Author Archives: Erica Schipper

Getting to Know You Series: Sessions 2-3

Category : News/Events

We are all excited to welcome you to the Department of Epidemiology and the Rollins School of Public Health in August. Until then, we are hosting a series of “Getting to Know You” sessions with the faculty and students who will be integral to your time at Rollins.

First up was an informal conversation with our Chair, Dr. Tim Lash, and Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Lauren Christiansen-Lindquist on Monday, July 18th from noon to 1:00 pm. Then, later the same week, you will have the opportunity to meet with your EPI 530 instructor,

Dr. Jodie Guest, and TA, Noah Mancuso on Thursday, July 21st from noon to 1:00 pm. The following week, your EPI 534 instructors, Dr. Vijaya Kancherla, and Nicole Luisi, along with your BIOS 500 instructor, Dr. Jose Binongo will hold a session on Tuesday, July 26th from noon to 1:00 pm. Finally, last – but certainly not least! – you will meet your EPI Reps, Erin LaFon and Ellisen Herndon on Thursday, August 4th from noon to 1:00 pm.

Session 2 – EPI 530

Jul 21, 2022, 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Meeting ID: 947 4502 3557

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAqc-yorDgvH9ORxqfcMYCNIUYjaqYEzNPg

Session 3 – EPI 534 & BIOS 500

Jul 26, 2022, 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Meeting ID: 943 0337 6399

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAud-qrqT0pE929BcusjbNCUMCbHU35a0CZ

 


Interactive Online Workshops, Region IV Public Health Training Center

Category : News/Events

Registration is now open for multiple 3-hour interactive online workshops this August. These workshops are offered through the Region IV Public Health Training Center, and are free for all to attend. You can find detailed information for each workshop and registration links here. 

August 4, 2022: Practical Evaluation for Public Health Practitioners (Interactive online workshop)

August 11, 2022: Human Resource Management for Public Health Leaders: Developing Your Organization’s Most Valuable Resource (Interactive online workshop)


August 18, 2022: Rethinking Conflict: Conflict Management for Public Health Professionals (Interactive online workshop)


August 25, 2022: Strengths-based Leadership: Creating Workplaces that Work (Interactive online workshop)


Fall 2022 Course Offering, NRSG 736: Quantitative Analysis of Clinical Research Data

Course Description:

This course focuses on practical application of statistics addressing clinical research questions. Analyzing data is the major emphasis of the course including examining if assumptions of the statistical analyses are being met and interpreting the findings. Course assignments and a final project focus on using statistical software and computing resources to analyze data sets from actual clinical research studies and literature with interpretation and assessment of conclusions.

Prerequisites: BIOS 500 and 501

Course Objective:

To build and expand upon the statistical theory and methods learned in BIOS 500 and 501 and improve the student’s statistical software experience and programming skills (course includes analysis using SAS, SPSS or R) to improve research scholarship and dissemination.

Planned Topics:

  • Computing Environment (SAS, SPSS, R, Other Supporting Software)
  • Getting data into and out of statistical software (import, export features)
  • Reproducible Research Principles (documentation, reporting, version control)
  • Initial data assessments: univariate and bivariate methods, parametric and non-parametric
  • Regression methods: linear, logistic and introduction to “generalized”
  • Analysis of (co)Variance: univariate and multivariate, ANOVA, ANCOVA, MANOVA, MANCOVA
  • Longitudinal analysis: repeated measures with introduction to multi-level models (MLM)
  • Assessment and testing of data & model assumptions (including missing data)
  • Brief introduction to Factor Analysis, Reliability, Discriminant Analysis, and SEM (structural equation modeling)

GS 12/13 Positions, CDC Division of Overdose Prevention, Epidemiology, and Surveillance Branch

Category : Alumni

There are a few open GS 12/13 positions in the CDC Division of Overdose Prevention, Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch that could be a good fit for MPH or PhD-level epidemiologists. 

As a Epidemiologist you will:

  • Identify and analyze public health issues and their impact on public policies or scientific studies or surveys
  • Provide scientific advice and technical assistance to various public, private, and/or nonprofit health and/or health-related agencies and organizations
  • Analyze study or project implementation procedures for improvement
  • Prepare comprehensive reports of national surveillance system analyses which include discussion of substantive health issues and research objectives; assessment of the adequacy and quality of data used in the analyses; and explanation of the methodologies, results, and relevance to health issues as they relate to the epidemiological problem under study
  • Participate in the syntheses of social science and epidemiologic data to be applied toward designing effective prevention programs and practice guidelines
  • Work with public health officials and other scientists inside and outside of the agency to ensure that valid research findings are disseminated, used, and applied to prevention programs
  • Disseminate results of research projects in a wide range of venues including publications, peer reviewed journals, summaries, manuscripts, and special reports
  • Present results to the scientific community at professional meetings and conferences
  • Perform other duties as assigned

For more information and the applications to these positions, please click here and here


Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System Epidemiologist, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Category : Alumni

The Department of Public Health (DPH) is seeking a dynamic and strategic individual to serve as the Epidemiologist for the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), a statewide, population-based surveillance system. The Epidemiologist performs complex work managing PRAMS and linked data, based on extensive knowledge of complex survey design and methodology, vital statistic data, analysis, linkage, and Maternal and Child Health. The incumbent would perform work that requires considerable independence and exercise of judgment in determining approaches and developing unique solutions. The incumbent will be responsible for investigating and managing surveillance of incidence and prevalence of pregnancy risks and infant outcomes through the Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition PRAMS data collection, analysis, interpretation, reporting and publication. The incumbent will provide supervision over, assign work to, and review the performance of an Epidemiologist II, a Research Analyst III, a Research Analyst II, and student interns. The incumbent will provide technical support to staff and identify resources for the professional development of the epidemiologists in the Office of Data Translation.

Qualifications:

  • Ability to prepare and use charts and diagrams.
    Ability to establish and maintain harmonious working relationships with others.
  • Ability to design analysis plans, collect and manage epidemiological data, conduct statistical analyses, and interpret findings.
  • Ability to analyze and determine the applicability of scientific data, to draw conclusions, and make appropriate recommendations.
  • Ability to use current knowledge of causes of disease to guide epidemiologic practice.
  • Ability to serve as a scientific consultant and expert at the state and national levels.
  • Ability to provide scientific, administrative, and/or programmatic leadership and direction.
    Ability to review the substance of written reports, analyses, and presentations for scientific accuracy and conformity with current organizational policies and priorities.
  • Extensive knowledge and experience with SAS and Microsoft Office Suite, maternal and child health, and grant application writing.
  • Working knowledge of SUDAAN software
 

To learn more and apply to this position, please click here


Epidemiologist, South Central Health District, GA

Category : Alumni

There is an opening district epidemiologist position in health district 5-1 (Bleckley, Dodge, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Pulaski, Telfair, Treutlen, Wheeler, and Wilcox Counties).

Job description: Under supervision, plans, develops, and conducts epidemiological investigations, surveillance and interventions limited in scope and/or complexity to determine the causes of diseases and implement methods of disease control. Collects, analyzes, and interprets statistical data and prepares epidemiologic reports.

Minimum qualifications: Master’s degree in public health or closely related field from an accredited college or university OR Bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited college or university AND two years of experience performing epidemiological work or work in a closely related field. Use of statistical analysis programs such as R, SPSS, Stata, or SAS is highly recommended.

To apply: Visit www.southcentralhealth.info to view job announcement and download State of Georgia application. Submit application to South Central Health District, Attn: HR Manager, 105 East Jackson Street, Dublin, GA 31021 or fax to 478/275-5120. Email: Karen [dot] Carter [at] dph [dot] ga [dot] gov


TA Positions Available, Center for the Study of Human Health

The Center for the Study of Human Health is seeking Teaching Assistants for the following courses this fall semester. Please contact Shondra Bell at shondra [dot] odom [at] emory [dot] edu with your resume to apply. 

 

HLTH 100 It’s Your Healthvaries by section| Lisa Dupree; Fatima Waseem, Sarah Wolber (3 TAs needed)

It is increasingly evident that individual involvement in personal health has profound benefits. This course provides students the opportunity to become involved in a personalized approach to health and well-being with strategic approaches for the implementation of a healthy lifestyle. 

 

HLTH 323-1 Nutrition for Exercise and Sport | Benardot, Dan (Mechanistic) (1 TA needed) : In-person Monday/Wednesday, 11:30am – 12:45pm 

Proper nutrition supports the physiological processes that make it possible for the body to respond and adapt to exercise. All individuals, from the occasional exerciser to the elite athlete, can benefit from optimal nutrition strategies to prepare for exercise, meet increased metabolic demands during exercise, and facilitate recovery following exercise. This course addresses the roles of nutrition in meeting exercise goals and achieving optimal performance and good health. Students will be introduced to the basic principles of exercise physiology and exercise training. We will explore the functional roles of macronutrients and micronutrients in the body, with emphasis on how they participate in exercise-associated processes. We will also examine dietary recommendations for individuals and athletes and discuss both conventional and contemporary fueling strategies for optimizing exercise training and athletic performance 

   

HLTH 385W Health Writing and Storytelling | McKenna, Maryn (1 TA needed)

CSHH senior fellow Maryn McKenna seeks a TA for her fall writing course. In this class, students learn the skills of popular writing and the norms of health and science journalism, and produce edited stories of varying lengths. It is intended that their stories be published during the semester on the CSHH news blog, Exploring Health. The TA serves as the blog’s assistant editor. Tasks may be: – Attend the class (3 hour block, Weds pm) – Keep track of when assignments have been submitted, edited, revised and become ready for publication – Assist students with finding rights-free images for blog entries – Supervise publication onto WordPress, subject to professor approval – Supervise compilation of health-news digests and cultural recommendations, for specific blog verticals – Perform first edits of student work (optional, depending on skills) – Conduct in-class discussion of materials (optional, depending on skills). This is an opportunity to work closely with an internationally known journalist and author. The TA is invited to write one piece for publication for Prof. McKenna’s edits and coaching, if desired. This opportunity is suitable for graduates interested in science communication or the public understanding of science, particularly students taking an MPH or an MA or PhD in English. Prior public writing or journalistic experience is desirable but not required.

 

 


National Maternal Health Innovation Symposium, Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center

Category : News/Events

The National Maternal Health Innovation Symposium is for everyone interested in improving maternal health outcomes, including public health professionals, health care providers and administrators, community groups, advocates, policymakers, researchers, and many others. Registration is currently open here, and the event is free for all attendees!

The deadline for registering to attend the Symposium in person is July 11th, 2022 and the virtual registration deadline is July 18th, 2022. A draft of the agenda for this event, along with additional event details can be found here. Please email Alice Pollard at alicepollard [at] unc [dot] edu for more information.


TA Positions, GH 515 / EPI 515

There are two Teaching Assistant positions available for GH 515 / EPI 515, Transforming Public Health Surveillance, this fall semester. 

Course: GH 515 / EPI 515 – Transforming Public Health Surveillance

ThF 1-2:20pm

Transforming Public Health Surveillance (TPHS) provides a review of the history, purposes, activities, uses, elements, data sources, models, analyses, actions, reports, evaluation, and ethical and legal issues of public health surveillance (PHS). It helps students understand the critical importance of the direct association between PHS and public health action, plus develop skills and competencies with the use of data-information-messages and the information and communication technologies that enable, enhance, and empower them. TPHS describes informatics approaches to enable and enhance data sharing, analytics, and visualization though interoperability that adapts to meet the challenges as PHS moves from analog to digital and demonstrates how PHS core functions (i.e., detection, registration, confirmation, analysis, feedback, communication, and response) will be enabled, enhanced, and empowered by these opportunities.

Instructor: Scott McNabb

Qualifications: Second year MPH/MSPH students may apply. The TA should have taken the course last year.

Duties: The TA is required to attend class sessions. The TA is responsible for helping to plan the schedule, coordinate materials for the course, respond to student questions, maintain aspects of the Canvas site, and assist with development and grading of homework problems, exams, and other assignments. 

Please submit your application via this link.

 


Health Services and Systems Research Fellowship, CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention

Category : Alumni

CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention is excited to share an opening for an ORISE fellow to work on Health Services and Systems Research. This is a full-time position for someone who already has a Master’s or PhD degree, or will be completing the degree by August 2022. 

There will be many opportunities for the ORISE fellow to analyze large data sets and write manuscripts. 

Experience working on studies that address health equity would be ideal but is not required. The highlights about the position are listed below.  The posting is available here.

Title: CDC Health Services and Systems Research Fellowship

Start Date: Flexible; August or Fall 2022

Application Deadline:August 16, 2022 (*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis).

Eligibility Requirements:Master’s Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 8/15/2022

Learning opportunities:

  • Learning to create, update, analyze and manage very large datasets
  • Training and conducting statistical analyses of heart disease and stroke burden and risk factors
  • Use electronic health record data for surveillance of cardiovascular disease-related health services, risk factors, and outcomes
  • Gaining experience writing manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed journals
  • Producing data visualizations and graphical abstracts
  • Conducting literature reviews
  • Presenting the results to internal and external audiences, including professional meetings and/or conferences
  • Other related activities as discussed with mentor that further the science base regarding using electronic health record data for surveillance, and advancing CDC’s research related to cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes.