Epidemiologist 2 (Infectious/Chronic Diseases) (35 Hour)(Hybrid)

Introduction

Are you interested in joining an outstanding team and making a difference in our State? We encourage you to apply today! 

The State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health (DPH) is seeking a qualified individual for the position of Epidemiologist 2. This position will work with the TB, HIV, STD, and Viral Hepatitis Section of the DPH under the direction of the Health Care and Support Services (HCSS) Health Program Supervisor. Program operations are in alignment with Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Integrated Statewide HIV Prevention and Care Plan. The Integrated Plan facilitates cross-cutting program activities essential to preventing HIV transmission and Ending the HIV Epidemic goals. Priorities for this position are to collect and analyze data to inform the development and implementation of HIV care and supportive services. This is a critical position to ensure the continuation of quality data collection, analysis, and reporting of Ryan White Part B Program Services across Connecticut. This position supports all the data needs for the Department’s efforts and initiatives to maintain HIV positive patients and clients in care and achieve viral suppression.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Section: TB, HIV, STD, and Viral Hepatitis Section
• Location: Hartford, CT
• Work Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week
• Schedule: First shift, Monday through Friday with opportunity for a flex schedule and partial remote work.

DISCOVER THE OPPORTUNITY TO:

• Perform statistical analysis on provider client-level data using SAS, Excel, and MS Access. This analysis includes identifying health disparities in key performance measures statewide and at the individual programmatic level in order to identify areas for improvement.
• Prepare all client services and quality of care data for annual summary reports as required by HRSA. Develop, test, implement, and evaluate all programmatic performance measures for the Ryan White Part B Program and its sub recipients.
• Identify disparities in care in order to evaluate and implement care interventions to address the disparities.
• Monitor service levels and clinical performance measures of sub recipients including provision of clinical services to clients, quality management and quality improvement of services.
• Perform data analyses on and summarize relevant epidemiologic investigations relating to Ryan White Part B services into comprehensive written reports including easy to interpret tables and charts. Prepare and present workshops and Plan- Do-Study-Act (PDSA) activities to improve health disparities among Ryan White Part B subpopulations. This includes gathering all project data and data analyses in the form of tables, graphs, charts using PowerPoint format for presentation and Microsoft Word documentation as a summary format easily understood by the general public.
• Responsible for data migration, collaboration system development including data dictionary, desired system specifications, and testing and providing feedback in collaboration with the DPH team and with the software developers. Provide training to end users of the new database system.
• Manage Ryan White Part B sub recipient service data. Conduct Comprehensive Site Visits and provide ongoing technical assistance to staff regarding all aspects of carrying out Ryan White Part B data collection and reporting.
• Provide regular technical assistance to community providers on use of the Ryan White Part B database system.
• Implement and manage the secure file transfer system for Program providers to exchange information and reports with DPH.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• Visit our newState Employee Benefits Overview page!
• The opportunity to work for a Forbes top company: 'Forbes' State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule
• Professional growth and development opportunities
• DPH also offers free parking with shuttle service, educational support, continuous access to training and healthy work/life balance to all employees!

MORE ABOUT US

The Mission of DPH is to protect and improve the health and safety of the people of Connecticut by assuring:

• The conditions in which people can be healthy;
• Preventing disease, injury, and disability; and
• Promoting the equal enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, which is a human right and a priority of the state.

DPH accomplishes this through the implementation of its Strategic Plan which outlines the actions that DPH is taking to accomplish its Mission. 

START WITH US. STAY WITH US. GROW WITH US.

Selection Plan

FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING: 

Please reador watchour Applicant Tips on How to Apply!

Please Note: For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.

TO APPLY

• In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified. 
• In order to receive educational credits toward qualification for this job posting, the institution must be accredited.  If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the recruiter listed on this job posting.
• You must specify your qualifications on your application. You will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.
• In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.
• All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.
• This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.

AFTER YOU APPLY 

• Although applicants will receive correspondence via email and/or phone, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. 
• This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.
• NOTE: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
• The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
• Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position. Read through this helpful link to prepare for your interview.
• Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State Employees which is available at www.ct.gov/ethics.

CONNECT WITH US 

• Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process.
• Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Pamela Rochette at Pamela.Rochette@ct.gov. 

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In the Department of Public Health this class is accountable for performing the full range of tasks in investigating infectious, chronic and non-infectious diseases and implementing disease prevention methods.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

• Leads and participates in routine epidemiologic investigations to identify risk factors and implements and evaluates resulting intervention measures; 
• Collect and collates data including performing interviews; 
• Performs data analysis and summarizes relevant epidemiologic investigation data into tables, charts and written reports; 
• Provides technical information to the professional and lay public including local health departments; 
• Collaborates in the preparation and presentation of workshops; 
• May respond to media inquiries; 
• Maintains an orderly surveillance system capable of detecting risk factors and changes in disease patterns; 
• May administer biologics or collect specimens such as blood and urine samples, throat and rectal swabs under the supervision of a physician.
• Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

• Considerable knowledge of
  • infectious and/or chronic disease processes; 
  • relevant disease processes which affect humans and animals; 
  • epidemiological methods and techniques;
• Knowledge of
  • basic biological processes; 
• Skills
  • oral and written communications skills; 
  • interpersonal skills; 
  • computer skills; 
• Ability to
  • independently perform epidemiological investigations; 
  • independently collect, analyze and interpret epidemiological data.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Six (6) years of experience in conducting epidemiological investigations in a responsible technical or professional capacity.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

One (1) year of the General Experience must have involved interviewing and performing trend analyses at the level of an Epidemiologist 1.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

• College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
• A Master's degree in public health, community medicine or a related health science may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.
• A Doctorate in a related discipline such as public health, medicine or a natural or behavioral science may be substituted for the General Experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience conducting data collection, analysis, and reporting including working with complex healthcare related databases, such as CAREWare, e2CT, CTEDSS (Connecticut Electronic Diseases Surveillance System)
• Experience using basic SAS, Excel, and MS Access for descriptive and analytic epidemiological analyses and quality assurance
• Experience educating healthcare and public health providers on required data collection processes and reporting and providing technical assistance (TA) as needed
• Experience working with the public and community engagement by participating on workgroups, committees and providing presentations to the community.
• Experience performing medical record review and abstraction for case reporting and monitoring of performance measures for quality improvement

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Incumbents in this class must be willing to be immunized for communicable diseases as necessary and appropriate.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Incumbents in this class may be exposed to communicable diseases and hazardous substance.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.