Postdoctoral Fellowship in Disease Systems Modeling, CDC

Description 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the 2-year Steven M. Teutsch Prevention Effectiveness Fellowship in 1995 to address an ongoing demand in public health for rigorous quantitative analysis through the recruitment, internal placement, and professional development of quantitative researchers.  Disease modeling is of increasing interest among CDC leadership.  Mathematical or computational models can allow researchers to study problems not easily examined in real life.  Through the use of models, researchers can examine the impact of a disease or intervention within a specific population.  They can then adjust the agent, population, or intervention (such as social distancing, vaccine, or quarantine) variables to test theories about relevant public health policy. 

The PE Fellowship is recruiting five positions specifically for modeling assignments within various programs at CDC. Applicants must have a doctoral degree in operations research, industrial engineering, mathematics, statistics, or other applied science field. Assignments focus on work related to the following types of modeling; disease transmission models, individual, compartmental, and agent-based models, spatial models, simulation and system dynamics modeling, and econometric models.  Training will be provided in; decision analysis, disease transmission modeling, advanced econometrics, machine learning and big data analysis, data visualization, and key software applications such as R, Netlogo, Python, TreeAge, etc. 

All doctoral degree requirements must be completed by 7/23/2021. The starting annual salary is approximately $86,000 plus Federal benefits and student loan repayment. The fellowship begins on 8/16/2021 (this date is flexible) with an intensive orientation and training program. CDC will sponsor suitable visas for non-US citizen candidates. 

Learn More about the Fellowship 

The MIDAS Coordination Center is planning a Zoom meeting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff, to learn more about this fellowship opportunity. on Tuesday, December 1, 2:00 – 3:00pm Eastern Time (US). Registration details to follow soon.

Application Information 

• The application period is September 21, 2020 to January 22, 2021
• Interested individuals should apply now at www.cdc.gov/pef or send an email of inquiry to Dr. Adam Skelton: PEF [at] cdc [dot] gov 

Biostatistician, Hospital for Special Surgery

Position Summary

The HSS Biostatistics Core provides comprehensive methodologic and analytic support to clinical and basic scientists at the Hospital for Special Surgery in the area of musculoskeletal research. Under the direct supervision of the Core Director, the candidate will provide study design and statistical analysis support to their assigned service/s. Our Surgical Services are engaged in high quality clinical research and are in need of study design and statistical support for their priority research projects. 

 Essential Tasks/Responsibilities:

• Provide statistical expertise in analyzing data for clinical or basic science research initiatives at the hospital as assigned through the Biostatistics Core.
• Review proposed HSS studies for soundness of study design and statistical methodology.
• Contribute written sections for IRB applications, grant applications, and manuscripts for assigned projects.
• Perform intermediate to expert level statistical queries, analyses, and evaluation.
• Interact with other members of the Core and, when necessary, hospital scientists and clinicians involved in the assigned research projects.
• Stay informed of statistical techniques as applied to musculoskeletal research issues by reading journals and/or attending courses/programming meetings.
• Develop collaborative relationship with hospital researchers.
• Peer review and suggest changes or improvements to existing analytic code (SAS, SPSS syntax, or R), analytical and study methods, and reports for validity and limitations, as performed by other members of the Core.
• Build and improve on Macros to make data processing and presentation more efficient.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements:

• Master’s degree or higher in biostatistics, statistics or clinical epidemiology
• At least 1 year of work experience and/or research experience in a clinical setting is required
• The candidate should have the ability to interpret technical medical data and generate sound recommendations to support clinical research efforts.
• Experience in musculoskeletal research preferred.
• The successful candidate should possess good organization skills, time management skills, and the ability to manage several concurrent tasks.
• Complete proficiency in Microsoft Office and a statistical software package is mandatory. SAS is the preferred statistical package within the HSS Biostatistics Core, but experts in other statistical packages are also encouraged to apply.
• Candidate should have knowledge of appropriate statistical analysis for clinical research studies.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills are paramount due to the large number of professional interactions that will be required for this position.
• Experience working with physicians is preferred.

