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.
JOB SUMMARY
This position involves high level epidemiological support to the Philadelphia Fire Department EMS in managing and reporting of data relating to the overdose crisis. The person filling this position is responsible for data abstraction, management and analysis of EMS-related datasets, in particular those relating to 911 calls for suspected drug overdose, naloxone administrations and reversals, and transports to emergency departments. These data will be captured to assess trends in overdoses being attended to by first responders. This position will also be heavily involved in the tracking of data collected as part of an initiative to ensure that individuals who refuse transport to a hospital emergency department are provided with treatment resources, referrals, and take-home naloxone. This position will also be involved in fulfilling grant-related reporting requirements, as needed. The person filling this position will work very closely with staff within the Health Department’s Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction, the Medical Examiner’s Office, the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, the Police Department, and with academic, healthcare and community partners across the City.
JOB SPECIFICATIONS
Responsibilities/Duties
Under the supervision of the Philadelphia Fire Department and the Philadelphia Health Department, the EMS Epidemiologist will perform the following essential job functions:
- Develop, refine, and perform data cleaning/quality assurance routines for substance use-related EMS datasets.
- Abstract, analyze, and clean data on suspected drug overdoses, naloxone reversals, leave-behind naloxone, and EMS transports to emergency departments.
- Determine the reliability of naloxone administration data as a proxy measure for opioid overdoses.
- Develop, refine, and oversee production of regular internal data reports.
- Fulfill internal and external requests for drug-related EMS data.
- Perform data matches of drug-related EMS data to additional data sources, including vital statistics data from the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office.
- Identify barriers to programmatic goals and assess and implement solutions, including recommendations for improving data collection processes.
- Oversee collection and timely reporting of grant-related data.
- Serve as a representative for grantee teleconferences/meetings.
- Summarize analytic findings for presentation at scientific conferences and publication in technical and scientific journals.
- Participate in Emergency Preparedness drills, exercises, and trainings for the Fire Department and the Health Department, as needed.
- Perform management, cleaning, and analysis of EMS data, as might be requested within the Fire Department.
Education and Experience
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
Skills/Experience
- Knowledge of substance use and drug related terminology.
- Experience with medical data abstraction and chart review.
- Knowledge of the principles and procedures of epidemiological research including study design or epidemiological surveys, theory and application of epidemiological methodologies, principles and methods of biostatistics, and preparation of scientific research reports.
- Strong analytical abilities using statistical analysis software such as SAS or R.
- Experience with database development (REDCap, MS Access, or similar software)
- Training or experience with mapping software (ArcGIS preferred)
- Ability to analyze data, and write project proposals and technical reports
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Ability to analyze and think critically to apply reasonable judgement and problem-solving skills.
- Experience working and conducting research with health and prevention service agencies.
- Excellent organizational skills
- Ability to work as part of a team, to prioritize and handle multiple tasks, and to work independently in a high-pressure environment.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with persons contacted in the course of work
- Sensitivity to and experience working with ethnically, culturally and sexually diverse individuals, communities, agencies and organizations.
Work Environment: Standard office setting with extended periods at workstation and periodic use of office equipment. Strongly encouraged to shadow Philadelphia Fire Department EMS personnel in field, when needed.
Position Type and Work Schedule: Full time position, typical hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Flexible in-office schedule options available with PDPH and PFD supervisor approval.
Travel: Local travel to multiple sites and community meetings a few times a month.
Physical Demands: None
Salary and Benefits: 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.