Epidemiologist I - Recovery Services Program Evaluator

bphccareers; Massachusetts; On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Job summary

Boston Public Health Commission seeks an Epidemiologist to support program evaluation and data activities for grant-funded programs in the Recovery Services Bureau. The role focuses on developing evaluation tools, assessing impact of Youth Prevention programs, and contributing to citywide evaluation initiatives.

Reporting to the Public Health Scientist, the candidate will conduct analyses, create data briefs and dashboards, engage with community partners, and help translate data into actionable

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in public health or related field.
• Experience with SAS, R, and/or R Studio.
• Experience with data cleaning and data quality assurance.
• Experience evaluating youth prevention or public health programs.

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct program-specific analyses to inform program and policy development with focus on health inequities.
• Support data development and analysis for internal and external use and dashboards.
• Prepare data briefs, reports, and online dashboards in partnership with staff and partners.
• Collaborate with OD2A/RSB teams on data cleaning and analytic initiatives.
• Communicate evaluation findings through presentations to diverse audiences.

Skills

Epidemiology

Data analysis

Biostatistics

Data visualization

Public health

Communication

Education

Master’s degree in public health or related field

Experience with SAS, R, and/or R Studio

Experience with BRFSS/YRBS data or complex survey design

Tools

SAS

R

R Studio

Epi Info

RedCap

ArcGIS / QGIS

Job description

We are seeking an Epidemiologist who will work on program evaluation and data-related activities for multiple grant-funded programs in the RSB. This grant funded position will primarily develop evaluation tools and support assessment of the impact of all Youth Prevention programs including: the CopeCode Club prevention campaign (SAMHSA SPF-PFS grant), Youth Mental Health Advocacy Council, the Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE) Framework, Wellness & Resilience programs, Implementation of SUD in Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) programs, and Third Space Initiatives (MassCall3 Grant). They will focus on supporting the capacity of the Youth Prevention Program team and other partnering organizations doing analytic work related to youth prevention, positive youth development, and restorative prevention.

This role will provide data development and analysis for both internal and external uses. They will enhance the understanding of the programs' effects, offer suggestions for improvement, and contribute to future citywide evaluation initiatives. This role will be jointly funded by the SAMHSA Strategic Prevention Framework - Partnerships for Success grant, Opioid Settlements, and the Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) dollars. A smaller fraction of the position hours will be dedicated to supporting expanding the data dashboards and surveillance efforts of OD2A, as well as providing flexible support to emerging evaluation and epidemiology needs in RSB.

This position sits in PHSI and works closely with program and bureau leadership at the Recovery Services Bureau to use data to improve quality of services, enhance service operations, and evaluate the impact of programs. By combining modern data analysis and visualizations with a deeply engaged approach to performance improvement and change management, the Program Evaluator works with teams across RSB and PHSI to solve challenging problems, build more effective services, and deliver better outcomes.

Reporting to the Public Health Scientist, the ideal candidate will have experience working with and engaging community organizations, especially around the topics of prevention and substance use; will have skills in assessment and evaluation strategies, drafting professional quality reports, using technological tools to simplify data gathering, and connecting data to real-life impact; and will be excited build their quantitative capacities, and to learn and be part of a collaborative, caring team and network of City and community partners.

Essential Functions

• Works with the Public Health Scientist and the Youth Prevention program leadership to design and conduct program-specific analyses that inform program and policy development, with a focus on racial and health inequities.
• Helps BPHC advance as an antiracist organization by meeting or exceeding the standards set by the BPHC Anti-Racism Policy.
• Coordinates and provides technical assistance to community programs in reporting their grant data deliverables.
• Plans and facilitates qualitative data collection such as focus groups and key informant interviews.
• Evaluates technical assistance and capacity-building for substance use and prevention education, including training delivery and community engagement.
• Evaluates the outcomes and impact of integrating substance use prevention programming with VIP programming, including changes in capacity and knowledge levels.
• Identifies needs, opportunities, and sources of data for further investigation in areas related to relevant population groups served and their heath equity experience including the role of social determinants.
• Reviews youth behavior surveillance (for example, Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)) data on an on-going basis to establish baselines and identify trends.
• Prepares data briefs, targeted reports, online dashboards, and social media content in partnership with other program staff and community partners.
• Performs data analyses and prepares results for review including for grant reports and applications.
• Collects and synthesizes public health literature, including peer-reviewed journal articles, for development of proposals, reports, presentations, and peer-reviewed articles.
• Produces data visualization content, including tables, charts, maps, infographics, online content, and other descriptive formats.
• Works with the OD2A Project Director and RSB Epidemiologist to support data cleaning and analysis for the Boston Overdose Dashboard, as well as participating in strategic planning for new dashboard reports and integration of additional datasets.
• Supports data quality and data improvement processes across RSB programs, as needed.
• Collaborate with PHSI staff on data analysis for reports, presentations, and data requests.
• Provides direct analytic mentoring to bureau/program staff.
• Communicates program evaluation information through oral presentations to both professional and non-professional audiences.
• Prepares manuscripts for peer-reviewed publications.
• Attend internal and external meetings as required.
• Performs other duties as required.

• Knowledge of or willingness to learn about the role of public health in addressing racism, the social determinants of health, and inequities in health outcomes as well as strategies to advance racial justice and health equity.
• Commitment to health equity and racial/social justice issues.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing with public health and healthcare professionals and internal partners.
• Deep understanding of the fundamentals and principles of program evaluation, epidemiology, public health, biostatistics, and data visualization.
• Ability to clean data and assess and ensure data quality with attention to detail.
• Ability to perform statistical data manipulation, cleaning, and analyses.
• Experience in coordinating with external partners and stakeholders, organizing and setting up meetings and discussions, taking meeting minutes and notes.
• Knowledge and application of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements and protection of health information.
• Apply principles of informatics towards data collection, processing, and analysis in support of evaluation practice.
• Uses leadership and systems thinking in evaluation planning and development.
• High level analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Completes assignments in a timely and efficient manner.
• Ability to prioritize, manage multiple/competing tasks, and work flexibly both independently and as part of diverse teams.
• Demonstrate reliability and integrity.

Education/Experience

• Master’s degree in public health or related field, or equivalent work experience (e.g., 2 or more years in public health), required.
• Advanced knowledge and experience with statistical software such as SAS, R, and/or R studio required.
• Experience with database software such as ETO, RedCap, Epi Info, Access, SharePoint, or another database highly preferred.
• Advanced knowledge of GIS software such as ArcGIS or QGIS, or mapping packages in R are highly desirable.
• Experience analyzing BRFSS, YRBS, or other complex survey design data a plus.
• Familiarity with issues pertaining to health inequity and youth prevention programs.
• Experience working in community and/or community groups preferred.
• Experience in management, cleaning and analyzing data required.
• Experience in reporting and visualization of public health or epidemiological data required.
• Experience in coordinating complex projects is preferred.

• This position may require direct participant contact and therefore certain immunizations will be recommended and/or required prior to commencement of employment duties.