Electronic Case Data Specialist

Title:  Electronic Case Data Specialist

Location: 2 N. Meridian St. Indianapolis, IN 46204

Interview:- Webcam only

Purpose of Position/Summary:

The Electronic Case Reporting Specialist serves as an Indiana state employee in the HIV/STD/HEP Division at the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH). The purpose of this position is to minimize morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases among Indiana residents by conducting a broad and complex range of investigative and analytical epidemiologic activities. The scope of this position includes, but is not limited to:

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

• Act as the lead for establishing and implementing electronic case reporting for infectious diseases within the HIV/STD/HEP Division;

• Conduct authoring for electronic case reporting within the Reportable Conditions Knowledge Management System (RCKMS) for all reportable conditions;

• Serve as the liaison to subject matter experts and the Office of Technology & Compliance regarding electronic case reporting;

• Create educational materials regarding electronic case reporting for both internal and external stakeholders;

• Assis the NBS/Surveillance team in implementing workflows and automation within the state surveillance system, NBS, to process electronic case reports;

• Maintain current subject matter knowledge of the epidemiology and biology of infectious diseases;

• Provide epidemiologic consultation and technical assistance to local health departments, health care providers, veterinarians, and the general public with respect to electronic case reporting;

• Conduct routine epidemiologic surveillance for infectious diseases;

• Lead or coordinate epidemiologic investigations of individual cases and/or outbreaks of infectious diseases;

• Design and conduct applied epidemiologic studies of infectious diseases;

• Manage and analyze data collected through routine surveillance, public health investigations, and applied epidemiologic studies;

• Prepare and disseminate written and oral reports and presentations that communicate necessary information to internal and external partners;

• Conduct educational presentations and/or trainings regarding electronic case reporting for a variety of audiences, including local health departments, health care providers, veterinarians, 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 ISDH Office of Public Affairs;

• Evaluate the impact of legislation or policy proposals at the invitation and direction of the ISDH Director of Legislative Affairs;

• Serve as the IDOH epidemiologist on call after business hours for approximately two to three weeks per year;

• Perform related duties as assigned.

Job Requirements:

• Education:

o A master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., public health, biological sciences, or social sciences) and = 2 years’ relevant public health experience, OR

o A doctoral-level degree in epidemiology or other relevant field, OR

o A graduate 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

o A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and = 4 years of relevant public health experience.

• Knowledge, skills, and abilities:

o Knowledge of the epidemiology and biology of infectious diseases;

o Knowledge of state laws and regulations as well as federal public health guidance documents pertaining to infectious diseases;

o Skill in identification of public health problems pertinent to Indiana residents;

o Skill in conducting epidemiologic surveillance activities, including selection and use of appropriate field methods as well as use and evaluation of public health surveillance systems;

o Skill in eliciting relevant information from patients in structured or unstructured telephone interviews;

o Skill in conducting public health investigations of individual cases and/or outbreaks of infectious diseases;

o Skill in designing descriptive and analytical epidemiologic investigations, including hypothesis generation;

o Skill in managing large datasets, performing complex data analyses, and identifying key findings;

o Skill in recommending evidence-based interventions and control measures in response to epidemiologic findings;

o Skill in preparing written and oral reports, presentations, and educational materials that communicate necessary information to internal and external partners;

o Skill in applying principles of informatics, including data collection, processing, and analysis, in support of epidemiologic practice

o Demonstrated skill in statistical, analytical, and/or geospatial software (e.g., EpiInfo, SAS, ArcGIS, SQL, SPSS, R, Python, Stata, etc.);

o Ability to identify appropriate laboratory resources and use them appropriately;

o Ability to provide prompt, courteous, and helpful customer service;

o Ability to collaborate with others inside and outside the agency to identify public health problems and form recommendations;

o Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, using principles of risk communication where appropriate;

o Ability to prioritize tasks efficiently to meet internal and external deadlines;

o Ability to appropriately document work activities and maintain organized records.

Supervisory Responsibilities/Direct Reports:

They may be responsible for directing and coordinating the work of interns assigned to the program.

Difficulty of Work:

The incumbent must have or rapidly acquire expert knowledge of the epidemiology of infectious diseases. They must use this knowledge and their critical thinking skills to ascertain the existence of public health threats, conduct public health investigations, and identify appropriate interventions. The incumbent will routinely exercise independent judgment to identify appropriate actions in complex situations that are not explicitly described in state regulations and public health guidance documents. The incumbent must routinely reorganize their work activities to prioritize emergent public health threats, often with little to no advance warning. They are expected to show initiative in independently identifying and executing process improvements and/or special projects that would benefit ISDH and Indiana residents. Failure of the incumbent to properly execute their duties could have grave consequences for Indiana residents.

Responsibility:

The incumbent is expected to support IDOH's vision, comply with agency administrative and fiscal policies, and practice cultural sensitivity in all work activities. The incumbent must have knowledge of state and federal privacy laws and protect patient confidentiality at all times. The incumbent initially works under the close supervision of their supervisor, but works more independently with acquired experience. The supervisor sets the overall objectives and determines what resources are available. The incumbent and the supervisor will work together to develop guidelines, projects, and work to be done. The incumbent plans, directs, monitors, evaluates and identifies needs and resolves most conflicts within assigned projects. The incumbent interprets and applies policies in terms of established goals, objectives, and accepted practices. The incumbent is expected to bring controversial or complex issues to the attention of the supervisor for more detailed direction and guidance. The incumbent is expected to keep the supervisor informed of progress and potentially critical items. Completed work is reviewed for feasibility, conformance to program policy and practices, and effectiveness in meeting specific goals and objectives.

Personal Work Relationships:

The incumbent is a part of the NBS/Surveillance program within the Epidemiology Resource Center at IDOH. The incumbent works closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the IDOH Laboratories, health care providers, veterinarians, 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.