Epidemiologist I, Office of Research & Evaluation

City of Boston Residency Required

Job Description

The mission of the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) is to protect, preserve, and promote the health and well-being of all Boston residents, particularly the most vulnerable. The BPHC envisions a thriving Boston where all residents live healthy, fulfilling lives free of racism, poverty, violence, and other systems of oppression. The BPHC sets an expectation that all staff and leadership commit, individually and as part of the BPHC team, to hold ourselves accountable to establishing a culture of antiracism and advance racial equity and justice through each of our bureaus, programs, and offices.

The Research and Evaluation Office (REO) serves several important functions at the Boston Public Health Commission. Broadly these functions are research, public health surveillance, analysis and interpretation of public health data, and program evaluation that focuses on understanding health equity and determinants of health. Providing expertise in analyzing, interpreting, and disseminating Boston resident health-related data, the REO performs core population health functions. With an emphasis on quantifying and describing health equity within Boston, REO analytic products, collectively referred to as Health of Boston, provide essential information and evidence that help guide public health policy and practice in addressing the health equity needs of Boston residents. REO provides evaluation, informatics and epidemiological support to BPHC public health programs and initiatives, policymakers, other city agencies, community organizations and residents. The Epidemiologist I will support the analysis and public health equity surveillance needs of the BPHC including COVID-19 response and recovery.

DUTIES:

• Supports the analysis and public health surveillance needs of the BPHC including factors associated with racial justice and health equity
• Provides infectious and non-infectious disease related surveillance and epidemiological support
• Assesses impact of COVID-19 on Boston residents and racial/ethnic health inequities in Boston
• Collects, assesses, analyzes, and disseminates public health surveillance and program data and data obtained from other sources
• Performs epidemiological and statistical analyses, and prepares results for review
• Will develop expertise working with various types of data, including COVID-19 case and testing, residential deaths, complex survey data, and hospital utilization data
• Works with BPHC programs to identify, analyze and interpret data relevant to program priorities
• Works with Research and Evaluation staff across units on program evaluation, data analysis for reports, presentations and data requests as necessary
• Produces statistical and epidemiological reports, including tables, charts, slides, maps and other descriptive formats
• Designs and assesses data collection systems
• Supports database quality processes by producing data quality reports for program or policy development as necessary
• Provides technical assistance to other staff as necessary
• Assures data quality, integrity and confidentiality of information
• Creates data codebooks and relevant documentation for new and existing data sets
• Disseminates results of investigations, special studies, routine surveillance, and analyses of health outcome data
• Assembles databases and other information, such as literature articles, for analysis of health problems
• Produces maps using GIS
• Attends meetings within BPHC as needed and attends meetings with other agencies and community organizations as needed
• Performs other duties as required

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree in public health or related field or BA/BS with equivalent combination of training and experience required
• Understanding of epidemiological concepts and quantitative methodologies required
• Experience analyzing public health data using SAS, SPSS, Stata and/or Epi Info required
• Experience analyzing BRFSS, YRBS, or other complex survey design data a plus
• Experience managing data using Excel, Access, Epi Info or other database software
• Excellent organizational, oral and writing skills required
• Prior supervisory experience preferred.
• Ability to work as part of a diverse team, to manage competing priorities, and to consistently meet deadlines required
• Bilingual/bicultural preferred
• Experience coding in R or Python preferred
• Experience using GIS (ArcInfo) desirable
• Experience creating effective health data visualizations desirable

Additional Information

City of Boston Residency Required. A Criminal Offenders Records Information request must be completed for this position. However, a record is not an automatic bar to employment but is reviewed in relation to the job applied for., Any position that requires an advanced degree will be subject to education verification, The Boston Public Health Commission is an EEO Employer and all applicants meeting the minimum requirements are eligible to apply, The advertised shift and schedule are subject to change at the departments discretion.

Union Status

Union

Job Grade

21

Pay Range

$1,282.74 - $1,533.00/Weekly

Standard Hours

Shift

35hrs/wk M-F 9-5, Position may require some evenings, weekend, or holiday coverage.