Substance Use Epidemiologist I

Equal Opportunity Employer

The mission of the Health Federation of Philadelphia is to promote health equity for marginalized communities by advancing access to high-quality, integrated, and comprehensive health and human services.  Health equity is at the heart of all our work. We believe in and are firmly committed to equal employment opportunity for employees and applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion, disability, sex or gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, military or veteran status.  This commitment applies to all aspects of the Health Federation of Philadelphia’s employment practices, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promotion.

Cover Letter Required

JOB SUMMARY

The Substance Use Epidemiologist I is responsible for supporting the analytic and evaluation activities across a range of clinical issues critical to the partnership between the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) and Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS), using sound measurement and statistical design. A core function of the Substance Use Epidemiologist I role will be to provide epidemiological and analytical support to the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction (SUPHR) at PDPH and to Community Behavioral Health (CBH) at DBHIDS.

The person filling this position is responsible for assisting with of collecting, abstraction, managing, and analyzing substance use-related administrative claims and other datasets in the City of Philadelphia to develop a substance use disorder continuum of care (CoC) surveillance program. This data will be used to support the City’s and PDPH’s public health policy and response activities. The person filling this position will work very closely with other data staff within SUPHR/PDPH and CBH/DBHIDS. This position will present executive summary reports of analytics and outcomes by level of care or program and other reporting deliverables to management, committees, and federal partners, as assigned. This position is funded by a federal grant through September 2028.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Under the supervision of SUPHR/PDPH and CBH/DBHIDS, the Substance Use Epidemiologist I will perform the following essential job functions:

  • Analyze, synthesize, and evaluate substance use administrative claims data via analytic tools to examine the substance use disorder continuum of care in Philadelphia and propose data informed recommendations for SUPHR/PDPH and CBH/DBHIDS leadership.
  • Abstract, clean, and match substance use related datasets from city-wide health related data sources, such as Medical Examiner’s Office, Department of Prisons, Emergency Medical Services, and administrative claims.
  • Develop, refine, and oversee production of regular reports, both in-house and externally.
  • Identify barriers to programmatic goals and assess and implement solutions.
  • Summarize analytic findings for presentation at scientific conferences and publications in technical and scientific journals.
  • Develop technical specifications to create datasets for analytic purposes and routine surveillance reporting and grant-required deliverables.

Education:

Completion of a Master’s of Public Health Degree program at an accredited college or university in Epidemiology or related field that includes a minimum of two graduate level courses in Epidemiology or two comparable graduate level classes in advanced research methodology AND two graduate level courses in statistics or biostatistics.

Relevant Work Experience:

Minimum of two years of experience in statistics, research and/or evaluation; familiarity with population health framework; behavioral health claims experience preferred. Combination of education and work experience allowed.           

Desired Qualifications and Skills:

  • Experience with statistical analysis and data management software such as SAS, R, STATA, and/or SPSS
  • Proficiency in relational database queries (i.e.: SQL)
  • Experience with administrative claims data preferred.
  • Experience with outcomes data collection and survey methodology (i.e.: RedCAP)
  • Experience with geospatial mapping software (i.e.: Arc GIS)
  • Familiarity with data visualization software (i.e.: Power BI, Tableau, RShiny)
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (i.e.: Excel)
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Ability to interpret business requirements/questions into technical and analytical requirements.

Core Competencies:

  • Teamwork and Collaboration:  Build and sustain relationships with co-workers and stakeholders and support efforts and deliverables.  Encourage unity and help remove barriers to productivity and success.
  • Respect:  Treat each other and our stakeholders with mutual respect and sensitivity, recognizing the importance of diversity.
  • Member Centric:  Focus on the needs of our members by providing value-added services, promoting strong relationships and going beyond basic expectations to achieve the best possible outcomes.
  • Honesty and Integrity:  Be open and honest in all we do.  Maintain the highest level of integrity at all times. 
  • Commitment to Service Excellence:  Challenge ourselves to be forward-thinking and committed to providing total stakeholder satisfaction, first-in-class service and high quality, innovative programs.
  • Compassion and Empathy:  Demonstrate a deep appreciation for another’s situation and point of view.    Pay attention to emotional cues, listen effectively and show an exceptional level of caring about each person’s perspectives and circumstances.
  • Problem Solving:  Build and implement logical solutions to resolving challenges/issues by using individual knowledge and experience while taking resources, constraints and CBH values into consideration.
  • Initiative and Self-Directed:   Proactively manage time and resources in a way that ensures that all work is done in the most efficient manner while identifying and implementing initiatives without interventions from co-workers, supervisors or stakeholders.
  • Flexibility and Adaptability:  Continually adjust approaches and behaviors in order to meet the constantly changing environment head-on and accomplish CBH and individual goals.  Strive to adapt to, accept and embrace change within areas of responsibility.
  • Communication:  Effectively and appropriately share thoughts, ideas and information - both written and oral.  Respectfully listen to co-workers and stakeholders to gain a full understanding of issues/situations. 

Work Environment:  Standard office setting with extended periods at workstation and periodic use of office equipment. Ability to utilize computers and office equipment to complete daily work responsibilities.

Position Type and Work Schedule:  Full-time position, 37.5 hours per week, Monday through Friday, flexible schedule available with 7:00 am start and 6:00 pm end, pending agreement with reporting supervisors. 

Travel:  Must be able to travel within the City of Philadelphia. Local travel to multiple sites and community meetings a few times a month.

Physical Demands:  Regularly requires walking, standing, stopping, bending, sitting, reaching, pushing, pulling and/or repetitive wrist/hand movements for various lengths of time throughout the day. Regularly works inside in areas that are adequately lighted and ventilated. Some fluctuation in temperature. No protective equipment is routinely needed.

Salary and Benefits:  Salary: $65,000, Our employees are our most valuable resource, so we offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package, which can include:

  • Medical with vision benefits
  • Dental insurance
  • Flexible spending accounts
  • Life, AD&D and long-term care insurance
  • Short- and long-term disability insurance
  • 403(b) Retirement Plan, with a company contribution
  • Paid time off including vacation, sick, personal and holiday.
  • Employee Assistance Program

Eligibility and participation is handled consistent with the plan documents and HFP policy. 

DISCLAIMER

The Health Federation reserves the right to modify, interpret, or apply this job description in any way the Company desires. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by an employee assigned to this position. This job description in no way implies that these are the only duties, including essential duties, responsibilities and/or skills to be performed by the employee occupying this position. This job description is not an employment contract, implied, or otherwise. The employment relationship remains “at will.” The aforementioned job requirements are subject to change to reasonably accommodate qualified disabled individuals.