Principal Epidemiologist

-Family Group: Allied Health

**JOB SUMMARY**

As a Principal Epidemiologist in the Department of Preventive and Population Medicine (DPPM), you will provide epidemiological and research leadership into both the clinical and public health management of diseases within the hospital setting and the community. You will also provide leadership in infectious disease epidemiologic research and service provision, from study design to data analysis plans of new epidemiologic studies, including outbreak investigations, and interpretation of published epidemiologic studies and the significance of such findings on current local epidemiologic practice.

**MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES**

SPECIFIC
- Provide leadership, supervision and training in developing the growth and advancement in epidemiologic knowledge and skills of epidemiologists, preventive medicine residents, medical officers, clinical researchers, and hospital clinicians. This includes ensuring department epidemiologists and residents/medical officers are able to plan and conduct routine hospital disease surveillance systems, epidemiologic studies and field investigations.
- Responsible for all disease surveillance /database systems in the department. These responsibilities include:

- Regular maintenance and improvement if existing surveillance systems
- Enhancing where appropriate new surveillance systems using novel data sources and methods; this will include development of new surveillance systems using EPIC, the hospital new NGEMR
- Timely production of department surveillance reports
- Conduct of appropriate field investigations of hospital-based outbreaks (including Covid-19), such as activity mapping and contact tracing of affected patients, staff or visitors, and quarantine and health monitoring of identified contacts of these patients, and evaluation of possible common sources in outbreaks
- Regular auditing and feedback to stakeholders of the completeness, timeliness and utility of data flows in department surveillance systems
- Lead and drive epidemiologic research (in infectious diseases, chronic diseases and population health) to improve patient care in TTSH; including overseeing the entire process from research conception, design, implementation, analyses and publication in peer-reviewed international journals.
- Develop strategic collaborations in hospital epidemiologic and population health research between DPPM and stakeholders from within and outside of TTSH.

GENERAL
- Actively participate as a member or team lead for quality improvement projects of Hospital-wide / Departmental level.
- Provide expert epidemiologic leadership input in the design, conduct and analysis of epidemiologic studies
- Provide expert epidemiological input into key disease prevention programmes and clinical and epidemiological research portfolio of the department
- Provide relevant expert epidemiology and public health advice to administrators and clinical decision-makers in TTSH and the wider healthcare community.
- Contribute to the design, management and interrogation of databases.
- Contribute to the teaching programmes of the department/hospital/other institutions.
- Contribute to and write scientific reports and articles.
- Present the work of the department at decision-making forumssuch as Senior Management Meetings, Heads of Departments meetings, or Continuing Medical Education seminars on findings of epidemiologic investigations, summaries of surveillance reports, research results, or synthesis of current literature about pertinent topics.
- Present at conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals
- Perform line management of junior staff in the department.
- Provide cross-coverage of colleagues in DPPM where necessary.
- Ensure the proper governance and security of databases in liaison with the data and information manager.
- Understand and comply with the ethical, legal and technical obligations relating to confidentiality of medical and personal identifiable information. It should be noted that the work of the department is of a confidential nature and must not be communicated to other persons except where required for authorised purposes.
- Perform any other duties as assigned by the Supervisor and/or Head of Department

**JOB REQUIREMENTS**

EDUCATION
- Preferably a medical-related basic degree (MBBS or MD or BSc Nursing) but Degree holders in Life Sciences / Mathematics / Statistics may also apply.
- At least a Masters degree in Public Health (with a focus in epidemiology) or Epidemiology.
- Substantial postgraduate experience of at least 5 years in academic, hospital or field epidemiology.

EXPERIENCE
- Knowledge of the principles and practice of surveillance including data management, data transmission, data security, data quality, data analysis including descriptive statistics and graphics and data reporting.
- Possess work experience in health-related settings such as hospitals, public health organizations and medical or public health sch