Epidemiologist

Job Summary

This position is located in the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), Division of Public Health (DPH), Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health (BEOH), Environmental Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, and is maintained through a contract and ongoing partnership with the UW School of Medicine and Public Health's Department of Population Health Sciences.

This position will serve as an epidemiologist for the CDC-funded Occupational Health and Safety Surveillance Program. The program's mission is to keep workers healthy and safe by using data and outreach to identify and address work‑related health hazards. The incumbent will use available datasets to identify risk groups, trends, and emerging patterns in occupational illnesses and injuries. Examples from the previous person holding this position ranged from Long COVID, heat‑related illness, lower back pain, reproductive health risks, and chemical exposure hazards by industry. While the team has particular focus areas on lead poisoning, agricultural injuries, occupational lung diseases, and work‑related infectious diseases, there is room for a hire to explore other potential occupational health topics. The epidemiologist will be expected to lead or support the creation of academic journal articles, brief reports, presentations, and dashboards. Related duties include: data cleaning, matching, analysis, visualization, reporting and documentation.

Occupational health touches on many areas of public health. The incumbent collaborates with other team members, counterparts in other states, CDC partners, and other public health programs as needed to investigate outbreaks, develop expertise on cross‑cutting topics, and integrate data into effective prevention messaging. The incumbent also contributes to grant applications, required reports, and ad hoc projects as needed. Some communication with case patients, clinicians, labs, or local public health may also be required as part of case follow‑up and surveillance system data collection. Incumbents will also have the opportunity to mentor and assist interns and fellows. While some meetings and events require in‑person participation, team members currently have the ability to work fully remote, fully in‑person, or any hybrid combination. Some in‑state and out‑of‑state travel is expected to attend annual professional association meetings. While Wisconsin's program has been continuously funded since the 1980s, the position is dependent on the continuation of adequate federal funding. This is an exciting opportunity for a candidate who wants to make a difference as part of an innovative, collaborative and highly productive team.

This position is full or part‑time, 50‑100%.

This position may require some work to be performed in‑person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non‑campus work location.

This position has been identified as a position of trust with access to vulnerable populations. The selected candidate will be required to pass an initial caregiver check to be eligible for employment under the Wisconsin Caregiver Law and every four years.

Candidates who demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities will be given first consideration:

• Excellent problem‑solving skills
• Ability to work effectively with others in various roles and work modalities
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent time management skills

Key Job Responsibilities

• Reviews and edits protocols to ensure accuracy, thoroughness, and consistency.
• Develops and implements increasingly complex research methodologies, procedures, and criteria.
• Trains individuals and groups on equipment operations, research protocols, and techniques within a specialized laboratory or research area.
• Conducts literature reviews, prepares reports and materials, co‑authors publications, and disseminates information to appropriate entities.
• Collects and analyzes increasingly complex research data, conducts experiments and interviews, and documents results according to established policies and procedures.
• Assists in developing grant applications and proposals to secure research funding.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years of experience working in epidemiology or a related field.
• Technical expertise in statistical analysis of data using SAS or R software to manage, analyze, and visualize data.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience writing manuscripts, scientific reports and/or grant‑required reports.
• Experience presenting, training or consulting on scientific findings or technical concepts in public health or a related field.
• Experience using administrative data or experience working on a topic relevant to occupational or environmental health.
• Experience incorporating feedback from others into work products and/or processes.

Education

Master's degree required. Focus in epidemiology, population health sciences, biostatistics, or another quantitative discipline.

Compensation

The minimum salary for this position is $70,000 annually; it is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

Benefits

Employees can expect generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurance and savings accounts; and retirement benefits.

Institutional Statement on Diversity

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW‑Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin‑Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background – people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin‑Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy‑related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre‑employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.