CDC/UVG Collaboration
International Emerging Infections Program
Center for Health Studies, University of the Valley of Guatemala
CDC Regional Office for Central America and Panama
Medical Epidemiologist or Epidemiologist
Under the supervision of the Chief of the Epidemiology Unit of the International
Emerging Infections Program (IEIP) in Guatemala the incumbent serves as an
epidemiologist/scientist for infectious disease surveillance, research and programmatic
activities conducted for the IEIP of the CDC Regional Office for Central America and
Panama (CDC-CAP). The incumbent assists in planning, conducting, guiding and
supporting staff of the CDC-UVG collaboration to develop and implement surveillance,
monitoring and evaluation systems for infectious disease program activities, and research
projects, drawing from extensive experiences in clinical sciences, public health,
behavioral sciences, and epidemiology of infectious diseases; must also have a thorough
knowledge of and the ability to apply sophisticated epidemiologically-based programs
(e.g., case-reporting procedures, sentinel surveillance), and population-based surveillance
approaches for these diseases. The incumbent is responsible for performing a variety of
scientific and programmatic tasks in organizing, implementing, coordinating, and
supervising ongoing and new programs targeting relevant prevention, control, and
responses to targeted infectious diseases.
The major responsibility of this position is to determine clinical and epidemiologic
characteristics of patients with respiratory, gastrointestinal, neurological and febrile
diseases identified through IEIP infectious disease surveillance activities and research
studies, in accordance with written protocols, and to recommend actions likely to
contribute to program goals and improved public health interventions. The incumbent
will have experience on surveillance and research procedures, and develop projectspecific knowledge in order to resolve problems that might be encountered with the
collection and analysis of the data. The incumbent will be responsible for identifying
such problems and for communicating and coordinating between involved parties to
arrive at a satisfactory outcome as quickly as possible.
The direct responsibility of this position is to monitor and coordinate infectious disease
surveillance activities, disease prevention or control programs, household surveys and
research studies the Central American region, under the supervision of the Co-Director of
the Center for Health Studies. Incumbent identifies problem areas, proactively works to
resolve difficulties, and ensures efficient operations of important studies whose outcomes
will have influence on public health policies in the region. Other duties may include
daily monitoring of activities, patient enrollment, accurate completion of study
instruments, timely specimen collection, and maintenance of patient records, database
and documentation. In addition, the incumbent monitors results and communicates
findings to the supervisor and other relevant parties. The incumbent will be responsible
for analyzing data collected from research and surveillance projects and communicating
these findings through peer-reviewed journals, governmental bulletins, reports and
presentations at national and international conferences.
The incumbent exercises sound judgment in deciding the best means to implement IEIP
Program policies. The incumbent will provide technical advice on clinical and
epidemiological aspects of surveillance and research. Major operational decisions will be
based on group discussions and agreement between health area directors, MOPH
officials, and UVG/IEIP senior staff. Incumbent will be allowed flexibility in making
suggestions, recommendations to solve problems and directing surveillance and research
staff within guidelines set by the IEIP program. The incumbent will evaluate and
implement limited scientific changes, such as improvement on questionnaire design and
data entry.
Specific Duties
1. Serves as an authority on the epidemiology of infectious diseases for UVG/IEIP,
providing technical expertise on a variety of epidemiological/clinical matters to CDC,
UVG and MOPH staff. Describes the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of
patients with various laboratory-confirmed infections identified through an ongoing
population-based study of respiratory disease, gastrointestinal illness, febrile disease and
acute infectious neurologic disease. Advises UVG/IEIP senior staff on strategic planning
to strengthen disease surveillance, program, research, and training activities. Works
closely with UVG-IEIP staff, MOPH of the region, and other partners to ensure that tasks
are carried out properly and in a timely manner. (20%)
2. Reviews scientific literature on respiratory, gastrointestinal, febrile and neurological
pathogens identified as possible causes of severe disease or high burdens of illness in the
course of ongoing and new IEIP surveillance and research activities. Identifies possible
clinical discriminators that may aid in clinician diagnosis of disease caused by these
pathogens. Provides technical advice on questionnaires, related forms, and instruction
documents, including Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), for use in collecting data
from a surveillance system and from subjects in research studies.(20%)
3. Reviews data to ensure accurate completion of study instruments, timely specimen
collection, and proper maintenance of patient records, databases, and documentation.
Identifies additional clinical data needed for analysis and supervises collection of this
data in the field when necessary. (20%)
4. Assists in the design, development, conduct and supervision of household surveys of
treatment behaviors and risk factors to inform surveillance activities. Analyzes and
reports results to the MOPH in the relevant area and/or country. (15%)
5. Conducts data analysis and participates in the development of written summaries of
findings of surveillance and research activities to be used for reports of record, peerreviewed publications, and for presentations at national and international meetings.
Describes the disease burden of specific causes of severe disease or diseases with a large
public health burden in Central America. Prepares and presents data on clinical and
epidemiological findings to Central American MOPH staff. (15%)
5. Participates in outbreak investigations of GDD priority diseases in the region,
providing expert epidemiologic advice on the development of survey instruments,
specimen collection, data entry and analysis of data. (5%)
6. Other duties as assigned. (5%)
Requirements:
1. PhD in epidemiology, biostatistics, or public health; or an MD or DVM with
extensive experience and training in epidemiology
2. Significant experience in the epidemiology of diarrheal, respiratory, or febrile
diseases
3. Strong analytical skills
4. Fluency in Spanish and English
5. Superior computer skills including all Microsoft programs and at least 1 statistical
analysis program (preferably SAS or SPSS)
Salary:
Contracting mechanism will depend on the residency status of the candidate. A
competitive salary will be offered based on qualifications, experience, and prior
salary history.
Please send CV and letter of interest to:
Stacy Kopka
Administrator
IEIP
CDC/UVG Collaboration
University of the Valley
Guatemala
skopka@gt.cdc.gov
fax: +502 2369-7539