JOB DESCRIPTION

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner investigates cases of persons who die within New York City from criminal violence, by accident, by suicide, suddenly when in apparent health, when unattended by a physician, in a correctional facility or in any suspicious or unusual manner or where an application is made pursuant to law for a permit to cremate a body of a person.

The core values of CARES guide our work for communities and inform our behavior toward each other and all those we serve.

• Commitment: Dedicated to the mission at all times
• Accountability: Responsible to each other and the community
• Resilience: Adapt in the face of adversity
• Excellence: Achieve and maintain the highest quality
• Service: Innovate to meet evolving needs

The Drug Intelligence and Intervention Group (DIIG) at OCME was created for the joint purposes of:
1. Tracking suspected and confirmed overdose deaths,
2. Providing public sector leaders with timely and actionable information about fatal overdose, and
3. Providing direct support to family and friends of overdose victims in NYC.
DIIG conducts public health surveillance of overdose, collecting and leveraging data before and after OCME has determined cause and manner of death. Towards this end, DIIG is responsible for timely and accurate identification of suspected overdose cases and monitoring and reporting overdose trends. DIIG also plans and facilitates inter-agency collaboration through a citywide initiative called RxStat by planning and hosting monthly interdisciplinary meetings on overdose prevention. These RxStat meetings, including the quarterly OCME-led Overdose Fatality Review meeting, are attended by representatives from over 30 different local, state, and federal agencies.

The Epidemiologist II will play a key role in the collection, analysis, and dissemination of epidemiologic and programmatic data for OCME. They will lead and support various surveillance, research, and program evaluation projects, working closely with DIIG colleagues, other city and state agencies, and external research partners to:

• Analyze large administrative datasets using SAS, PowerBI, and excel to identify patterns, trends, and associations related to overdose deaths
• Design reports, data visualizations, and dashboards to effectively communicate information to stakeholders with varying levels of technical expertise
• Develop and implement data quality control procedures to ensure accuracy and reliability of epidemiological analyses
• Provide technical assistance and training to other staff on data analysis methods and SAS programming
• Response to ad hoc data requests by conducting rapid analyses and assessments to provide agency leadership and partners with data-drive insights
• Collaborate with internal and external researchers on the development of academic publications using OCME overdose-related data
• Create and improve program evaluation tools to track DIIG engagement with overdose bereaved individuals, working closely with DIIG Deputy Director and DIIG Social Workers

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

1. For Assignment Level I (only physical, biological and environmental sciences and public health) A master’s degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health.
   To be appointed to Assignment Level II and above, candidates must have:
2. A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and one year of full-time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity in the appropriate field of specialization; or
3. A master’s degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or
4. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to “1” or “2” above. However, all candidates must have at least a master’s degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in “2” above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in “1” and “2” above.

PREFERRED SKILLS

• At least three years of experience in public health research, applied epidemiology, and/or biostatistics - Experience using SAS, Dedoose, Microsoft Excel and/or PowerBI for data analysis - Knowledge of vital statistics, mortality, or other public sector health data sources - Knowledge of overdose prevention and harm reduction best practices - Experience working with large, complex datasets and data systems - Excellent project management skills - Strong written and verbal communication skills and comfort with public speaking

• Analyze large administrative datasets using SAS, PowerBI, and excel to identify patterns, trends, and associations related to overdose deaths
• Design reports, data visualizations, and dashboards to effectively communicate information to stakeholders with varying levels of technical expertise
• Develop and implement data quality control procedures to ensure accuracy and reliability of epidemiological analyses
• Provide technical assistance and training to other staff on data analysis methods and SAS programming
• Response to ad hoc data requests by conducting rapid analyses and assessments to provide agency leadership and partners with data-drive insights
• Collaborate with internal and external researchers on the development of academic publications using OCME overdose-related data
• Create and improve program evaluation tools to track DIIG engagement with overdose bereaved individuals, working closely with DIIG Deputy Director and DIIG Social Worker