How to Apply 

Click here to read more about this position and apply online! 

Postdoctoral Research Position in Computational Biology & Environmental Health, Harvard University

Position Description

The Haber Lab in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has an opening for a highly motivated Postdoc. Projects involve developing and applying computational and statistical approaches to investigate the effect of environmental exposures on the lungs and effects on the pathogenesis and exacerbation of asthma. The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary team spanning several institutions, including the Chan School at Harvard, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

We seek an enthusiastic post-doctoral researcher to develop novel computational approaches for analysis of asthma at either the molecular level using computational and systems biology approaches to analysis of single-cell RNA-sequencing data, or at the epidemiological level, using geospatial analysis of city-wide datasets.

At the molecular level, projects in the lab examine the cellular and molecular effects of environmental exposures on the airways, and focus on analysis of high-dimensional ‘omics data (particularly single-cell RNA sequencing) from clinical samples and mouse models of airway injury, inflammation and regeneration. The successful candidate will also collaborate closely with clinical pulmonologists and immunologists to study molecular mechanisms underlying both airway tissue homeostasis and asthma pathogenesis.

At the epidemiological level, projects examine increased risk that neighborhoods and individual housing units contribute to asthma burden in Boston and elsewhere. This line of research in the lab seeks to isolate factors, such as poor housing conditions, in the social, physical, and built environment that contribute to racial and socioeconomic disparities in rates of asthma.

Basic Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent in computational biology, computer science, epidemiology, statistics, mathematics, or other quantitative field.
• Candidates holding a degree in biological/medical science are also welcome to apply if they have extensive background in computational or statistical work.

Additional Qualifications

• Applicants must have substantial experience with statistical or epidemiologic data analysis. Preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated research interests in areas currently under investigation (e.g. asthma, COPD, lung biology, mucosal immunology) in the research group.
• Experience and/or training in geospatial analysis, Bayesian disease mapping and other methods, spatial epidemiology
• Strong quantitative analysis skills and experience developing algorithms and/or conducting statistical analyses with large datasets, particularly genome-wide assays such as RNA-seq
• Knowledge of lung biology, mucosal immunology, biology of allergy, impact of environmental conditions, particularly poor-quality housing on respiratory health
• Track record of, or strong potential for, independent funding

How to Apply 

Click here to read more about this position and apply online! 

Lead Research Data Analyst, University of Maryland-Baltimore

Description

The University of Maryland School of Social Work is currently seeking a Lead Research Analyst for the Promise Heights program. This position is responsible for the coordination, analysis and reporting of Promise Heights Promise Neighborhood data. This includes data input by all Promise Heights staff and community partners. The position will assist with developing ProMIS database platform and will create analytical papers on process, outcomes, and evaluation. The Lead Research Analyst will work under the supervision of the Assistant Director.

The Promise Neighborhood program is a U.S. Department of Education initiative focused on breaking the cycle of inter-generational poverty by significantly improving the educational and developmental outcomes and overall life prospects of children and youth in our most distressed communities. The core idea behind the initiative is to provide both effective schools and strong systems of support to children, youth and their families in poverty and thus meeting their health, social services, and educational needs. The University of Maryland School of Social Work is the lead agency for the Promise Heights Promise Neighborhood in the Upton/Druid Heights neighborhood in West Baltimore. Promise Heights is charged with working with community-based organizations, schools, faith-based institutions, and others to build a pipeline of wraparound services to ensure pathways out of poverty for youth and their families.

This Exempt, Regular position offers a generous benefits package that includes 22 vacation days, 14 floating and holidays, 15 sick days; comprehensive health insurance and retirement options; and tuition remission for employees and their dependents at any of the University System of Maryland schools.

