Public Health Prioritization Epidemiologist

Overview

About this Role
This position supports the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) mission and strategic plan by advancing population health management and the health and well-being of California’s diverse people and communities by promoting health and wellness, increasing health equity, enhancing services through agile operations, and optimizing data and technology. The mission of the Office of Policy and Planning (OPP) is to advance transformative policies and systems change that will promote state and community health improvement through prevention, equity, and collective action. The Office of Policy and Planning (OPP) promotes public health policies priorities and supports CDPH capabilities for community health improvement, policy development, research and analysis, integrated planning, decision intelligence, lean transformation, and grants management.

The incumbent works under the general direction of the Research Scientist Supervisor II (RSS II) of the Decision Intelligence Section. The Research Scientist Senior will work independently, within a team, and collaborate to ensure that OPP provides scientific evaluation and research method consultation to internal and external stakeholders for complex projects. In collaboration with departmental scientists and management, the RS Senior designs scientific analyses to describe the relationship of public health and health outcomes to policy makers, healthcare partners, and public health entities.

The Research Scientist Senior (RS Senior) serves as the Public Health Prioritization Epidemiologist and directs data collection and public health analytics, provides technical assistance, makes scientific presentations, writes scientific reports, and interprets complex data. The RS Senior leads, plans, organizes, and directs scientific research and evaluation studies of a highly developed scientific scope and complexity. The RS Senior will deploy modern epidemiologic methods and analysis and work closely within the Decision Intelligence Section (DIS) team, to transform data and information into good policy decisions and public health action by informing public health prioritization efforts.

Key Responsibilities
30% Leads and directs major public health prioritization research for the Section; quantifies state, federal, and local public health effort across domains both retrospectively and prospectively; conducts and supports impact evaluation and implementation science research approaches for major public health initiatives; studies the correspondence between public health effort, disease burden, and other metrics to inform public health prioritization initiatives; writes reports and gives presentation on results to relevant stakeholders, soliciting and incorporating appropriate feedback iteratively.
25% Uses advanced epidemiology/biostatistics skills to identify communities and populations in California at highest risk of diseases, with a focus on preventable conditions; assesses the distribution of disease/risk factors and populations disproportionately affected in the state; identifies disease trends and develops geographic analyses; collects, maintains, and analyzes community health, and related risk factor surveillance data to identify priority populations and strategies for the development and management of (primary) prevention programs; leads research and development on a California “burden of disease” study to quantify morbidity and mortality and highlight public health opportunities for prioritization.
20% Develops tailored decision intelligence approaches for OPP and CDPH based on best practices provided through training and supporting research literature; leads dialogue decision process exercise for the Section and collaborating teams; builds and maintains supporting code and no code tools for strategy tables, consequence tables, and similar concepts; innovates on the application of decision science approaches for public health with an interdisciplinary lens; represents the Section and attends and presents at relevant meetings around decision intelligence topics.
20% Serves as a scientific consultant and subject-matter-expert on research study design and appropriate statistical and epidemiological methodologies as the scientific advisor and mentor to junior scientists on the OPP team and with internal collaborators; participates in the development and implementation of artificial intelligence methods for furtherance of decision intelligence projects. Develop partnerships for learning and skill building experiences and research/evaluation projects.
5% Performs other duties as assigned by the Research Scientist Supervisor II, Chief, Decision Intelligence Section.

Qualifications
All employees shall possess the general qualifications, as described in California Code of Regulations Title 2, Section 172, which include, but are not limited to integrity, honesty, dependability, thoroughness, accuracy, good judgment, initiative, resourcefulness, and the ability to work cooperatively with others.
This position requires the incumbent to maintain consistent and regular attendance; communicate effectively (orally and in writing) in dealing with the public and/or other employees; develop and maintain knowledge and skill related to specific tasks, methodologies, materials, tools, and equipment; complete assignments in a timely and efficient manner; and, adhere to departmental policies and procedures.
Special Requirements

Conflict of Interest (COI)
Background Check and/or Fingerprinting Clearance
Medical Clearance
Travel:
Bilingual: Pass a State written and/or verbal proficiency exam in
License/Certification:
Other: