Senior Public Health Informatics Specialist, Supervisor Doh7838

This is a project position funded through June 30, 2024.

Use your skills in Public Health Informatics to make a difference in enhancing community health and safety.

As a Senior Public Health Informatics Specialist, you play a pivotal role in shaping impactful health information systems. You lead the supporting the Electronic Laboratory Reporting (ELR) system, overseeing its development, enhancement, and operational aspects as a part of our COVID-19 response mission, ensuring essential informatics capabilities for case and contact investigation, surveillance, reporting, and outbreak detection.

In this position, you will ensure the structural validation of lab messages and the seamless flow of production ELR data into disease surveillance systems. This position works to guide complex scientific and informatics assessments, supporting Public Health policies and practices, including community health improvement, decision support, and partner engagement. The ELR team's mission is to augment data interoperability to improve patient care and administrative efficiency across healthcare systems.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the design and implementation and maintenance of the ELR and related Public Health information systems.
• Oversee initial structural validation for labs onboarding and re-validate labs with production changes.
• Develop or supervise the creation of use cases, business process documentation, and workflow analyses.
• Engage with invested partners to assess, manage, and communicate changes.
• Serve as an expert consultant providing training to informatics system users.
• Evaluate system usage, identify barriers, and propose effective solutions.
• Document work processes, data attributes, and system attributes.
• Disseminate scientific and Public Health information.
• Collaborate with federal, state, and local Public Health partners, private individuals, and senior researchers.
• Supervise the ELR structural validation and production team's work and provide system operational support.
• Oversee complex data analysis, including ad-hoc analysis, data mining, extraction and transformation, processing complex data sets, and creating analytic datasets.
• Provide analytic support and informatics knowledge to program teams, covering data analysis, protocols, technical presentation, documentation, and response to informatics inquiries.
• This is a supervisory position responsible for overseeing the work of Epidemiologist levels 1-3.

We're seeking a highly skilled and innovative Informatics expert with the ability to conceptualize and direct the management and analysis of ELR-related data. The ideal candidate will leverage their theoretical and practical expertise in ELR procurement, design, development, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement to enhance the Public Health surveillance capabilities across Washington State.

Essential Requirements and Qualifications

• At least two (2) years of experience leading or supervising in a Public Health or similar setting.
• Training and/or Certifications in at least one Public Health Informatics area, such as CDC, CSTE, a PHII informatics training program, or similar.
• The following qualifications options require that you have the designated number of years of experience professional experience in a healthcare or Public Health setting with Health Informatics responsibilities that include conducting and/or supporting informatics projects including scientific investigations information architecture management and implementing data and information standards as follows:
  1. Option1: Ten (10) years of experience.
  2. Option 2: Bachelor's degree AND eight (8) years of experience
  3. Option 3: Master's degree AND six (6) years of experience.

OR

Desired Skills and Preferred Experience:

Additional years of experience in a Public Health practice or healthcare setting, with responsibilities including conducting and/or supporting the following informatics related functions:

• Information architecture management with open-source programming tools
• Scientific investigations,
• Information architecture management
• Complex data cleaning and analysis projects
• Implementing data and information standards.

Experience with the following:

• Maintenance and enhancement of the Maven application
• Working in a hospital, clinic, laboratory or other clinical setting
• Working with the Rhapsody integration engine
• Health Level 7 (HL7) standards such as (ELR, v2, eICR, CCD, etc)
• Relational database management including writing Structured Query Language (SQL) queries
• Computer programming and statistical analysis languages such as Python, JavaScript, SAS, and R
• Performing statistical analyses, data cleaning, data wrangling, and similar tasks using R, SAS, or STATA
• Providing technical assistance in support of health information exchange, data linking and system integration
• Developing instruments and methodologies for an integrated Public Health surveillance system such as
  • Aberration detection algorithms
  • Data mining programs
  • Matching and duplication of individual records when integrating different databases
• Leveraging visualization and BI reporting tools such as Power BI or Tableau

An understanding of the following:

• Public health, disease surveillance, healthcare informatics/surveillance systems and epidemiologic practices
• Health information vocabularies and data standards (e.g. HL7, ICD, LOINC and SNOMED codes)
• Data modeling and the design of data systems
• Information technology project management practices including Agile.
• Business and/or technical requirement documentation for information system development and enhancement
• Electronic health record (EHR) and/or laboratory information management systems (LIMS)

Core Competencies:

• Achievement Orientation: Delivers value by leveraging technical expertise and diverse perspectives in goal setting for equitable outcomes, maintaining schedules, producing quality work, and fostering team clarity and trust for continuous innovation and group success.
• Analysis & Problem Solving: Employs data analysis and collaborative problem-solving, incorporating cultural insights and stakeholder feedback, to innovate and refine processes, ensuring effective, adaptable solutions that advance equity for all, particularly marginalized communities.
• Communication: Communicates effectively across various mediums, tailoring messages to audience needs, practicing cultural humility, encouraging diverse perspectives, and ensuring information is comprehensively distributed.
• Cultural Competency: Promotes an inclusive, equitable workplace and Public Health framework by advocating for health equity, practicing cultural awareness, and employing an outward mindset to ensure policies and actions accommodate diverse needs and foster a sense of community belonging.
• Customer Service Orientation: Exhibits a steadfast dedication to delivering culturally sensitive services in Washington, actively engaging with and understanding the diverse needs of customers, especially underserved communities, to inform decisions and foster innovative, forward-looking solutions.
• Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates adaptability and effectiveness in diverse situations by maintaining transparency and accountability, embracing feedback, fostering relationships, crediting others, and resolving conflicts with cultural awareness and diplomacy.
• Professional & Technical Competence: Applies professional expertise and technology to meet job demands, fosters critical thinking and innovation, and uses data-driven approaches for continuous improvement and tangible outcomes.
• Project Management: Proactively anticipates and addresses challenges, adapting strategies based on stakeholder feedback, leveraging organizational understanding to gather resources, and effectively communicates milestones for efficient project management in dynamic environments.

The Center for Data Modernization and Informatics

We are proud to be a leader in Public Health data management, emphasizing data access, transparency, and communication. We support data visualization and provide technical assistance to various divisions. Our focus on Data Modernization aims to evolve Public Health data systems to be interconnected and adaptable. In Business Intelligence Analytics, we transform data into insights to improve business decisions and efficiency. We prioritize effective data exchange for case investigation, contact tracing, and surveillance, facilitating seamless data integration with our surveillance systems.

In Informatics, we guide the agency in adhering to national standards for clinical data exchange, manage the state's Health Information Exchange (OneHealthPort), and ensure interoperability of solutions. Our team actively collaborates with local, state, national, federal, tribal, and international partners to direct our strategic approach to information systems, ensuring compliance with federal rules. We are committed to assisting clinical providers and the public in achieving optimal health outcomes.

We are the Washington State Department of Health (DOH)

At DOH, we safeguard Public Health in an ever-evolving world. Through collaboration with local health jurisdictions and state, federal, and private partners, our programs, and services impact every Washingtonian and visitor daily. We're driven by Equity, Innovation, and Engagement, as outlined in our Transformational Plan for the future of Washington health.

Benefits and Lifestyle

We prioritize your work-life balance and offer one of the most competitive benefits packages nationwide, tailored to support your lifestyle. Discover more about "Why DOH" by visiting Work@Health.

Location and Flexibility

Homebased - Our approach to work is flexible. You'll primarily work remotely from your home location with an occasional on-site presence at the DOH office in Tumwater, WA. We're extending our reach to include remote applicants located anywhere within the USA.

Application Process:

• Remember to showcase your relevant education and experience in your application materials.
• DO NOT attach any documents that include photos, letters of recommendation, or private information (transcripts, social security number, year of birth, etc.).
• Click "Apply" to submit your detailed application profile along with the following:
  1. A cover letter (without personal pictures) describing how you meet the qualifications and why you are interested in this position.
  2. A current resume (without personal pictures).
  3. Three (3) or more professional references, to be listed in your profile under the references section, which includes at least one supervisor, peer, and (if you have supervised staff) someone you have supervised or led.

Veterans Preference: Applicants wishing to claim Veterans Preference must attach a copy of their DD-214 (Member 4 copy), NGB 22, or signed verification of service letter from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to their application. Please remove or cover any personally identifiable data such as social security numbers and birth year.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: We regard diversity as the foundation of our strength, recognizing that differing insights and abilities enable us to reflect the unique needs of the communities we serve.

DOH is an equal-opportunity employer. We prohibit discrimination based on race/ethnicity/color, creed, sex, pregnancy, age, religion, national origin, marital status, the presence or perception of a disability, veteran's status, military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender expression, or gender identity.

Questions and Accommodations: If you have questions, need accommodation in the application or selection process, or need information in an alternative format, contact Shawnelle Goalder at shawnelle.goalder@doh.wa.gov. For general DOH recruitment questions, email the Talent Acquisition Team at employment@doh.wa.gov. Deaf or hard of hearing contact Washington Relay Service at 7-1-1; individuals outside of Washington State contact Washington Relay Service at 1-800-833-6874.

Technical Support: Reach out to NEOGOV directly at 1-855-524-5627 for technical support and login issues.

Conditions of Employment:

I am prepared, with or without accommodations, to do the following:

• Commit to a full-time 40-hour work week schedule. (Please note that flexible work schedule requests will be subject to supervisor approval.)
• Adjust my work schedule occasionally to align with business needs, which may entail working evenings and weekends.
• Perform my job duties either remotely from home or in-person at the designated DOH site location.
• Travel periodically within the state of Washington.
• Possess the legal ability to operate a state or privately-owned vehicle or arrange alternative transportation for official state business.
• Engage in emergency response exercises and high-priority assignments as assigned during emergency eve...