Violence & Injury Death Data Abstractor (Researcher 2 - PN 20013912)

About Us

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is committed to advancing the health and well-being of all Ohioans by building a modern, vibrant public health system. Within the Bureau of Health Improvement and Wellness (BHIW), the vision is to create a healthier and safer future for every community, ensuring all Ohioans have access and opportunity to be healthy and free from preventable chronic disease, violence, and injury. BHIW focuses on evidence-based programs, partnerships, and data utilization to prevent and manage chronic disease, violence, and injury, while promoting healthy lifestyles and improving access to care.

Responsibilities

• Collect, review, and analyze sensitive violent-death and injury data—including coroner records, law enforcement reports, autopsy findings, and crime laboratory documentation—submitted to the Ohio Violent Death Reporting System (OH-VDRS).
• Enter, format, clean, and validate sensitive case data in OH-VDRS and Access databases in alignment with national reporting guidelines.
• Retrieve and analyze complex injury-related data to identify trends, gaps, and inconsistencies using statistical tools such as SAS and Excel.
• Perform statewide site visits to coroner offices and law enforcement agencies to obtain records, abstract data on-site, and strengthen participation in OH-VDRS.
• Collaborate with data owners and reporting sources to improve data collection processes, submission accuracy, and compliance with reporting standards.
• Develop and document research tools, data abstraction methods, coding procedures, and analysis workflows to support program consistency and quality.
• Prepare technical reports, tabulations, presentations, newsletters, and web content to communicate findings to agency leadership and violence-prevention stakeholders.
• Represent the OH-VDRS program at public and professional events; provide training and technical assistance to abstractors and partner organizations.

Requirements

Minimum qualifications include one of the following:

• 12 months of training or experience in conducting research studies using operational, mathematical, analytical, or statistical research techniques and preparing reports, records, or technical evaluations related to research conducted.
• 12 months of experience as a Researcher 1 (66921).
• Equivalent of the minimum class qualifications for employment noted above.

Qualifications

Applications meeting the minimum qualifications will be further evaluated based on the following preferred criteria:

• Associate’s or advanced degree in public health, criminology, or psychology.
• Experience with data abstraction.
• Experience with coroner or law enforcement records and/or data.
• Experience in coding data (e.g., using coding manuals).
• Experience in extracting, analyzing, interpreting, and presenting data.
• Experience with Statistical Analysis Software (SAS).
• Experience in preparing and generating technical reports.

All eligible applications will be reviewed considering qualifications, experience, education, and active disciplinary record.

Skills

• Technical Skills: Data Entry, Database Administration, Data Visualization, Public Health.
• Professional Skills: Analyzation, Attention to Detail, Collaboration, Continuous Improvement, Interpreting Data.

Educational Transcript Requirements

Official educational transcripts are required for all post-high school educational accomplishments, coursework, or degrees claimed on the application. Applicants must submit an official transcript prior to receiving a formal offer of employment. Failure to provide transcripts within five (5) working days of being requested will result in elimination from further consideration. An official transcript must be an original copy from the educational institution and include an institutional watermark, ink stamp, or embossed stamp. Transcripts printed from the institution's website will not be accepted. ODH reserves the right to assess the academic credibility of an educational entity's award of a putative degree.

Pay

$26.54 per hour.

Schedule

Full-time, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.

Work Location

Health Department Building, Franklin County, Columbus, Ohio.