Position Title: Epidemiologist
Reports to: Senior Project Lead, New Bedford, U.S. Public Health Accompaniment Unit
Location: Massachusetts, United States; requires ability to work in-person in New Bedford, MA at New Bedford Health Department Offices at least 3x per week
Employment Type: Full-time; exempt and temporary through June 2021 (may include evenings and weekends)

Project Overview:

Leveraging PIH’s experience and lessons learned from our COVID contact tracing collaboration with the state of Massachusetts, and our 30 years of global work in emergency epidemic response and health systems strengthening, PIH has launched a new team to accompany U.S. states, cities and community partners in rapidly scaling up contact tracing and building more equitable and effective public health responses to COVID-19 in the US.

The U.S. Public Health Accompaniment Unit team works to accompany public sector and community partners on the frontlines of the public health response to COVID-19, to address this acute-on-chronic public health crisis, by providing technical assistance and knowledge sharing platforms to accelerate implementation of effective, equitable COVID-19 responses. As part of a broad portfolio of work, the U.S. Public Health Accompaniment Unit is launching a new COVID-19 response partnership with the Health Department in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The city of New Bedford is home to more than 100,000 residents, roughly twenty percent of whom have incomes below the Federal poverty line, and has recently been among the highest-rated municipalities in Massachusetts for COVID-19 transmission.

Partners In Health is building a COVID-19 response team to support the New Bedford Health Department to reinforce contact tracing and cluster investigation efforts; support testing, community education and outreach; and collaborate to build and execute a COVID-19 community vaccination campaign, ultimately serving to support New Bedford’s response to the epidemic and serving as a model public health team for other municipalities.

Position Overview:

As a member of the PIH COVID-19 response team, the Epidemiologist will be responsible for supporting the New Bedford Health Department in analyzing epidemiological data to strengthen community outreach, department decision-making, and planning. This individual will be an integral member of a multi-disciplinary team whose work will inform the full cascade of the COVID-19 response in New Bedford from testing to contact tracing and vaccine planning.

Responsibilities:

• Perform epidemiological analyses of New Bedford COVID-19 data and develop associated data visualizations and reports
• Lead planning, development, coordination, and conduct of specific epidemiological investigations or studies under the guidance of PIH and Health Department leadership
• Coordinate with New Bedford Health Department team members, the Massachusetts Community Tracing Collaborative, state officials, and relevant partner organizations to assist in the collection of epidemiological data
• Disseminate results of investigations, special studies, and surveillance to New Bedford Health Department leadership and city officials to factor into improved decision-making and planning
• Participate in US Public Health Accompaniment Unit cross-team meetings and trainings
• Contribute learnings and insights from work to broader US Public Health Accompaniment Unit resource library and learning collaborative
• Maintain daily contact with New Bedford Health Department leadership and New Bedford COVID-19 team

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Laboratory Sciences, Microbiology, Public Health, or related field of study required
• Advanced degree including Masters in Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, or related field preferred
• 3-5+ years professional experience desired
• Experience with a wide range of statistical/data analyses and dataset types
• Expertise in data analysis software (e.g. R, Stata, SAS, etc.) preferred
• Database management and data cleaning experience, including data quality checks
• Experience creating data visualizations
• Ability to take initiative and interest in tackling complex problems, working with an interdisciplinary team to execute solutions
• Exemplary interpersonal skills; ability to collaborate effectively with staff and leadership across a diverse range of departments and organizations
• Excellent organizational and communication skills
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and professionalism
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and health equity
• Ability to work onsite at the New Bedford Health Department at least 3x/week required
• Fluency in additional languages (Spanish, Cape Verdean Creole, K’iche, Portuguese, or Haitian Kreyol) a plus

Organizational Profile

Partners In Health (PIH) is an international health organization relentlessly committed to improving the health of the poor and marginalized. PIH partners with local governments to build local capacity and works closely with impoverished communities to deliver high-quality health care, address the root causes of illness, train providers, advance research, and advocate for global policy change.

PIH currently has implementation programs in Haiti, Rwanda, Lesotho, Liberia, Kazakhstan, Malawi, Peru, Mexico, Sierra Leone and Navajo Nation. Through our partnership with Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, we support a wide range of programs in dozens of other countries around the world.

Partners In Health (PIH) is committed to the fundamental principle of equal opportunity and equal treatment for every prospective and current employee. It is the policy of PIH not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex and gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law. PIH works in and with a number of governments in and outside the U.S., and to the extent applicable, this statement is intended to incorporate the prohibition of any unlawful discrimination covered by applicable laws in such countries, states and municipalities.