State of Maryland

An Epidemiologist I is the entry level of work assisting in the design, conduct and analysis of epidemiological studies and investigations for disease surveillance in a headquarters program of the Maryland Department of Health or in a county Health Department.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions but may oversee the work of other laboratory support staff.

Employees in this classification receive close supervision from a higher-level Epidemiologist or other health care professional, such as a Physician.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Epidemiologist I and Epidemiologist II are differentiated on the basis of degree of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees.  The Epidemiologist I learns to perform duties under close supervision while the Epidemiologist II performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.

Participates in the collection, analysis, interpretation and investigation of epidemiological and statistical data among a specified discipline area in order to identify causative agents or conditions resulting in adverse health effects;

Provides data and information concerning corrective actions or programs to alleviate adverse health effects;

Proposes practices or policies based on findings that will preserve or promote public health;

Analyzes data in order to determine changes in trends and probable causes of epidemiologic problems;

Prepares reports describing the nature of problems identified from collected data;

Participates in the implementation and evaluation of control or prevention measures;

Designs new data collection systems, and recommends improvements to existing systems;

Recommends investigations or special studies which are indicated from data analyses;

Provides on-the-job leadership and guidance to lower-level professional and paraprofessional staff;

May oversee the work of laboratory support staff;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of public health practices and epidemiological research methods data collection procedures, and study design;

Knowledge of epidemiological study procedures and their application in monitoring public health;

Knowledge of communicable, chronic or environmental diseases and their causes;

Knowledge of statistical analysis methods and their application;

Knowledge of viral diseases and the testing measures used to investigate these diseases;

Ability to analyze and evaluate survey and statistical data;

Ability to plan, develop and conduct epidemiological surveys and studies;

Ability to identify and use appropriate epidemiological study procedures and relevant statistical evaluation methods;

Ability to prepare reports containing findings, conclusions and recommendations;

Ability to establish and maintain records and files;

Ability to learn to use various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office or related units;

Ability to oversee the work of lower-level professional and paraprofessional staff administrators, laboratory personnel and others;

Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with co-workers, physicians and other health care staff.

Education:   A Master’s degree in the field of Public Health from an accredited college or university with a minimum of three graduate courses in Epidemiology and one graduate course in Biostatistics.

Experience: None.

Note: Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in Health Care Science classifications or Clinical Lab, Medical Scientists, or Bio Medical Lab Officer specialty codes in the health research field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required education.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups or positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Professional Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Professional Service positions.  Some positions in Professional Service classifications may be designated as Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit E, Health Care Professionals classes.  As provided by the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining. Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance level in a classification series.  In           order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series, an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class, as defined by the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.