Epidemiologist

Virginia Information Technologies Agency•Alexandria, VA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Alexandria Health Department (AHD) is looking to fill an entry-level epidemiologist. This position is responsible for carrying out a range of investigative and analytical epidemiologic activities related to the surveillance, detection, and/or prevention of public health events in an assigned district or within a statewide program area. Responsibilities include consulting on scientific and technical issues, conducting routine epidemiologic investigations, data collection/analysis, and providing health education and disease control recommendations. Positions in this role typically work under the close supervision of a more senior epidemiologist or similar position and the work is assigned and reviewed for conformance with overall requirements, contribution to the assignment objectives, consistency of facts and figures, analytical methodology, and practicality of recommendations. Participates in district and regional communicable disease (CD) and epidemiology activities to ensure timely detection and appropriate public health response in the community. Rotates responsibility as Alexandria Health Department (AHD) Epi Duty Officer and may serve in Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during emergencies. Works cooperatively with other members of the Epidemiology Team, demonstrating effective communication and problem-solving skills. Work with Alexandria (AHD) Epidemiology Supervisor who provides guidance and support for accomplishing tasks. Most day-to-day work actions and/or decisions are made with guidance or supervision from the supervisor and/or by following protocols for communicable disease investigation and response. Works cooperatively with other members of the Epidemiology Team, demonstrating effective communication and problem-solving skills. Assists epi team with prevention, management and mitigation of CD outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics. Alexandria Health Department (AHD) is one of 35 health districts in Virginia. As part of the Virginia Department of Health, AHD serves the residents, businesses, and visitors of Alexandria and works closely with the City of Alexandria and community partners to achieve its mission and vision. Alexandria, comprised of 15.75 square miles and a population of approximately 150,000, is the most densely populated city in Virginia and is rich in diversity and community engagement. AHD’s mission is “Protecting and Promoting Health and Well-Being in Our Communities” and our vision is “Healthy People, Healthier Communities.” We view “health” in the broadest sense and this drives our path towards continuous health improvement with a focus on equity of the social determinants of health.

Requirements

Basic knowledge of the cause, transmission, treatment, and prevention of communicable diseases and other conditions of public health importance.
Basic knowledge of methods of public health surveillance and disease outbreak investigations.
Working knowledge of biostatistics, computer data analysis, data quality assurance, and data management techniques.
Strong oral and written communication skills.
Strong customer service skills.
Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
Demonstrated ability to collect, analyze, and present statistical data.
Some experience in epidemiology, public health, or a related area.

Nice To Haves

Training/experience in public health, epidemiology or biostatistics.
Some knowledge of federal and state laws, regulations, and policies regarding the reporting and control of disease.
Working knowledge of statistical software packages.
Experience with database management systems, especially those used to manage population-based disease data.
Willing and able to work evenings/weekends, rotate 24/7 epi duty officer phone and perform other duties as required.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent of experience with major coursework in public health/epi.
Applied experience in communicable disease surveillance and/or investigation.
Bilingual English/Spanish or multi-lingual English/Spanish/Arabic or Amharic.

Responsibilities

Carrying out a range of investigative and analytical epidemiologic activities related to the surveillance, detection, and/or prevention of public health events in an assigned district or within a statewide program area.
Consulting on scientific and technical issues.
Conducting routine epidemiologic investigations.
Data collection/analysis.
Providing health education and disease control recommendations.
Participating in district and regional communicable disease (CD) and epidemiology activities to ensure timely detection and appropriate public health response in the community.
Rotating responsibility as Alexandria Health Department (AHD) Epi Duty Officer.
Serving in Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during emergencies.
Working cooperatively with other members of the Epidemiology Team, demonstrating effective communication and problem-solving skills.
Assisting the epi team with prevention, management and mitigation of CD outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics.