IN-IDOH-AS Epidemiologist II

Antimicrobial Stewardship (AS) Epidemiologist II

The Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) Program within the Epidemiology and Resource Center (ERC) at the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) is accepting applications for an Antimicrobial Stewardship (AS) Epidemiologist II.

Purpose of Position/Summary:
The AS Epidemiologist II serves as an Indiana state contractor in the ERC at the IDOH. The purpose of this position is to support healthcare settings through implementing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention s (CDC) Core Elements, tracking and reporting antimicrobial use (AU) and antimicrobial resistance (AR), establishing and supporting antimicrobial stewardship collaboratives, and implementing stewardship activities to improve prescribing patterns. The scope of this position includes, but is not limited to:

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:
Maintain current subject matter knowledge of the epidemiology and biology of healthcare associated infections, antimicrobial resistance, and antimicrobial use;
Act as primary liaison between local and state health departments, HAI/AR Coordinator, healthcare facilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), professional societies and other community partners with regards to antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use;
Work with the antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist to assess stewardship progress in acute care hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, long term acute care hospitals, and long-term care facilities;
Track antimicrobial use and resistance to inform and assess the implementation of focused stewardship interventions in different healthcare settings;
Provide epidemiologic consultation and technical assistance to local health departments, health care providers, and the general public with respect to healthcare associated infections, antimicrobial use, and antimicrobial resistance;
Conduct routine epidemiologic surveillance for healthcare associated infections, antimicrobial use, and antimicrobial resistance;
Lead or coordinate epidemiologic investigations of individual cases and/or outbreaks of healthcare associated infections, antimicrobial use, and antimicrobial resistance;
Design and conduct applied epidemiologic studies healthcare associated infections, antimicrobial use, and antimicrobial resistance;
Manage and analyze data collected through routine surveillance, public health investigations, and applied epidemiologic studies;
Coordinate stewardship activities with partners including the AR epidemiologists, academic institutions, facilities, health systems, and other partners;
Prepare and disseminate written and oral reports and presentations that communicate necessary information to internal and external partners;
Design and implement new IDOH HAI-AR webpage content and update existing content as warranted;
Conduct educational presentations and/or trainings for a variety of audiences, including local health departments, health care providers, and the general public;
Engage directly with members of the public at health fairs and other outreach events;
Participate in writing grants and other funding proposals;
Serve as an agency spokesperson at the invitation and direction of the IDOH Office of Public Affairs;
Evaluate the impact of legislation or policy proposals at the invitation and direction of the IDOH Director of Legislative Affairs;
Serve on the ERC Social Media Team and provide social media messaging content on antimicrobial use and resistance;
Serve on the IDOH Health Monitoring Team for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD);
Perform related duties as assigned.


Job Requirements:
Education:
oMaster s degree in a relevant field (e.g., public health, biological sciences, or social sciences) and = 2 years relevant public health experience, OR
oMaster s degree in a non-relevant field and = 4 years public health experience OR
oDoctoral-level degree in epidemiology or other relevant fields, OR
oGraduate or professional degree in a health-related field (e.g., RN, MD/DO, DDS/DMD, DVM, PhD, RS) with specific epidemiology training (e.g., MPH degree, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service, or CSTE Applied Epidemiology Fellowship), OR
oBachelor s degree in a relevant field and = 4 years of relevant public health experience OR
oBachelor s degree in a non-relevant field and = 6 years public health experience.
oCurrent employee promotion requirement: Internal candidate should be a high-performing Epidemiologist 1 or other internal role based on demonstrated ability, competency attainment, and/or performance feedback.
Knowledge, skills, and abilities:
oKnowledge of the epidemiology and biology of healthcare associated infections, antimicrobial use, and antimicrobial resistance;
oKnowledge of state laws and regulations as well as federal public health guidance documents pertaining to healthcare associated infections, antimicrobial use, and antimicrobial resistance;
oSkill in identification of public health problems pertinent to Indiana residents;
oSkill in conducting epidemiologic surveillance activities, including selection and use of appropriate field methods as well as use and evaluation of public health surveillance systems;
oSkill in eliciting relevant information from patients in structured or unstructured telephone interviews;
oSkill in conducting public health investigations of individual cases and/or outbreaks of healthcare associated infections, antimicrobial use, and antimicrobial resistance;
oSkill in designing descriptive and analytical epidemiologic investigations, including hypothesis generation;
oSkill in managing large datasets, performing complex data analyses, and identifying key findings;
oSkill in recommending evidence-based interventions and control measures in response to epidemiologic findings;
oSkill in preparing written and oral reports, presentations, and educational materials that communicate necessary information to internal and external partners;
oSkill in applying principles of informatics, including data collection, processing, and analysis, in support of epidemiologic practice
oDemonstrated skill in statistical, analytical, and/or geospatial software (e.g., EpiInfo, SAS, ArcGIS, SQL, SPSS, R, Python, Stata, etc.);
oAbility to identify appropriate laboratory resources and use them appropriately;
oAbility to provide prompt, courteous, and helpful customer service;
oAbility to collaborate with others inside and outside the agency to identify public health problems and form recommendations;
oAbility to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, using principles of risk communication where appropriate;
oAbility to prioritize tasks efficiently to meet internal and external deadlines;
oAbility to appropriately document work activities and maintain organized records.

Supervisory Responsibilities/Direct Reports:
None

Personal Work Relationships:
The incumbent is a part of the HAI-AR Program ERC at IDOH. The incumbent works closely with the Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions pharmacist, health care providers, and local health departments. The incumbent is expected to maintain good working relationships with these entities as well as other internal and external partners.

Physical Effort:
The incumbent must be physically able to type on a computer, to communicate via telephone, and to sit and/or stand at a workstation for a 7.5-hour workday.

Working Conditions:
Work is performed in an indoor office setting. Occasional field work and/or overnight travel may be required. The incumbent must be willing to receive immunizations for communicable diseases when necessary and appropriate.



Required/Desired Skills
SkillRequired /DesiredAmountof ExperienceDesired: Master s degree in a relevant field (e.g., public health, biological sciences, or social sciences) and relevant public health experienceDesired2YearsMinimum Educational Requirement: Bachelor s degree in a relevant field and relevant public health experienceRequired4YearsMinimum Educational Requirement: Bachelor s degree in a non-relevant field and relevant public health experienceRequired6YearsIncumbent required to work on-site, but may have the opportunity to work a hybrid schedule, requiring a minimum of 2 days in officeRequired2DaysInterview may be done in-office or onlineRequired1DaysDemonstrated skill in statistical, analytical, and/or geospatial software (e.g., EpiInfo, SAS, ArcGIS, SQL, SPSS, R, Python, Stata, etc.)Nice to have1YearsSkill in conducting public health investigationsNice to have1YearsSkill in managing large datasets, performing complex data analyses, and identifying key findingsNice to have1YearsSkill in preparing written and oral reports, presentations, and educational materials that communicate necessary information to partnersNice to have1YearsKnowledge in infectious disease Nice to have1Years
Questions
No.QuestionQuestion1Absences greater than two weeks MUST be approved by CAI management in advance, and contact information must be provided to CAI so that the resource can be reached during his or her absence. The Client has the right to dismiss the resource if he or she does not return to work by the agreed upon date. Do you accept this requirement?Question2Please list candidate's email address.Question3Please list the city and state where candidate currently resides.Question4Candidate must be paid NA if selected for engagement. The provider markup for this position is 29%. Do you accept this requirement?Question5Candidate is required to work Monday through Friday, approximately 8:00am to 4:30pm, equaling 37.5 hours weekly.Question6Funding for this position is available for two years. This is a one-year contract and is expected to renew at the beginning of year two. This position is not expected to transition into a state position. It will remain a contract position.