Overview
Veterinary Epidemiologist Consultant
SUMMARY
The Carter Center’s Guinea Worm Eradication Program (GWEP) has a large multi-disciplinary research agenda that is designed to investigate remaining transmission uncertainties along the human-animal-environment nexus and accelerate the development and deployment of novel interventions (e.g., diagnostic assays, therapeutics) to interrupt disease transmission and generate an evidence base for inclusion in certification dossiers. The Veterinarian Epidemiologist Consultant will support the GWEP research agenda and provide technical assistance to support animal- and One Health-related programmatic work, as needed.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Veterinarian Epidemiologist Consultant directly assists the GWEP’s Senior Associate Director of Research, GWEP’s resident Veterinarian Epidemiologist, and external GWEP Research Working Group members to design and manage animal-related Guinea worm studies and surveillance with a focus on wildlife. The Veterinarian Epidemiologist Consultant also provides technical assistance to research and program teams to improve the current understanding of Guinea worm transmission along the human-animal-environment nexus and to generate programmatic recommendations about how to interrupt disease transmission. The Veterinary Epidemiologist Consultant may also work with the GWEP team’s Associate Director of Research and other staff Epidemiologists to impart technical guidance that can ensure national programs implement effective: (a) interventions against GWD transmission within a One Health framework, (b) surveillance networks to detect animals, domestic and wild, with Guinea worm infection, and (c) personnel skill enhancement and training.
The Consultant may manage and report on epidemiological studies of Guinea worm disease or novel/refined Guinea worm interventions, collect and analyze data, and may assist with the development of interventions, standard operating procedures, field protocols, and health education materials focusing on animal hosts. The Consultant may participate in investigations and surveys that have national and international impact, conduct program research, and prepare operational and statistical reports which result in publishable peer-reviewed papers.
The Consultant will travel to Guinea worm-endemic countries to help supervise and advise GWEP staff implementing wildlife surveillance and research. The Consultant may provide technical support through training field program staff, as requested, and will ensure these adhere to the Technical Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures established by national GWEPs.
Specific responsibilities
• Assists with the design, management, and implementation of animal surveillance for GWD, including travel to endemic countries to support wildlife and domestic animal surveillance efforts
• Assists or takes the lead in writing SOPs for wildlife surveillance, including sedation, biosecurity and safety of all involved, human and animal
• Provides guidance to design health monitoring programs, adopting a One Health framework, including the development of standard operating procedures.
• Ensures the welfare of animals, wild and domestic, targeted for surveillance and program interventions and identifies strategies to incorporate public health and environmental sector partners.
• Develops matrices to evaluate program success and a feedback loop to establish and document corrective and preventive actions.
• Performs other related duties as required.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from an American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA) accredited college or university, an advanced degree in public health or at least 5 years of relevant postgraduate experience in public health programming, a license to practice veterinary medicine in any State or U.S. territory. Availability for extended (3-4 weeks) international travel to remote locations in Guinea worm-endemic countries is required.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
• A doctoral degree in epidemiology, wildlife management, infectious disease ecology, or other public health-related field.
• Demonstrated ability to apply veterinary epidemiological principles and/or procedures to design program initiatives and/or studies that investigate risk factors for infectious disease and evaluate the effectiveness of program interventions such as different treatment options in rural settlements and/or pastoral societies.
• Experience working with wildlife, community-based public health programs, or community development programs in Africa.
• Experience working with carnivores or non-human primates.
• Competency in model selection for statistical analyses of correlated, hierarchical, non-parametric, and/or complex data.
• Familiarity with and experience using quantitative and/or qualitative analytic software (e.g., R, Stata, SAS, NVivo, MaxQDA) to perform analyses and generate reports.
• Competency in geographic information systems (GIS), including the use of ArcGIS or Q-GIS software.
• Skilled in preparing documents and maps electronically with accuracy, creating databases, and maintaining and updating GIS data layers.
• Familiarity with Azure and Power BI or similar software.
• Experience using analytical results to inform evidence-based programmatic and policy recommendations, preparing and submitting manuscripts to peer-reviewed scientific journals, and presenting related findings at international fora.
• Good communication and personnel management skills.
• Fluency in French and/or Portuguese is an advantage.
How to apply
To apply, please send a CV and cover letter to guineaworm.recruitment@cartercenter.org. Subject line ought to include: Veterinarian Epidemiologist Consultant. All documents ought to be in Microsoft word (.doc, .docx) or PDF format. Materials in other formats or applications without required materials will not be considered. In the body of the e-mail, please indicate where you saw the job posting.
Only finalists will be contacted.
About The Carter Center
Our Mission
The Carter Center, in partnership with Emory University, is guided by a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering. It seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health.
The Center emphasizes action and measurable results. Based on careful research and analysis, it is prepared to take timely action on important and pressing issues.
The Center seeks to break new ground and not duplicate the effective efforts of others.
The Center addresses difficult problems in difficult situations and recognizes the possibility of failure as an acceptable risk.
The Center is nonpartisan, actively seeks complementary partnerships and works collaboratively with other organizations from the highest levels of government to local communities.
The Center believes that people can improve their own lives when provided with the necessary skills, knowledge, and access to resources.
