Maternal Mortality & Morbidity Epidemiologist

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

The Division of Maternal, Child, and Family Health (MCFH) of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) is seeking to hire a passionate individual with public health evaluation/data analytic experience for the position of Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Epidemiologist. The MMM Epidemiologist will be responsible for:

  1. Supporting the Philadelphia Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC). The Philadelphia MMRC was established in 2010 as a diverse committee of clinical and non-clinical partners across the City to routinely review all cases of maternal deaths among Philadelphia residents and develop recommendations to prevent future deaths.
  2. Overseeing the implementation of a new Severe Maternal Morbidity (SMM) Surveillance System. This is a new surveillance initiative that aims to better quantify the prevalence of severe maternal morbidities in Philadelphia through active case identification with Philadelphia birthing hospitals. Activities also include evaluating the validity of this new surveillance system and developing a case review structure, like MMRC, to inform public health action.
  3. Conducting evaluation activities specifically for Organizing Voices for Action (OVA) which is the action arm for the Philadelphia Maternal Mortality Review Committee. The OVA is a diverse coalition led by PDPH MCFH to implement recommendations from the MMRC. Implementation teams within the OVA include early warning signs training of maternal morbidity, intimate partner violence screening and referrals, investment in community-based organizations, and more.

This position will report to the MCFH Lead Epidemiologist and collaborate closely with Medical Officer of Women’s Health, Maternal Health Nurse Manager, Nurse Abstractor, and Maternal Health Coordinator for Community Projects.

The mission of MCFH is to empower all Philadelphia mothers, children, and families to create and live healthy lives. We are committed to eliminating racial health disparities and elevating community voice. We accomplish our mission through coalition building, data and evaluation, policy and advocacy, public health campaigns, direct service, and capacity building.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Responsibilities/Duties:

  • Maternal Mortality Review Committee
    • Request medical records from healthcare institutions for identified cases of pregnancy-associated deaths and coordinate with Nurse Abstractor to develop de-identified case summaries
    • Maintain existing relationships with organizations that provide data for MMRC and assist in expansion to new data sources
    • Coordinate case identification and case review between Medical Examiner’s Office and internal MMRC team
    • Routinely review data in MMRIA database and collaborate with Nurse Abstractor to address any identified data quality issues
    • Attend monthly meetings with funders & State partners and monthly Analyst Office hours
    • Respond to data requests and researcher partnership requests related to maternal mortality
    • Analyze maternal mortality data to develop reports, data briefs, and presentations
  • Severe Maternal Morbidity Surveillance
    • Identify and build relationships with hospital champions from each of the five Philadelphia birthing facilities to report cases of severe maternal morbidity
    • Assess data quality of reported cases of SMM and collaborate with hospital champions to improve reporting
    • Routinely link cases of SMM to vital statistics datasets including birth, death, and fetal death data
    • Manage SMM surveillance system within REDCap and make changes to improve the database structure
    • Collaborate with Medical Officer of Women’s Health to develop a case review process for SMM surveillance
    • Conduct an analysis using PHC4 (hospital discharge data) and hospital reported data to evaluate the validity of the SMM Surveillance System
    • Conduct literature reviews on new research related to severe maternal morbidity
    • Analyze data and develop presentations, reports, and data briefs to share with internal and external stakeholders
  • Program Evaluation
    • Support program evaluation activities for OVA implementation teams addressing maternal mortality and morbidity
    • Work with community stakeholders and local researchers to develop evaluation plans for OVA initiatives using a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach
    • Prepare or facilitate submissions to PDPH IRB, as needed
    • Design data collection instruments, such as surveys, and interview guides, and implement data collection for new initiatives
    • Manage current evaluation efforts including the evaluation of the Early Warning Signs Training and quarterly reporting survey for programs funded by the Merck for Mothers grant
    • Conduct literature reviews and needs assessments to inform the development of new programs.
    • Assist with grant writing

Education

  • Masters in public health with a concentration in epidemiology or biostatistics, or MA/MS in biostatistics or statistics is strongly preferred.
  • AND 3-5 years of demonstrated experience in research, evaluation, or data analysis.

SKILLS/EXPERIENCE

  • Knowledge of and experience with epidemiological or social science research methods) including study design, methodology, and preparation of scientific reports
  • Strong oral and written communication skills
  • Ability to summarize findings for a variety of audiences (e.g., scientists, clinicians, policy makers, funders, and the public)
  • Strong organizational skills
  • Strong analytic abilities with statistical software (SAS preferred)
  • Able to work as part of a team, prioritize and manage multiple tasks and deadlines, work independently, take initiative, and follow projects through to completion.
  • Experience with mapping or dashboard data visualizations desired.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Standard office setting at workstation and periodic use of office equipment. This position will initially be a hybrid model with two days of in-office work and three days of remote work. This is subject to change to full in-office work.

POSITION TYPE AND WORK SCHEDULE:  Full time position, typical hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.

TRAVEL:  Local travel to multiple sites and community meetings, upon request.

 PHYSICAL DEMANDS:  Transporting materials is limited to travel, if needed.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

$55,000 - $70,000 and is commensurate with experience and qualifications. 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.