Supporting Atlanta-area Schools COVID-19 Reopening plans

Drs. Lauren Christiansen-Lindquist and Dabney P. Evans are seeking to hire a first-year MPH or MSPH student to assist with a pilot grant aimed at enhancing, implementing and evaluating a K-8 school reopening plan in Atlanta. Given that this work involves substantial community engagement, it is well-suited for an APE. The student will work under the supervision of Drs. Christiansen-Lindquist and Evans to provide technical support to The GLOBE Academy (GLOBE) – a dual language immersion public charter school serving K-8 students in the DeKalb County School District. The school serves approximately 1,000 students across two campuses located near Briarcliff Road: Lower Campus services grades K-3 while Upper Campus serves grades 4-8. In August 2021, GLOBE opened its doors for in-person instruction for the first time in 12 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Summer 2021, Drs. Christiansen-Lindquist and Evans worked with a current MPH student to develop school protocols and establish a school Health and Safety Playbook, utilizing guidance from CDC, the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), and DeKalb County School District (DCSD). This playbook provides a foundation for a return to operations at The GLOBE Academy campuses under an in-person teaching model and includes information regarding both health and safety information as well as academic instruction. While the Playbook has guided much of the school’s response to COVID-19, it needs updated standard operating procedures (SOPs) to reflect the evolving pandemic landscape and to prepare for Fall 2022. In addition to enhancing GLOBE’s health and safety protocols, the candidate will maintain GLOBE’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard with constant surveillance of COVID-19 cases on campus and in the broader community. It is vital that the candidate engage with pre-established community partners to assess the need for COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics, while supporting all other COVID-19 related needs of school administrators and nurses.

Job Responsibilities

· Review current Health and Safety Playbook and identify areas for enhancement as it relates to:

o Operationalizing protocols (quarantine/isolation/case reporting/contact tracing)

o Communication plans

· Develop GLOBE-specific communications on:

o Messaging around important dates/holidays/school events when COVID-19 exposure is likely to increase

o Answering questions submitted by community members for the weekly newsletter

o Resources for testing/vaccination in DeKalb County

o Prevention messaging o Maintain and enhance GLOBE’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard

· When school is in session, make periodic visits to GLOBE campuses to collect data on adherence to mitigation factors and meet with GLOBE stakeholders

· When school is in session, coordinate and manage weekly testing clinics and facilitate data sharing between school nurses and administrators

· Monitor an email account specifically dedicated to addressing COVID-related questions and concerns at GLOBE

· Meet with GLOBE stake holders to identify ways to best support the community and modify plans, as needed

Requirements

· 1st Year MPH/MSPH student in the Rollins School of Public Health

· Strong organizational and communication (both written and oral) skills

· Experience with health communication

· Understanding of respiratory disease transmission and case management

· Quantitative data collection and analysis experience preferred

· Students with a REAL award are preferred, but this is not required

Length of Commitment

This position will begin in late April 2022 and continue at least through December 2022. If funding is available, there may be an opportunity to extend through Spring 2023. We anticipate a time commitment of 10-15 hours per week.

To Apply Interested applicants should complete this google form, where you will be asked to attach an updated resume.