Substance Use Epidemiologist

$35.37 - $53.05 Hourly

$73,568 - $110,352 Annually

This position is a Pay Band C10

Posting Details

Interviews are anticipated to be conducted within two weeks of closing date.

The Injury and Behavioral Epidemiology Bureau (IBEB) collect data on health-related practices and health status, conducts data analysis to identify risk factors, describes the distribution of disease, and implements evidence-based injury prevention strategies. IBEB - Substance Use Epidemiology Section, in particular, conducts surveillance on substance use (including drugs), assesses its negative health consequences, and promotes the use of effective interventions to address public health issues resulting from substance use.


Why does the job exist?

The Substance Use Epidemiologist (SUE) provides substance (ex. alcohol, drugs, tobacco) use prevention data to the Department of Health (DOH) and Behavioral Health Services Division (BHSD) at the Health Care Authority (HCA). This includes updating and maintaining the Substance Use & Mental Health Epidemiology Profile Dashboard (SUMHEP Dashboard) and the companion Journals, conducting naloxone surveillance, and analyzing and presenting data from the Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey (YRRS) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The SUE provides epidemiology support for the prevention of substance misuse using multiple data sources, including the collection, quality assurance, cleaning, analysis, and reporting of substance use-related data. This includes responding to community groups, public health agencies, and other agencies' data requests and conducting epidemiology studies. The SUE also collaborates with other epidemiologists working on substance use surveillance and other areas, and provides clear, accurate, and complete epidemiology reporting to different stakeholders, including dissemination of data in multiple forms such as fact sheets, reports, and professional presentations to reach broad and varied audiences.


How does it get done?

-Maintain, develop, enhance, and provide substance use related information for the Section, Bureau, and Center reports and other data products; including but not limited to the production of the annual New Mexico Substance Use Epidemiology Profile, pursuant to an agreement with BHSD of the Health Care Authority.
-Support completion of annual deliverables related to evaluation of compliance with the Federal Synar regulation, pursuant to an agreement with BHSD.
-Maintain, develop, and update the Substance Use & Mental Health Epidemiology Profile Dashboard (SUMHEP Dashboard) using Power BI and statistical software programs
-Develop and maintain the SUMHEP dashboard companion journals


Who are the customers?

The people of New Mexico, including those partnering with and working at NMDOH to support interventions to reduce substance use-related harms, with a focus on alcohol use.


Ideal Candidate

*Master's degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Statistics, or related field
*At least two years of experience in epidemiology
*Experience working with a range of partners across state agencies, health systems, and in communities
*Experience working with dashboards (ex. using PowerBi) and in the use of statistical software (ex. SAS, Stata, R)
*Experience developing reports for various audiences (the public, public health professionals etc.)
*Experience writing code (ex. SAS, Stata, R)


Minimum Qualification

Master's Degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Science, Social Sciences or Statistics. Any combination of education from an accredited college or university in a related field and/or direct experience in this occupation totaling six (6) years may substitute for the required education


Employment Requirements

Must possess and maintain a valid Driver's License. Must possess and maintain a current Defensive Driving Course Certificate from the State of New Mexico or must pass and receive Defensive Driving Course Certification as a condition of continued employment.


Working Conditions

Office setting, exposure to Visual/Video Display terminal (VDT), and extensive personal computer and telephone usage with extended periods of sitting.


Supplemental Information

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Agency Contact Information: Luigi Garcia Saavedra View phone number on click.appcast.io Email


For information on Statutory Requirements for this position, click the Classification Description link on the job advertisement.

Bargaining Unit Position

This position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement and all terms/conditions of that agreement apply and must be adhered to.