, and writing a yearly application.
  • Serve as a liaison between the Surveillance and Surveillance Systems Section, Infectious Disease Prevention and Investigation Section, and the Bureau of Public Health Laboratories.

Qualifications

  • Candidate must have excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • The successful candidate will have strong data analysis and data visualization skills and a firm understanding of public health surveillance, syndromic surveillance and surveillance system evaluation methodologies.
  • The candidate should have experience with analysis software such as SAS, SQL, Access, R, and/or other analytical tools.
  • The candidate should have an MPH, MSPH, MS, or equivalent degree in epidemiology or a health-related field.
  • The candidate must be able to legally work in the United States without assistance from the organization.

Organization Description

This position is in the Bureau of Epidemiology, Florida Department of Health, State Health Office in Tallahassee, Florida. The position is part of the Surveillance and Surveillance Systems Section of the Bureau of Epidemiology. The Bureau of Epidemiology leads the Department of Health’s efforts to prevent infectious and chronic diseases through surveillance, case and outbreak investigation, training and information dissemination.

Florida Department of Health Mission: To protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

How to Apply

Qualified candidates should submit 2 items to katie [dot] kendrick [at] flhealth [dot] gov:

  • 1) CV and 2) cover letter indicating specific interest in this position.

Social Media Associate, Department of Epidemiology

Description

The Department of Epidemiology is seeking two students to manage the Department’s Twitter and Instagram accounts, respectively. Strong candidates would have prior experience managing an organizational social media account (audience analysis, content and brand development, follower and engagement growth) and be comfortable with the task of building the brand of the department in their own voice and with their own style while still representing core values of the department.

The Department’s social media accounts (Twitter: @EmoryEPI, Instagram: @rollinsepilife) represent the voice and brand of the department. Key characteristics of the overall brand include:

  • Community
  •  Collegiality
  • Academic rigor
  • Integrity
  • Ambition

Twitter

@EmoryEPI is a platform for sharing events, news, student and faculty spotlights, and generally academic-focused content associated with the department.

With the growth of #epitwitter over the last 24 months, several faculty in the Department of Epidemiology have become influencers on Twitter (especially, @TimothyLash, @cecilejanssens, and @LCLindquist, and several others). Furthermore, influencers outside of Rollins have been major drivers of the #epitwitter audience and are primary interest as targets for engagement. Over the past year, our brand has grown substantially within the #epitwitter community (with nearly 1,000 gained followers in the past 9 months), representing a growing sphere of influence.

A successful student would drive conversation on Twitter by engaging with current department influencers, sharing stories and publications related to current students and faculty, developing and sharing Confounder content related to our community (weekly #IamEmoryEpi and #PROspective posts), and further developing the brand and voice of the department within the context of #epitwitter. Managing the Department Twitter account requires a daily commitment, as you will receive notifications of tweets and tags on a daily basis. Applicants should be prepared to keep their Twitter notifications on and must be willing to take on a daily commitment in order to fully maximize the Department’s presence on Twitter.

Instagram 

@rollinsepilife is a platform for showing the Master and PhD student experience through visual and digitally designed content.

Content Creation:
The social media associate will be asked to develop a wide variety of content, including photos, videos, and digital media. This responsibility may require the following:

  • Taking photos and videos for the profile’s content
  • Attending department events to collect content
  • Create posters/graphics for events and announcements (Canva and/or Adobe Suite)
  • Engage with peers and faculty
  • Follow Instagram trends and use them in our feed
  • Engage with followers
  • Account Takeovers

Showing Rollins:
A successful associate would curate an Instagram feed showing students engaging in Rollins activities, academic pursuits, APEs, public health employment, volunteering, and at internships. Specifically, an ideal applicant would be comfortable recruiting and collaborating with students, professors, etc. to develop content – a task that requires confidence and composure speaking and working with stakeholders throughout Rollins.

