4D20
MEDICAL EPIDEMIOLOGIST

This is medical and administrative work developing, implementing and evaluating the City's public health epidemiological activities. Work involves utilizing medical, social and behavioral sciences, epidemiology and biostatistics to assist in the development and implementation of the City's disease control program. The investigation of acute and chronic diseases and the design of epidemiological studies to identify specific disease risk factors in order to recommend proper control measures are major aspects of the work. Work also involves providing consultant services to the medical community including private practitioners on communicable disease problems.

The employee in this class has prime responsibility for direct disease control consultation with the medical community and epidemiologic investigations of communicable and selected chronic diseases. In an epidemic situation the incumbent should be familiar with methods of developing and coordinating immunization programs in the community and city school system. Work is performed under the general direction of a medical superior.

• Receives and reviews reports of disease outbreak situations in institutions; confers with reporting physicians and recommends courses of action to limit spread of disease in these situations; personally examines patients to confirm diagnoses of reporting physicians, when necessary; plans, conducts or provides direction for epidemiologic investigation to determine source of disease outbreak.
• Confers with hospital infectious disease control personnel on periodic basis to determine incidence of selected diseases or conditions of public health importance; provides epidemiologic follow-up for cases of specific diseases of public health importance in an attempt to identify risk factors associated with these diseases; performs epidemiologic analysis of data relating to reports of specific disease(s) to determine reason for any significant change in disease incidence; prepares and submits written reports of disease outbreak situations or epidemiologic investigations to medical supervisor.
• Provides consultation, via telephone, to medical professionals in the public and private sector in the area of communicable disease control; recommends diagnostic, therapeutic and prophylactic measures in accordance with departmental policies and procedures.
• Prepares for release to medical community informational reports on matters of public health interest and importance. Makes presentations to physicians and other medical professionals concerning communicable diseases and disease control activities.
• Receives and responds to inquiries from the general public on matters relating to control of communicable diseases.
• Instructs non-physician epidemiologist as to what specimens to collect in specific situations, how to collect these specimens correctly, how to correctly submit these specimens for analysis, from whom to collect the specimens, how to determine who may be at risk in different situations, and what recommendation to make to family members.
• Provides coverage, by telephone, for the disease control division during evenings, weekends, and holidays on a rotating basis.
• Designs and conducts epidemiologic studies on disease and conditions of public health importance.
• Performs related work as required.

KNOWLEDGE OF:
• the current principles, practices, methods, literature and new developments in the field of community disease control
• the principles, practices and current developments of general medicine as it applies to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, particularly in the field of infectious diseases
• the principles and practices of epidemiology and biostatistics
• current developments in health research as it relates to disease control
ABILITY TO:
• collect, analyze and summarize data in epidemiologic reports
• speak before public groups, both professional and non professional
• make complex medical information understandable to general public
• evaluate, diagnose and recommend medical treatment for patients with communicable or chronic diseases

EDUCATION
• Graduation from an accredited school of medicine or osteopathy with a degree of Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy and completion of three years of post graduate clinical training in internal medicine, preventive medicine, or pediatrics.
AND
EXPERIENCE
• Two years of experience as an epidemiologist for a public jurisdiction or major medical institution including conducting outbreak investigations, disease surveillance and providing epidemiologic consultations to the medical community or in conducting epidemiologic studies of public health importance.

NOTE:

Possession of a Certificate in Infectious Diseases, General Preventive Medicine, or Public Health, issued by the appropriate specialty board, or an advanced degree in an appropriate field or area may be substituted for up to one year of the above experience.

• Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required of a position in this class.

• Possession of a license to practice medicine or osteopathy in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania issued by the State Board of Medical Education and Licensure or the State Board of Osteopathic Examiners.