I. Title:
RESEARCH ASSOCIATE I: Epidemiology
Division: SC
Department: Applied Medical Sciences
Location: 244 Water Street, Augusta, ME
Schedule: 40 hours weekly, flexible start and end times
Organizational Relationships:
Reports to: Research Associate II and Research Assistant Professor in
Environmental Epidemiology, Applied Medical Sciences.
Additionally reports to the Director of the Environmental and
Occupational Health Programs at the Maine CDC.
Supervises: May provide technical oversight, but will have no direct supervisory
responsibilities.
Coordinates with: Collaborates with the Maine Center for Disease Control &
Prevention (Maine CDC) Environmental and Occupational Health Program’s (EOHP)
staff and promotes linkages between the Maine CDC and the University of Southern
Maine (USM), in the area of Environmental Epidemiology.
II.
Statement of Job:
The Research Associate-I assists a team of USM epidemiologists in building
epidemiology at the Maine CDC and USM, specifically focusing on
Environmental and Occupational Health.
The Research Associate I (RA-I) is primarily responsible for surveillance
activities in the Environmental and Occupational Health Programs (i.e.,
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology
Surveillance Program, Occupational Disease Reporting System, Carbon
Monoxide Poisoning Surveillance, Environmental Public Health Tracking, and
Healthy Homes). These activities include assessing the burden and trends of
environmental health-related outcomes, including biomonitoring laboratory
testing results, morbidity, and mortality in the general population and among subpopulations. In addition, the RA-I will examine and evaluate causes of- and risk
factors for environmental health outcomes.
Responsibilities include: statistical analyses, consultation on environmental
health program areas and creation of written surveillance and evaluation reports.
III.
Essential Functions:
Specifically the RA-I is responsible for:
1. Working with the RA-II to create a set of program-specific indicators for
the Environmental and Occupational Health Programs.
2. Performing complex statistical analyses using multivariate methods (when
appropriate).
3. Interpreting statistical analyses and providing written summaries of data
for use in program planning, policy development, annual reports, grant
applications, and peer-reviewed journals.
09/08/2008
4. Responding to data requests from public health partners.
5. Developing surveillance documents and plans.
Broad responsibilities include:
1. Designing and maintaining continuous surveillance systems of morbidity,
mortality, health services, and risk factors of environmental public health
importance.
2. Assisting in the evaluation of public health data systems.
3. Assisting in the investigation of environmental health studies.
4. Strengthening and promoting communication and collaboration among
agencies and organizations active in environmental epidemiology in the
state and nationally.
IV.
Marginal Functions:
Assist the Research Assistant Professor in providing training for appropriate
health department personnel and university students.
V.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
VI.
Budget Responsibilities:
VII.
Public/Professional Activities:
1. Attends national meetings per grantee requirements.
2. Presents and prepares reports and articles on study findings, for state and
national conferences, as well as professional and peer review journals.
3. Presents to professional and lay audiences on environmental health
outcomes and policy topics.
4. Provides research assistantship opportunities for, and assists, advanced
undergraduate and graduate students in the Departments of Applied
Medical Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, and the Muskie School of
Public Service.
VIII.
Internal/External Contacts:
IX.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
Required:
1. Demonstrated mastery of basic principles of epidemiology and public
health.
2. Demonstrated knowledge of public health surveillance systems.
3. Ability to identify the need for applied epidemiologic studies.
4. Quantitative research skills, including knowledge of major computerbased statistical packages, preferably SAS.
Preferred:
09/08/2008
1. Demonstrated capacity in program evaluation and policy relevant research.
2. Knowledge of population-based programs as they relate to the promotion of
health and reduction of risk.
3. Demonstrated ability to communicate and work with broad spectrum of
administrators, researchers and other professionals.
4. Demonstrated ability and experience performing complex data analysis.
5. Experience using geographical information systems.
6. Experience designing, planning, and implementing epidemiologic studies.
X.
Qualifications
Required:
 Master’s Degree in Epidemiology, Public Health or related field, preferably from
an accredited school of public health, and a minimum of 1 year of epidemiologicrelated work experience.
 Demonstrated mastery of basic principles of epidemiology and public health.
 Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills, including knowledge of major
computer-based statistical packages, preferably SAS.
Preferred:
 Demonstrated knowledge of public health surveillance systems.
 Demonstrated ability and experience performing complex data analysis using
population-based data sets.
 Experience operating and evaluating public health surveillance systems.
 Experience designing, planning, and implementing epidemiologic studies.
 Demonstrated ability to communicate and work with broad spectrum of
administrators, researchers and other professionals.
Approved:
Salary Band:
Job Family
Unit:
CUPA code:
Employee:
Position#:
09/08/2008
8/2014
104
02
UMPSA
vacant
00020726