Epidemiologist, Brain Health

Description

Position Summary:

Serve as an entry-level epidemiologist responsible for carrying out investigative and analytical epidemiologic activities related to the surveillance, detection, and prevention of diseases and injuries, with a primary program focus on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, brain health, healthy aging, caregiver needs, and dementia risk reduction. Working as a team member under the direction of the Dementia Program Director and with technical guidance from Senior Epidemiologists, conduct routine epidemiologic functions; develop, analyze, and interpret dementia-related data; provide technical assistance to Tribal Nations; and provide training on epidemiologic principles and the appropriate use of dementia and public health data. Support the development of culturally responsive data products that help Tribal partners understand dementia burden, disparities, risk and protective factors, service needs, and program outcomes. Attendance as scheduled is an essential function of this position. Travel is required. This position can be in our Green Bay, Wisconsin office, Madison, Wisconsin office or Grand Rapids, Michigan office. This position is not a remote position.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

· Provide epidemiologic functions, including the collection, management, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of federal, state, Tribal, clinical, survey, and program data relevant to dementia and brain health.

· Participate in epidemiologic investigations and studies using accepted scientific and technical methods to identify and evaluate dementia prevalence, cognitive health concerns, dementia-related outcomes, caregiver needs, service use, and related health conditions.

· Assess the availability, quality, completeness, comparability, and limitations of dementia-related data for American Indian and Alaska Native populations, and clearly communicate data gaps and cautions in interpretation.

· Assist in developing dementia surveillance approaches and indicators using available administrative, clinical, survey, mortality, hospitalization, Medicare or Medicaid, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, caregiving, and other appropriate data sources, subject to data-use requirements.

· Provide assistance with health data collection and the use of data for program planning, priority setting, grant reporting, and evaluation in dementia, healthy aging, caregiving, chronic disease, injury, infectious disease, maternal and child health, and other areas defined by service-area needs.

· Acquire, analyze, and summarize data for community health profiles and dementia or brain health data products for Tribes in the Bemidji area and nationally.

· Use descriptive and inferential epidemiologic methods to calculate and interpret counts, rates, proportions, trends, confidence intervals, age-adjusted measures, disparities, and other appropriate statistics.

· Examine modifiable dementia risk factors and protective factors, including cardiovascular health, diabetes, tobacco use, physical activity, social connection, hearing, education, and other relevant measures, while considering Indigenous social determinants of health and community strengths.

· Support analyses of dementia-related mortality, diagnosis patterns, potentially preventable utilization, access to assessment and services, caregiver burden, program reach, and health-system capacity when valid data are available.

· Use surveillance and program-monitoring systems to collect disease, health-outcome, caregiving, training, technical-assistance, and implementation data while maintaining data quality and confidentiality.

· Develop data-collection instruments, data dictionaries, codebooks, analysis plans, standard operating procedures, dashboards, tables, charts, maps, and other tools needed for dementia and brain health monitoring and evaluation.

· Apply quality-assurance procedures, document analytic decisions, maintain reproducible files, and consult senior staff regarding small numbers, unstable estimates, missing data, misclassification, and other analytic limitations.

· Conduct literature reviews and environmental scans and assist in preparing reports using behavioral science, demographic, evaluation, and epidemiologic methods related to dementia risk reduction, healthy aging, caregiving, early detection, and dementia-capable systems.

· Translate epidemiologic findings into clear, culturally responsive summaries for Tribal leaders, clinic staff, program staff, caregivers, community members, academic audiences, and funding agencies without overstating conclusions.

· Make oral presentations to scientific and non-scientific audiences on dementia burden, risk and protective factors, data limitations, evaluation findings, and implications for Tribal public health programming.

· Respond to requests for dementia, caregiving, brain health, and other public health information from community partners and follow each request through completion, including written and oral responses.

· Work with Tribal, state, federal, and Indian Health Service partners to acquire appropriate data, develop health profiles, coordinate data-use agreements, and support dementia-related training and initiatives with Tribes.

· Respect Tribal sovereignty and Tribal data sovereignty; follow Tribal approvals, data-use agreements, privacy requirements, disclosure-review procedures, and community expectations governing data access, analysis, interpretation, dissemination, and ownership.

· Engage Tribal partners in determining priority questions, interpreting findings, identifying appropriate context, and deciding how results should be communicated and used.

· Coordinate with Epidemiologists serving Tribes in the Bemidji area and nationally to produce regional dementia and public health data products, write semi-annual and annual reports, provide training, and support program advisory committees.

· Participate in the development of work agreements with Tribal, state, county, and local public health agencies, health systems, academic partners, and medical providers.

· Support evaluation of grant activities and other brain health initiatives by developing measures, monitoring reach and implementation, analyzing outcomes, and reporting findings.

· Participate in research and evaluation projects assigned by the Dementia Program Director, Senior Epidemiologist, and Epidemiology Center Director; follow technical direction and integrate community and program perspectives.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities:

· Participate in writing grant applications, continuation materials, evaluation plans, data-management plans, progress reports, and other funding proposals.

· Engage in networking activities to maintain awareness of dementia surveillance methods, data sources, caregiver and clinical resources, and technical assistance available to Tribal communities.

· Assure that epidemiologic services and data products are delivered in a culturally responsive manner and that interpretation acknowledges historical, social, environmental, and health-system context.

· Participate on committees, advisory groups, and workgroups within and outside the organization as deemed necessary and appropriate by the supervisor.

· Attend required training sessions, meetings, technical conferences, and seminars to remain current in epidemiology, dementia surveillance, data visualization, statistical methods, and Tribal public health practice.

· Perform other duties as necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of this position.

Working Relationships and Scope:

Reports directly to the Dementia Program Director and receives technical epidemiology guidance from the Senior Epidemiologist. Works independently with acquired experience. The supervisor assigns projects, establishes deadlines, and provides assistance and guidance. Planning, coordination, analytic methods, data interpretation, disclosure review, and executi