STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE BRANCH JOBS

Epidemiologist 1 (Infectious/Chronic Diseases) (35 Hour)

Hybrid

Recruitment #240829-0285HC-002

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Introduction

Looking for a rewarding career in Public Health? This team makes a difference in people’s lives every day. We encourage you to apply today!

The State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health (DPH) is seeking a dynamic, motivated, and culturally sensitive individual for an Epidemiologist 1 (Infectious/Chronic Diseases) position to serve as a Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS).  This position will work within the STD Prevention and Control Program and regularly interact with colleagues in the HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Tuberculosis (TB) programs.  The STD Prevention and Control Program is committed to employing a diverse and skilled workforce representative of the communities we serve. If you want to join this expanding field of Public Health and make a difference in the health and well-being of Connecticut residents, this job is for you.

The role of the DIS is to prevent the spread of communicable diseases, including Sexually Transmitted Infections such as HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and viral hepatitis. DIS confidentially contact and connect people to testing and treatment services, identify people at risk of infection, and notify people exposed to an infection. DIS are the backbone of public health programs across the country, working in the community with diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic populations, and persons with limited access to health care, diverse socioeconomic status, clients with substance or alcohol use disorder, or housing instability.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Program: STD Prevention and Control Program 
  • Location: Hartford, CT
  • Work Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week
  • Schedule: First shift, Typically Monday through Friday with opportunity for a partial telework schedule to support a healthy work-life balance.
DISCOVER THE OPPORTUNITY TO:
  • Ensure the STD Prevention and Control Program continues its vital work in preventing the spread of HIV, STDs, and other infectious diseases in Connecticut.
  • Identify and link HIV-positive individuals who are out of care or at risk of being out of care to appropriate care services.
  • Locate, counsel, and elicit sexual contacts of persons with acute HIV and possible other STDs.
  • Receive training in HIV, STDs, Hepatitis, and other infectious diseases as a member of the DIS team.
  • Work directly with clients to ensure they receive the necessary care, prevent further spread of diseases, and maintain client and partner confidentiality.
We are looking for individuals with special skills and lived experiences that can be hard to find, and things that don’t automatically come from special training or degrees.

Are you:
  • Observant-Are you good at reading people and situations? Are you sensitive to body language, social cues, and other patterns of behavior? Do you listen closely to what people say – and don’t say – to “read between the lines” and interpret the thoughts and feelings that people hold back?
  • Helpful-Is it easy for you to image how other people feel and understand their point of view? Do you prefer to focus on solutions to problems instead of hurdles? Do you have a passion for helping make people’s lives easier or better?
  • Outgoing-Are you a “people person” by nature? Do you like getting to know new people who are different from you? Are you naturally talkative and friendly? Is it easy for you to negotiate, find compromise and gain the cooperation of others?
  • A Problem Solver-Are you naturally curious and enjoy learning new things? Do you like puzzles or finding ways to solve a problem? Are you always thinking about how something could be improved or done better? Does it really bother you when something doesn’t make sense? Do you always need to know how things work and the “why” behind a situation?
  • Capable-Are you flexible and organized under stress? Are you a good multi-tasker who deals well with changes? Are you someone who stays prepared? When you fail or experience a setback, are you able to keep going and try something different? Do you keep a level head when things get out of control? Do people often ask you for your advice?
  • Bilingual in Spanish, Portuguese, including Brazilian, Haitian Creole, or another language other than English.
If so, then we have an excellent opportunity for you to join our growing team and really make a difference in people’s lives.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU
    MORE ABOUT US
    The Mission of DPH is to protect and improve the health and safety of the people of Connecticut by assuring:

    • The conditions in which people can be healthy;
    • Preventing disease, injury, and disability; and
    • Promoting the equal enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, which is a human right and a priority of the state.

    DPH accomplishes this through the implementation of its Strategic Plan which outlines the actions that DPH is taking to accomplish its Mission.

    START WITH US. STAY WITH US. GROW WITH US.

    Selection Plan

    FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING: 

    Please read or watch our Applicant Tips on How to Apply!


    Please Note: For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.

    TO APPLY
    • In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified. 
    • In order to receive educational credits toward qualification for this job posting, the institution must be accredited.  If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the recruiter listed on this job posting.
    • You must specify your qualifications on your application. You will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.
    • In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.
    • All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.
    • This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.
    AFTER YOU APPLY 
    • Although applicants will receive correspondence via email and/or phone, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. 
    • This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.
    • NOTE: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
    • The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
    • Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position. Read through this helpful link to prepare for your interview.
    • Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State Employees which is available at www.ct.gov/ethics.
      CONNECT WITH US 
      • Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process.
      • Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Pamela Rochette at Pamela.Rochette@ct.gov. 

      PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

      In the Department of Public Health this class is accountable for assisting in the compilation and interpretation of epidemiologic/scientific data and statistics including field investigations and literature review.

      EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

      • Assists program staff in epidemiologic investigations of acute and chronic diseases; 
      • Assists in interviewing of individuals relative to disease outbreaks; 
      • Under supervision of an Epidemiologist of higher grade, maintains a surveillance system capable of detecting risk factors and changes in disease patterns; 
      • Makes appropriate contacts with public health and other agencies, health professionals, hospitals, etc. to facilitate disease follow up and surveillance; 
      • Answers general informational questions from the public and medical community; 
      • Regularly reviews scientific literature to maintain a current knowledge of pertinent disease processes; 
      • May administer biologics or collect specimens such as blood and urine samples, throat and rectal swabs under supervision of a physician; 
      • May compile statistics and do less complex calculations and interpretations; 
      • Performs related duties as required.

      KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

      • Knowledge of
        • infectious/chronic disease epidemiology; 
        • relevant disease processes which affect humans and animals; 
        • epidemiological methods; 
        • basic biological processes; 
      • Skills
        • interpersonal skills; 
        • oral and written communications skills; 
      • Ability to
        • research scientific literature and develop and gather data.

      MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

      Five (5) years of experience in a responsible technical or professional capacity in epidemiological investigations.

      MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

      • College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
      • A Master's degree in a related discipline including community medicine, public health or a related health science may be substituted for the General Experience.
      • A Doctorate in a related discipline such as medicine, public health or a natural or behavioral science may be substituted for the General Experience.
      • Successful completion of a Connecticut Careers Trainee program approved by the Department of Administrative Services may be substituted for the General Experience.

      PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

      • Experience working with the HIV positive population, monitoring, evaluating HIV partner services, and assisting clients who were lost from care to re-access care.
      • Experience working with data, including maintaining confidentiality and security of personal health information, data collection, data entry, and performing descriptive analysis.
      • Experience performing community outreach in underserved communities and addressing each client’s unique needs in culturally component manner.
      • Experience contacting public health agencies, hospitals, medical providers, community-based organizations and/or the public to facilitate disease follow up and surveillance and/or answer general questions to facilitate healthcare, medical case management, and community-based resources.
      • Experience giving oral presentations to healthcare providers, stakeholders and /or community members.

      SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

      • Incumbents in this class must be willing to be immunized for communicable diseases as necessary and appropriate.
      • Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

      WORKING CONDITIONS

      Incumbents in this class may be exposed to communicable diseases and hazardous substances.

      Conclusion

      AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

      The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

      As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.




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