Environmental Public Health Physician

Department of Health and Human Services • Augusta, ME

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Join the Maine CDC’s Environmental Health Program (EHP) and use your medical expertise to make a direct impact on the health of Maine communities, especially for children. In this role, you’ll serve in two meaningful capacities: Lead the health team for the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) and Serve as a medical expert on environmental chemical exposures. This is a managerial medical position in a public health setting, where your leadership, clinical insight, and collaboration will help protect and improve lives across the state.

Requirements

• Graduation from an accredited Medical or Osteopathic School in the United States (Graduates of foreign medical schools must present evidence of having passed FLEX or National Board Examinations or of current Maine licensure)
• A Master’s Degree in Public Health or at least two (2) years of full-time experience in specialty area with the US Public Health Service, another state, accredited university, or Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Organizations (JCAHO) accredited hospital.
• Certificate of registration with the right to practice medicine and surgery in Maine as issued by the State Board of Registration of Medicine.

Nice To Haves

• Experience or training in the fields of environmental medicine, occupational medicine, environmental health, or occupational health
• Experience supervising staff and managing complex teams
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Experience working in a public health program or agency

Responsibilities

• Supervise a team of two nursing staff
• Oversee monitoring of children’s blood lead levels, including confirmatory and follow-up testing, based on current state and federal guidelines, best practices, and CLPPP standard operating protocols
• Inform healthcare providers about blood lead testing requirements and protocols for the medical management of childhood lead poisoning cases
• Collaborate with other state offices and state clinical organizations to perform education and outreach and to advance CLPPP priorities
• Approve provider offices to conduct in-office blood lead testing
• Partner with environmental specialists to determine when temporary relocation is needed for affected children
• Provide medical guidance to toxicologists, epidemiologists, other state agencies, and Maine residents
• Support responses to both routine and acute environmental, occupational, and chemical exposures
• Support surveillance programs for notifiable environmental health conditions, including carbon monoxide poisoning and exposure to polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals”
• Collaborate across disciplines, sometimes in time-sensitive situations, under the direction of the Senior Environmental Health Program Manager
• Deliver presentations and grand rounds on childhood blood lead testing and lead exposure
• Lead a weekly childhood lead poisoning team case review
• Develop lead poisoning health case management protocols and procedures
• Partner with managers and epidemiologists to monitor rates of blood lead testing in various populations
• Assist with consultations and reporting related to carbon monoxide and PFAS exposures
• Assist toxicologists in responding to community or individual concerns when environmental exposures approach clinical significance
• On occasion, as needed, and as funding allows, support other Divisions within Maine CDC to provide medical expertise for other health conditions.
• On occasion, if needed, provide on-call coverage or work outside of regular business hours for the timely and appropriate management of severe lead poisoning or other serious or environmental health outcomes.

Benefits

• 13 paid holidays
• 12 days of sick leave
• 3+ weeks of vacation leave annually
• Health Insurance Coverage (State pays 85%-100% of employee-only premiums)
• Health Insurance Premium Credit (Participation decreases employee-only premiums by 5%)
• Dental Insurance (State pays 100% of employee-only dental premiums)
• Retirement Plan (State contributes 14.11% of employee's pay towards MainePERS)
• Six weeks of fully paid parental leave for all employees welcoming a child
• Additional, unpaid leave may also be available, under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees