Job Description:

SUMMARY

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Division of Communicable Disease Control (DCDC) and Heluna Health are recruiting for an Epidemiologist / Data Scientist for the CDPH Wastewater Surveillance Program. This position is supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) cooperative agreement.  The CDPH Wastewater Surveillance Program is a national Center of Excellence and a part of the CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS).

Wastewater, or sewage, can be tested for RNA from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, along with other infectious disease pathogens, such as Mpox and influenza. Wastewater data are used to augment existing public health surveillance and to help monitor infectious disease trends and outbreaks. This position will serve as an epidemiologist / data scientist on the CDPH wastewater surveillance team and is responsible for reporting, analysis, visualization, and interpretation of wastewater data as a complementary epidemiological surveillance tool to inform public health response.

Responsibilities of this position include data analysis, development of metrics and indicators, and epidemiologic interpretation of wastewater data. These data are generated by an evolving statewide wastewater surveillance program that includes close collaboration with multidisciplinary CDPH teams, the CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS), California wastewater utilities, public health and non-public health testing laboratories, local health departments, and other partners (e.g., academia, state partners). Wastewater data will be analyzed alongside epidemiologic data and environmental and laboratory parameters, for public health reporting, use, and response. Required data analysis, reporting, and visualization activities include using statistical software to compare multiple existing surveillance data sources with wastewater data. Analyses are varied and include advanced statistical methods, modelling, and spatial analyses to better understand trends and burden of disease and time series analyses to identify and interpret trends.

The Epidemiologist / Data Scientist will analyze wastewater concentration data for various pathogens. These pathogens can include those already being monitored in wastewater (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Mpox, norovirus, Candida auris) as well as pathogens being piloted for potential routine public health monitoring in wastewater (e.g., west nile virus, dengue). The Epidemiologist / Data Scientist will work with CDPH epidemiologists, subject matter experts, and local health departments to understand existing public health surveillance systems, needs for wastewater surveillance, and develop methods to effectively integrate wastewater monitoring for different pathogens into existing public health infrastructure. This position will also work with the CDPH modeling and genomics teams to utilize wastewater data to improve now-casting and fore-casting models. This position will also coordinate with other CDPH teams to use wastewater surveillance to support response efforts, preparedness, routine surveillance, and outbreak investigations.

The Epidemiologist / Data Scientist will lead and support special analytical projects related to wastewater and will be expected to communicate findings and results through presentations, written reports, and as appropriate, through publications. As needed, this position will also support other projects including, but not limited to, enhanced surveillance projects, outbreak investigations and surge efforts.

The salary range for this position is $79,000 to $ 98,000 annually depending on experience/qualifications.  

Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume to be considered.

This position is a fully remote working position. Some travel for conferences or meetings is expected.

Must be able to work flexible hours that may include occasional holidays and weekends.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 

• Generate routine summary reports for multiple pathogens for state and local health leadership.


• Conduct epidemiologic data analyses and lead data exploration of environmental data, including through time-series, multi-variate, and other statistical modeling.


• Compare wastewater results to other existing public health datasets for a variety of pathogens and diseases.


• Support CDPH wastewater and other epidemiologists to perform analytical projects based on emerging public health needs (e.g., mpox response).


• Support development of visualizations of wastewater surveillance study data including for reports and dashboards.


• Assist in interpretation of wastewater surveillance data to inform epidemiologic and programmatic public health decisions.


• Contribute intellectually to the design and implementation of wastewater surveillance to inform California public health response.


• Collaborate with other CDPH epidemiology, modeling, and genomic teams as well as CDPH subject matter experts to develop use cases and integrate and interpret wastewater data in the context of the overall public health needs.


• Collaborate with CDC, state and local public health departments, laboratories, sanitation agencies, and other partners (e.g., academia).


• Plan and participate in regular conference calls with CDC, local health officers, sanitation agencies, and other partners (e.g., academia).


• Collaborate effectively in a team environment.


• Conduct critical literature review of environmental and wastewater surveillance studies.


• Present on conference calls with partners, at meetings and scientific conferences.


• Write scientific reports, protocols, abstracts, and publications to communicate results and findings that advance public health uses of wastewater surveillance.


• Perform other duties as directed by leadership. 
  

JOB QUALIFICATIONS 

• Understanding of the fundamentals and principles of epidemiology, biostatistics, modeling, geographic information systems, public health and data visualization.


• Skills in statistics relevant to infectious disease epidemiology, including conception, execution and interpretation of statistics and a preference for experience in statistics tied to real-world or public health implications.


• Ability to perform data entry, clean data, and assess and ensure data quality with attention to detail.


• High level analytical and problem-solving skills.  


• Familiarity with statistical modeling.


• Familiarity with environmental surveillance techniques preferred.


• Experience writing scientific reports and journal publications strongly preferred.


• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing with public health, healthcare professionals, and internal partners.


• Completes assignments in a timely and efficient manner.


• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks and work independently.


• Knowledge and application of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements and protection of health information.


• Demonstrate reliability and integrity.


• Fluency in spoken English is required.

Education/Experience 

• Master’s degree in public health or related field, or equivalent work experience (e.g., 2 or more years in public or environmental health) required.


• Experience in data entry, management, cleaning and analyzing data.


• Experience in reporting and visualization of public health or epidemiologic data.


• Basic knowledge and experience in dashboard design preferred.


• Intermediate knowledge and experience with statistical software including R programming required.


• Intermediate-advanced knowledge of epidemiologic/biostatistical methods and modeling.


• Familiarity of GIS software such as ArcGIS, QGIS, or through other programming software (e.g., R) preferred.


• Familiarity with environmental or wastewater surveillance techniques and nuances of environmental data strongly preferred.


• Familiarity with code repositories (e.g., GitHub, Azure DevOps) and storage (e.g., Snowflake) is preferred.

Certificates/Licenses/Clearances 

• None

Other Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

• Knowledge of and skilled in the use of Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, and Power Point

 PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Stand: Frequently


• Walk: Frequently


• Sit: Frequently


• Handling / Fingering: Frequently


• Reach Outward: Occasionally


• Reach Above Shoulder: Occasionally


• Climb, Crawl, Kneel, Bend: Occasionally


• Lift / Carry: Occasionally - Up to 30 lbs


• Push/Pull: Occasionally - Up to 30 lbs


• See (Vision): Constantly


• Taste/ Smell: Not Applicable

KEY

• Occasionally = (0 - 2 hrs/day)


• Frequently = (2+ - 5 hrs/day)


• Constantly = (5+ hrs/day)


• Not Applicable = Not required for essential functions 
  

WORK ENVIRONMENT 

Primarily remote but occasional work in Richmond, CA.

Must have functioning internet access at remote location. 

EEOC STATEMENT

It is the policy of Heluna Health to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

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