Epidemiologist

About the role

The Epidemiologist will play a crucial role in shaping Iowa's overdose prevention and response strategies. They will transform data into actionable insights to support public health initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Explore overdose trends and identify emerging risks across Iowa
• Analyze fatal and nonfatal overdose data using SAS and advanced epidemiologic methods
• Support creative surveillance projects, including the rapid opioid death detection (RODD) initiative
• Produce engaging dashboards, fact sheets, briefs, and visualizations
• Provide technical assistance to SUDORS abstractors and DOSE reporting sites
• Conduct literature reviews to strengthen surveillance and inform public health actions
• Collaborate with the OD2A-S team, contractors, and statewide partners
• Present data clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Participate in CDC grantee meetings, Iowa OD2A workgroups, and national collaborations
• Support Division-wide data quality standards and epidemiologic reviews

Requirements

• 6 months' experience, 12 semester hours, or a combination of both related to improving, maintaining, and protecting the general condition of health within society
• 6 months' experience in providing service, treatment or assessment to those affected by mental health challenges
• 6 months' experience in prevention programs, clinical substance abuse, or preventative abuse
• 6 months experience in epidemiology, involving surveillance for various diseases and developing protocols and procedures for data collection and analysis
• 6 months experience in quantitative social science research, including developing research methodologies and data collection methods, using statistical software, and analyzing data

Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a graduate degree in public health with at least two courses related to the principles and practice of epidemiology
• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a non-public health graduate degree with at least two courses related to the principles and practice of epidemiology
• Three years of experience in applied epidemiology in an infectious, noninfectious, or chronic diseases program

Skills

• Passionate about public health and energized by work that helps communities thrive
• Analytical, curious, and eager to dive into complex datasets
• Innovative and comfortable exploring new surveillance approaches
• A strong communicator who can make complex data understandable
• Collaborative, team-oriented, and enthusiastic about partnership work
• Organized and detail-focused with a commitment to accuracy
• Flexible, adaptable, and ready to respond to emerging trends
• Inspired by the mission to make Iowa healthier and safer for all

Benefits

• Health, Dental, and Vision Coverage
• Paid Time Off
• Retirement Plans
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Discount Programs

Pay

Competitive salary

Schedule

Full-time