Essential Functions

• Responsible for providing subject matter expertise and direction in research designs and management of quantitative and qualitative data. The work primarily consists of leading analysis on data in response to research studies, and presenting the results of those analyses to internal and external stakeholders. The Lead Research Analyst independently develops and oversees research initiatives; exercises leadership in data management and analysis, and is seen as an expert in research analysis.
• Participate in meetings with school-based staff at Promise Heights schools in order to develop collaborative solutions to progress on community-based indicators. Uses subject matter and technical expertise to identify and define research questions and data elements, and integrates them into research design. Leads the planning stages of research and introduces new statistical methodologies and research designs.
• Participate in workshops, training, seminars, and conferences in order to stay informed on evidence-based methodologies and interventions to address structural inequalities that affect the Promise Heights community.
• Develop, recommend, modify, and implement policies and procedures and/or methods for research. Leads the development and formulates best practices and protocols in data collection, data quality, warehousing, analysis, and reporting including developing special forms and/or formats for analyzing and presenting data.
• Independently cleans, validates, and analyzes research data in order to prepare research findings for publications of journal articles and grant proposals. Searches relevant literature, develops conclusions, writes reports, prepare and deliver presentations of relevant findings and conclusions, and recommends appropriate actions. Connects findings to Promise Heights goals and strategies in order to improve programmatic outcomes. Reviews analysis and reports of less experience members of the research team.
• Work with Assistant Director & Lead Developer to manage and design longitudinal case management data system (ProMIS) for Promise Heights staff and train Promise Heights staff, interns, and PromiseCorps in using this system.
• Create monthly evaluation reports for school-based partners using a
• Results-Based Accountability framework to ensure programs are producing desired results and impact. Share results with Promise Heights staff, school-based administration, community members, and federal funders.
• Analyze student-level data for all 5 Promise Heights schools to assess progress on community-based indicators including academic growth, social-emotional learning, and school wide attendance rates. Use data to inform decision-making, budgeting and creating strategies to improve student results.
• May supervise/mentor others.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
  
  

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, Economics, Public Policy, Public Administration, Information Management, Social Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Health Science, or in a field of study related to the research.
• Preferred Education: Master’s degree in Epidemiology, Sociology, Public Policy, Public Administration, or field of study related to research preferred.
• Experience: Three (3) years of related experience in a research environment including two (2) years in the relevant research specialization.
• Other: May consider a combination of directly related experience and education.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of position requirements. Knowledge of all applicable requirements, regulations, and laws.
• Skill in effective use of applicable technology/systems.
• Ability to effectively communicate both verbal and written thoughts, ideas, and facts.
• Ability to work cooperatively with others and independently.
• Detail oriented with the ability to multi-task, work both independently and as part of a team in a dynamic, fast-paced work environment.

How to Apply 

Click here to read more about this position and apply online! 

Study Manager, Westat

Job Summary

Westat is seeking an individual to participate in nationally significant epidemiologic studies working with government scientists from CDC, NIH and other agencies in human health research. This individual will assist in managing the day-to-day activities of ongoing research involving protocol development, liaising with clinical study sites, and the collection, processing, and analysis of health data, including biospecimens.

Job Responsibilities

• Working with study collaborators and project staff to develop and implement study protocols including preparing data collection forms, procedural manuals, and monitoring reports.
• Maintaining study documents, hosting meetings with study collaborators and project staff, responsible for project-related day-to-day study communications.
• Developing requirements for data and specimen management systems; overseeing data and biospecimen collection including working with programmers to develop requirements for QA/QC reports and reviewing generated reports.
• Identifying and evaluating clinical study sites, analysis laboratories and biospecimen repositories and receiving and analyzing associated health data.

Basic Qualifications

• A master’s degree in public health or a related field and 3 years of experience is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with multi-site clinical epidemiologic studies and data management preferred.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, administrative abilities, and the capability to handle multiple tasks while working in a team setting are essential.

How to Apply 

Click here to read more about this position and apply online! 