Follower Engagement:
Instagram, as a platform, is about promoting the idea of community and collegiality within the department, with the ultimate goal of recruiting a more engaged and activated pool of prospective applicants. A successful associate would engage followers by using various platform-specific techniques (swipe-up feature, stickers, polling, etc.) to encourage a sense of community and inclusivity.

Position and Application Details 

  • Date(s): May 1, 2020 through May 1, 2021
  • Anticipated Hours: 6-8/week; semi-regular postings so not multi-hour blocks, for example.
  • Hourly Rate: $13.50
  • Apply by: April 14th, interviews via Zoom April 15th and 16th.
  • Application: Email Duncan Mahood  (duncan [dot] mahood [at] emory [dot] edu) with your resume and a brief description of your experience with social media.

Epidemiologist I, Maryland Department of Health

Category : Alumni

Description 

The mission of the Maryland Department of Health (MDH)’s Prevention and Health Promotion Administration (PHPA) is to protect, promote and improve the health and well-being of all Marylanders and their families through provision of public health leadership and community-based public health efforts, in partnership with local health departments, providers, community-based organizations, and public and private sector agencies, with special attention to at-risk and vulnerable populations. The Center for HIV Surveillance, Epidemiology and Evaluation (CHSEE) is in the Infectious Disease Prevention and Health Services Bureau (IDPHSB) of PHPA. CHSEE seeks to collect the information necessary to describe the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Maryland; to evaluate and improve the quality of the information-collecting activities; to analyze and report this information to policymakers, as well as the community, for HIV planning; and, to evaluate the effectiveness of prevention and services programs which target the HIV/AIDS epidemic. 

This position will manage and coordinate all stages of Maryland’s HIV and AIDS epidemiological analysis and reporting system. This position will also be responsible for analyzing statewide data to describe trends of HIV infection, AIDS diagnoses, and HIV perinatal exposures across the State of Maryland. Additionally, this position will generate reports and statistics, as well as evaluate changes in HIV prevention and health services outcomes. Based on analyses of surveillance data, this position will recommend programmatic changes, in order to enhance the effectiveness of various HIV programs across Maryland. 

This position will use HIV surveillance data to identify people with disease(s) who require intervention and/or services, in order to provide linkage and medical services in conjunction with local health departments, under the direction of the State Epidemiologist (Physician). Finally, this position will participate in statewide infectious disease outbreak investigations and response activities. This position will report to the Epidemiology and Services Evaluation Deputy Chief of Center for HIV Surveillance, Epidemiology and Evaluation.

Minimum Qualifications 

Education:  A Master’s degree in the field of Public Health from an accredited college or university, with a minimum of three graduate courses in Epidemiology and one graduate course in Biostatistics.

Experience: None.

Desired Qualifications 

The desired candidate should have experience with data management, quality assurance, data analysis, report writing, and data presentations. He/she should also have professional experience involving HIV, including the analysis and interpretation of HIV epidemiological data, with the usage of SAS software.

Apply

  • Click here to learn more about the position details and apply online 
 

EPI COVID-19 Journal Club Meeting, 4/16

Category : News/Events

Please join the COVID-19 journal club for its next meeting on Thursday, April 16th at 12pm!

See the flyer below for more information. 

How to join:

  1. Click here to reach the listserv sign up page 
  2. Click the subscribe button and follow the sign up instructions 
  3. Or, email one of the group leaders listed on the flyer to be added to the listserv

 


Data Analyst, HealthMPowers

Description:

The Data Analyst will manage the collection, analysis, reporting and storage of data from a variety of platforms and sources.

