Job Description:

SUMMARY

The Division of Communicable Disease Control (DCDC) of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Heluna Health are recruiting for an Epidemiologist for an enhanced Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) surveillance system that utilizes wastewater data to augment other COVID-19 surveillance data to inform epidemiologic and public health needs. Wastewater, or sewage, can be tested for RNA from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Pathogen monitoring in wastewater has been used in the surveillance of other infectious diseases, such as polio. This position will serve as an epidemiologist on the CDPH wastewater surveillance team to assist in coordinating statewide wastewater surveillance activities, interpret wastewater data for public health action, and support local health jurisdictions in responding to wastewater data.

The wastewater surveillance epidemiologist will support the continued design and implementation of a statewide wastewater surveillance system through collaboration with a multidisciplinary CDPH team, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the California State Water Resources Control Board (CA State Water Board), California wastewater utilities, public health and non-public health testing laboratories, local health departments, and other partners (e.g., academia, state partners) as appropriate. The epidemiologist will help interpret wastewater data alongside epidemiologic data for use in the public health context and will work with CDPH and local health departments to summarize and report wastewater surveillance results to inform epidemiologic and programmatic decisions related to COVID-19 prevention and public health response. In addition, the epidemiologist will support local health departments in interpreting wastewater data and develop guidance documents and toolkits for different stakeholders.

Required data analysis, reporting and visualization activities include using statistical software to compare existing state COVID-19 data sources with wastewater data to better understand trends and burden of disease. As needed, this position will also support other projects including, but not limited to, enhanced surveillance projects, outbreak investigations and surge efforts.

Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume to be considered.

This position is a primarily remote working position but occasional in-person presence at the Richmond, CA office may be needed.

Must be able to work flexible hours that may include occasional holidays and weekends.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Coordinate and develop partnerships with CDC, state and local public health departments, laboratories, sanitation agencies, water boards and other partners (e.g., academia).


• Review and interpret wastewater surveillance data to inform epidemiologic and programmatic public health decisions related to COVID-19 disease.


• Design guidance documents and toolkits for the implementation of wastewater surveillance and interpretation of wastewater data for different stakeholders including local health departments.


• Conduct epidemiologic data analysis, and summarize results using generated reports and visualizations, as appropriate.


• Contribute intellectually to the design and implementation of wastewater surveillance to inform the California COVID-19 public health response.


• Plan and participate in regular conference calls with Local Health Officers, State Water Board, Sanitation Agencies, CDC, and other partners.


• Present on conference calls with partners, at meetings and scientific conferences.


• Collaborate effectively in a team environment.


• Conduct critical literature review of environmental and wastewater surveillance studies.


• Collaborate with a data team dedicated to this project.


• Perform other duties as directed by leadership.

 

JOB QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing with public health and healthcare professionals and internal partners.


• Understanding of the fundamentals and principles of public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, geographic information systems, and data visualization.


• Ability to perform data entry, clean data, and assess and ensure data quality with attention to detail.


• Ability to perform statistical data manipulation, cleaning and analyses


• Knowledge and application of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements and protection of health information.


• High level analytical and problem-solving skills.  


• Familiarity with environmental surveillance techniques preferred.


• Completes assignments in a timely and efficient manner.


• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks and work independently.


• Demonstrate reliability and integrity.


• Fluency in spoken English is required.

Education/Experience

• Master’s degree in public health or related field, or equivalent work experience (e.g., 2 or more years in public or environmental health), required.


• Experience in data entry, management, cleaning and analyzing data.


• Experience in coordinating complex projects.


• Experience in reporting and visualization of public health or epidemiologic data.


• Basic knowledge and experience with statistical software including R programming, strongly preferred.


• Basic knowledge of GIS software such as ArcGIS or QGIS, preferred.


• Familiarity with environmental surveillance techniques, preferred.

Certificates/Licenses/Clearances

• None

Other Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of and skilled in the use of Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, and Power Point

 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Stand                                       Frequently

Walk                                        Frequently

Sit                                            Frequently

Handling / Fingering               Frequently

Reach Outward                       Occasionally

Reach Above Shoulder           Occasionally

Climb, Crawl, Kneel, Bend     Occasionally

Lift / Carry                               Occasionally - Up to 50 lbs

Push/Pull                                 Occasionally - Up to 50 lbs

See (Vision)                            Constantly

Taste/ Smell                            Not Applicable

Constantly                 (5+ hrs/day)

Frequently                 (2 - 5 hrs/day)

Occasionally             (0 - 2 hrs/day)

Not Applicable          Not required for essential functions

 

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Primarily remote; however, occasional in-person presence at the Richmond, CA office may be needed.

EEOC STATEMENT

It is the policy of Heluna Health to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

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