Infection Prevention Analyst, University of Michigan

Job Summary

Infection Prevention & Epidemiology is seeking a highly skilled Clinical Information Analyst (CIA) to provide departmental support for data collection, projects, and practice monitoring.  The Infection Prevention CIA is a specialized position that is vital to completing Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI) surveillance and data reporting by the institutional deadlines. The CIA role is specifically responsible for validating, managing, and distributing institutional infection prevention data. This position is an entry level development opportunity for new/recent MPH grads with propensity for Infection Prevention.

Mission Statement

Michigan Medicine improves the health of patients, populations and communities through excellence in education, patient care, community service, research and technology development, and through leadership activities in Michigan, nationally and internationally.  Our mission is guided by our Strategic Principles and has three critical components; patient care, education and research that together enhance our contribution to society.

Responsibilities

• Perform contact tracing including but not limited to chart review, contacting workforce members to assess risk, and communicating to exposed workforce members and leadership.
• Collect, assess, review and analyze surveillance data.
• Maintain records of reviews.
• Maintain and update databases.
• Perform various audits of infection control practices and compile results.
• Assist with special projects.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a health related field. MPH preferred.
• Knowledge or experience in the delivery of patient care needed to perform the duties of the position.
• Ability to prioritize work assignments.
• Organize time effectively.
• Work independently as well as a member of a team.
• Report generating skills

Desired Qualifications

• Experienced in data analysis and/or statistical analysis preferred.

How to Apply

A cover letter and resume are required for consideration for this position. The cover letter should be included as a page of your resume and specifically address your interest in the position and outline particular skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

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

Epidemiology Supervisor, Rutgers University

Description 

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey is seeking an Epidemiologist Supervisor for the Biostatistics and Epidemiology Department (Vaccine Preventable Disease Program) within the School of Public Health.

The Epidemiologist Supervisor will work with the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) Communicable Disease Service (CDS) to lead the assigned Epidemiology Program(s) and ensure that the highest quality of surveillance and epidemiologic support services are provided to local health departments, health care facilities, and other public health partners throughout New Jersey.

Duties and Responsibilities

Among the key duties of this position are the following:

• Oversees daily operations of the assigned program in the Communicable Disease Service.
• Establishes and monitors programmatic goals, assesses program performance and implements changes to ensure the provision of high quality epidemiology services throughout New Jersey.
• Attends regional and other stakeholder meetings as needed, developing collaborative relationships with public health partners.
• Prepares responses to inquiries pertaining to designated communicable diseases, including preparation of newsletter, development of program web content, CDC summaries and other venues.
• Mentors and directly supervises other epidemiology staff
• Provides epidemiologic expertise to the epidemiology staff and local health department staff on disease surveillance and outbreak investigations as needed.

Preferred Qualifications 

• A concentration in Epidemiology.
• One (1) year of supervisory experience.
• Proficiency in statistical analysis programs (e.g., SAS, Excel, Access) and experience with communicable disease investigations.

How to Apply 

Click here to read more about this position and apply online!

Principal Scientist, American Cancer Society

Job Description

Uses complex statistical models to estimate the independent contribution of social, biological, structural, behavioral determinants of health on disparities in cancer outcomes to inform public policies. Contributes to studies evaluating the effects of interventions on racial and socioeconomic disparities in cancer outcome. Provides expert advice to American Cancer Society (ACS) Global Headquarters and Divisions and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Develops and maintains strong internal (Office of Chief Medical & Scientific Officer, ACS CAN, Communications) and external (e.g., NCI, CDC) collaborations for formulating multidisciplinary high impact research projects in the field of cancer disparities.

Raises revenue through various mechanisms, including participating in grant submission. Serves as a national expert and ACS spokesperson in cancer disparities. Mentors interns and post-doctoral fellows. Serves as a national expert and ACS spokesperson in cancer disparities. Contributes to Facts & Figures as needed to ensure timely production of these reports on a regular schedule.

Major Responsibilities 

• Estimate the independent contribution of social, biological, structural, behavioral determinants of health on disparities in cancer outcomes using complex statistical models.
• Examine racial and socioeconomic disparities in application of known interventions and outcomes.
• Identify new analytic strategies and statistical approaches applicable to cancer disparity research. 
• Collaborate with other researchers at ACS, Cancer Intervention Surveillance Network administered by the National Cancer Institute, and other government and academic government institutions in advancing the field of cancer disparity research.
• Raise revenue through various mechanisms, including grant submission. 
• Provide expert advice and expert consultation to ACS Global Headquarters and Divisions, ACS CAN, and other national and field staff on the sources, use, limitations, and interpretation of data related to cancer disparity and health equity.
• Serve as a national expert and ACS spokesperson in cancer disparities.
• Serve as internal resource for colleagues and for mentoring interns and post-doctoral fellows on research areas related to cancer disparities.
• Contribute to Facts & Figures as needed to ensure timely production of these reports on a regular schedule.
• Contribute to the Annual Report to the Nation as needed.
• Publish research findings in high impact journals. 
• Publicize ACS’ research findings by speaking at scientific meetings and to the media.

Position Requirements

Knowledge

• Doctoral level degree in epidemiology, medicine, public health, or biostatistics and at least five years of experience in public health or research environment.
• Experience with large databases.
• Knowledge of survey data such as NHIS, NHANES, and SEER, and NLMS.
• Excellent analytic, conceptual, and quantitative/qualitative methodology skills.
• Proficient in use of statistical software (SAS, SPLUS, or SUDAAN)

Competencies

• Action oriented
• Communicates effectively
• Drives results
• Manages complexity
• Builds networks
• Cultivates innovation
• Optimizes work processes
• Manages ambiguity

Other Skills

• Experience working with a variety of large databases and at least one statistical analysis software system, preferably SAS.
• Substantial publications in peer-review journal.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and strong interpersonal oral and written communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
• Strong attention to detail

How to Apply 

Click here to read more about this position and to apply online! 

COVID-19 Epidemiology Fellows Program, ECRC

Opportunity Description

The Rollins School of Public Health Covid-19 Epidemiology Fellows Program is designed for recent Master of Public Health (MPH) graduates in epidemiology or a related concentration who are interested in the epidemiologic response to the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects in Georgia.

Coordinated through the Emory Covid-19 Response Collaborative at the Emory Rollins School of Public Health and offered in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Public Health, this two-year service and training fellowship aims to bolster Georgia’s epidemiologic capacity.

Job Description

• Each fellow will be assigned to serve as an epidemiologist within one of Georgia’s 18 health districts or to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
• While fellows’ primary day-to-day responsibilities will be assigned by their site supervisors, fellows will be given additional support and training by fellowship program staff in topics such as managerial techniques, epidemiologic resources and career development.
• Fellows can expect about 90% of their effort to be devoted to hands-on applied epidemiology as assigned by their site supervisors and about 10% effort devoted to engaging in activities provided by the fellowship program through continuing education training, management training, seminar/speaker series, and e-learning.
• The long-term goal of the fellowship program is to cultivate talented epidemiologists well-equipped to address the current Covid-19 crisis and eager to apply their knowledge, creativity and passion to a career in epidemiology that extends beyond Covid-19.
• While fellows will be employees of Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health for the duration of their fellowship, fellows will spend their time working as a level 1 epidemiologist within one of Georgia’s 18 health districts or within the state health department located in Atlanta. 

Minimum Qualifications

• A master’s degree in public health, a master’s of science degree in public health or health education, or a master’s in development practice from an accredited school.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Master’s of Public Health graduates of accredited schools or programs of public health in Georgia and the Southeast are encouraged to apply.
• MPH with a concentration in Epidemiology
• Closely supervised work experience demonstrating competence in conducting public health surveillance, analyzing surveillance data, reporting analytic results, and conducting outbreak investigations.

Additional Details 

• Cover letter – strongly desired
• In your cover letter please clearly indicate three of Georgia’s 18 health districts (https://dph.georgia.gov/public-health-districts) that you would be most interested in working with and why
• Please upload the cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application
• The job may require local travel within the assigned district

How to Apply 

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

Additional questions can be directed to ecrc [at] emory [dot] edu.

Data Analyst IV, Texas HHS

Job Description

Data Analyst IV – The Laboratory and Infectious Disease Services (LIDS) Division seeks a Data Analyst IV for Public Health Informatics and Data Exchange Group with a strong epidemiologic methods background and to oversee a dynamic team of public health professionals. The Data Analyst provides advanced (senior-level) research and analysis work by planning, conducting, and reporting on projects for the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS). Experienced in program evaluation utilizing multiple methods of data collection and analyses. Experienced in working with large data sets, health-related data, and programming languages such as SAS.

Essential Job Functions

Attends work on a regular and predictable schedule in accordance with agency leave policy and performs other duties as assigned.

• (35%) Serves as team lead for group of epidemiologists responsible for continuous assessment of NEDSS data quality validation, data quality assurance, data integrity, and coordinating and liaising with various disease programs who contribute data feeds to NEDSS. Reviews and validates all the statistical logics involved in data cleaning and management process to ensure consistency, integrity, and accuracy of data. Oversees the development, update, and maintenance of data dictionaries, data quality assurance documentation, and data management guidelines. Responsible for designing evaluation plans including development of evaluation designs, goals and objectives, project timelines, and instruments. Support visualization of data using various approaches to enable identification of inconsistent data patterns and data quality concerns and for public health results reporting. Oversees data documentations, protocols, analytic plans, reports, manuscripts and presentation of study findings applying epidemiologic methods and best practices in public health science. Provides guidance and appropriate training to epi team and ensures epi team are informed on latest guidance.
• (25%) Works in concert with staff from other areas of LIDS and DSHS and with staff from local and regional health departments. Assists in running statewide proficiency tests and provides feedback to NEDSS users. Assists in leading communications between the epidemiology teams within LIDS and epidemiology areas related to NEDSS. Contributes to the development of data standards, addressing privacy and data reliability concerns, as well as playing an active role in agency-wide data integration projects. Represents the NEDSS on committees, workgroups, and projects to meet research and data analysis needs. Represents the state at the national level on research and data analysis issues. Applies the principles and methods of epi to provide the epidemiologic component of grant proposals and progress reports.
• (20%) Oversees and contributes to epidemiologic reports useful to NEDSS and DSHS staff, the public, public health, and medical communities. Assists, directs, conducts or participates in epidemiological studies and investigations of infectious diseases. Assembles appropriate epidemiological and laboratory resources to address disease outbreak investigations. Performs statistical analyses using advanced statistical software, interprets results, and writes articles, and reports. Analyzes data and proposes epidemiological studies based upon data gathered through surveillance projects and studies. Ensures appropriate communication and dissemination of findings and recommendations. Develops and implements new policies, protocols, and practices within NEDSS for quality assessment of the data accessed to ensure that scientific and standardized systems and processes are implemented uniformly across the Division
• (15%) Serves as resource scientist/consultant and provides scientific/technical expertise to the NEDSS and other areas in DSHS, other agencies, and/or the general public in matters related to epidemiology and surveillance. Prepares written manuscripts for publication in peer review journals. Using power Point and other presentation tools, prepares and conducts oral presentations on infectious disease topics and outbreak response plans to various audiences. Assists in the preparation of summary reports for distribution to local and regional health departments.
• (5%) Other duties as assigned include but are not limited to actively participating and/or serving in a supporting role to meet the agency’s obligations for disaster response and/or recovery or Continuity of Operations (COOP) activation. Such participation may require an alternate shift pattern assignment and/or location.

Initial Selection Criteria

•  MPH with two (2) years of experience in applied public health.
• Knowledge or experience with electronic data exchange nomenclature (e.g., HL7, LOINC, SNOMED-CT).
• Previous work with relational databases in manipulating, analyzing and visualizing data sets.
• Experience using analytic software SAS.
• Experience with SQL language. Preferred.

How to Apply 

Click here to read more about the position details and apply online!