Duties and Responsibilities: 

  • Assist sectors in program evaluation and reporting guided by SNAP-Ed Guidance, SNAP-Ed Framework and state program reports
  • Prepare unduplicated direct nutrition education counts and participating qualifying site location reports for SNAP-Ed monthly, quarterly and annual reports.
  • Prepare monthly, quarterly SNAP-Ed reports
  • Assist with the development of the SNAP-Ed annual report and EARS report
  • Oversee data cleaning, coupling, analyses and complex survey analysis using appropriate software data resources (e.g. RStudio, SAS, Qualtrics, SPSS, REDCap, DataFax, MAXQDA)
  • Prepare data visualizations as requested
  •  Review and ensure accuracy of SNAP-Ed sector reports by external evaluators, provide suggestions for improvement and develop summary reports
  • Manage data to provide information for program decision making and prioritize evaluation and data information needs
  • Interpret data, analyze results and provide ongoing reports to sector leaders.
  • Assist in streamlining data collection tools and processes using technology
  • Develop databases and implement data collection systems, data analytics and other strategies that optimize statistical efficiency and quality for quantitative and qualitative data collection
  • Acquire data from primary or secondary data sources as needed and maintain databases/data systems.
  • Identify, analyze, and interpret trends or patterns in complex data sets.
  • Locate and define new data process improvement opportunities.
  • Provide professional development for HealthMPowers leadership and staff on program evaluation and appropriate data strategies.
  • Maintain resource usage database and provide monthly reports to sector leadership
  • Ensure accurate collection and reporting of site use of program resources.
  • Collect, summarize and file staff program delivery documentation
  • Oversee the implementation of any new data software (e.g. PEARS)

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree in Public Health preferred
  • Minimum of 2 years experience in technical data analysis
  • Experience with statistical packages like SAS, SPSS, RStudio required
  • Advanced MS Excel proficiency
  • Passionate about data and analyzing business needs

Competencies:

  • Ability to synthesize information
  • Ability to analyze data using a variety of sources and databases
  • A commitment to producing high quality and detailed work
  • Ability to learn quickly, work in a fast-paced environment and multi-task effectively
  • Ability to identify challenges and actively work to find solutions
  • Ability to translate data in communication and written reports
    Ability to work well independently while collaborating with others to meet common goals and evaluation metrics
  • Flexibility and comfort with ambiguity

Apply

 


Student Volunteers for COVID-19 Study in Jails, RSPH

Opportunity Description 

Dr. Anne Spaulding of the Epidemiology department is seeking students who can assist with contacting jails in the state for information on cases of COVID. They anticipate few jails have made definitive diagnoses and many might not have the bandwidth to pursue testing. Their first need is for a large group of students to help with phone calls to the jails.

We can share the protocol of our project with anyone interested. It meets criteria for non-human subjects research. We have discussed the project with GA Department of Public Health. For students who become interested in this project, their participation may lead to an APE in the coming months.

Information for interested students 


Epidemiologist I, Maryland Department of Health

Category : Alumni

Position Overview 

This full time contractual position supports the Behavioral Health Administration’s (BHA) Office of Opioid Response Coordination’s (ORC) ability to design, conduct, analyze and disseminate epidemiological studies related to the opioid addiction and overdose epidemic in Maryland. The position specifically supports implementation of the annual study and report required by State Law (Chapter 211, 2018) on opioid overdose risk factors and the State’s efforts to reduce and prevent overdose deaths. The position will work with data, policy and program staff from state agencies and external contractors to assist the linkage of multiple datasets, design studies, conduct statistical analyses, prepare reports and assist with presentations, briefings and other approaches to disseminating findings.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Education: A Master’s degree in the field of Public Health from an accredited college or university with a minimum of three graduate courses in Epidemiology and one graduate course in Biostatistics.
  • Experience: None.
  • Note: Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in Health Care Science classifications or Clinical Lab, Medical Scientists, or Bio Medical Lab Officer specialty codes in the health research field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required education.

Desired Qualifications

The desired candidate should possess experience in the following: 

  • Experience or education in the field of behavioral health (i.e. mental health and/or substance use disorders)
  • Demonstrated ability to conduct quantitative data analysis using statistical software packages (e.g. SAS, SPSS or R)
  • Knowledge of information systems that support the management and analysis of large datasets

Apply

  • Click here to learn more about the position details and to apply!
  • Application deadline: 4/13/20 at 11:59PM

 


CoCites: New Online Literature Search Tool Launched by Dr. Cecile Janssens

Category : News/Events

Why Use CoCites?

A major challenge in writing theses we see over and over again is that students struggle to find relevant literature. This no surprise as finding literature requires quite some expertise in how to use keywords and how to select the right keywords. CoCites takes that burden away.

 

How is CoCites Different from Other Search Tools?

Many search engines start with entering some keywords to find at least one article that is exactly what you are looking for. Rather than trying alternative keywords to find more articles, you can click on the co-citation plug-in and find those articles in one click.

CoCites starts from articles, not keywords, and finds articles on the same specific topic. It finds and ranks articles that are cited together with the ‘query’ article. It’s based on a simple principle: when many authors (experts) cite two articles together, it’s more likely that the articles are on a similar topic. This is already an old principle and also used in the search algorithm of Google. CoCites uses the principle in a different way, which creates an informative ranking of related articles. 

 

Testimonial by The Confounder’s Managing Editor, Duncan Mahood, MPH

For a long time I struggled to understand why a company like Google, whose main product was a search algorithm, became such a dominant player in the technology revolution (and now the global economy). How could there be so much economic value in a search algorithm, even a good one? The answer becomes clear when you have the opportunity to compare one tool to another. This experience happened recently for me when I first tried CoCites, the new article search tool from Dr. Cecile Janssens. I had recently been working on a literature review in which our PubMed search terms returned hundreds of articles, of which only about 10%(!) were relevant. We had to sift through a LOT of noise before we could identify the articles we really needed. It was an extremely inefficient process. However, when I used CoCites, all of the top articles returned were directly relevant to our topic of study. Not 10%, not most, ALL of them. Like Google’s algorithm, a revolutionary step forward in search efficiency can have a monumental impact on the way we perform research. The value became obvious to me immediately. In epidemiology, better, more thorough background research translates to lives saved.

If you are working on your thesis or any background research on a public health topic, I would encourage you to download the plugin and try it for yourself!

 

How to Download CoCites on Your Computer

  1. Open up a new window in Google Chrome or Firefox
  2. Click here to go the CoCites Website 
  3. Click the “Download” button to install the free plug-in 
  4. Start your search!

 

Check out @cecilejanssens  and @CoCites on Twitter to see more #epitwitter reactions to this great new tool!

https://twitter.com/lucasmorin_eolc/status/1244620283752976390?s=20

Upcoming Events

  • EGDRC Seminar: Lynn Aboue-Jaoudé January 14, 2025 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Seminar Series; tinyurl.com… Online Location: https://tinyurl.com/Lynn-Abou-JaoudeEvent Type: Seminar SeriesSeries: Health System Users in Vulnerable Situations: Normative Experiences and “New Ways of Life”Speaker: Lynn Abou-JaoudéContact Name: Wendy GillContact Email: wggill@emory.eduLink: https://tinyurl.com/Lynn-Abou-JaoudeDr. Lynn Abou-Jaoudé studies sociocultural challenges in healthcare experiences, focusing on qualitative research and diabetes prevention at the University of Lille’s LUMEN lab.
  • GCDTR Seminar: Erin Ferranti, PhD, MPH, RN January 21, 2025 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Seminar Series; tinyurl.com… Online Location: https://tinyurl.com/ErinFerrantiEvent Type: Seminar SeriesSeries: Cardiometabolic Risk and Resource Connection in Maternal HealthSpeaker: Erin Ferranti, PhD, MPH, RNContact Name: Wendy GillContact Email: wggill@emory.eduRoom Location: RRR_R809Link: https://tinyurl.com/ErinFerrantiDr. Erin Ferranti, Emory Assistant Professor, researches women’s cardiometabolic disease prevention, health inequities, maternal morbidity, farmworker health, diabetes, and hypertension using biomarkers for early risk identification.

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