Overdose and Violent Death Abstractor, Health Program Rep Intermediate

Overdose and Violent Death Abstractor

Job Class: Health Program Representative Intermediate

Agency: Health Department

Location: St. Paul

Telework Eligible: Yes / Hybrid 50%

Full/Part Time: Full-Time

Regular/Temporary: Unlimited

Who May Apply: Open to all qualified job seekers simultaneously. Bidders will be considered through 08/06/2026.

Closing Date: 08/12/2026

Hiring Agency: Minnesota Health Department

Division/Unit: Health Improvement / Injury Prevention and Mental Health - Substance Use Epidemiology Unit

Work Shift/Work Hours: Day Shift / 8:0 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.

Days of Work: Monday - Friday

Travel Required: Yes - Up to 50% of the time

Salary Range: $28.75 - $42.16 / hourly; $60,030 - $88,030 / annually

Classified Status: Classified

Bargaining Unit/Union: 214 - MN Association of Professional Employees

FLSA Status: Nonexempt

Designated in Connect 700 Program for Applicants with Disabilities: Yes

The work you'll do is more than just a job.

At the State of Minnesota, employees play a critical role in developing policies, providing essential services, and working to improve the well-being and quality of life for all Minnesotans. The State of Minnesota is committed to equity and inclusion, and invests in employees by providing benefits, support resources, and training and development opportunities.

The Overdose, Violent and Sudden Death Abstractor exists to conduct mortality data abstraction and support overdose and injury surveillance activities for the Substance Use Epidemiology Unit within the Substance Misuse Prevention Section and the Injury and Violence Epidemiology Unit within the Injury and Violence Prevention Section. The incumbent collects, abstracts, validates, and monitors the quality of mortality data for the Statewide Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS), the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), the Minnesota Drug Overdose and Substance Use Surveillance Activity (MNDOSA), and the Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Death in the Young (SUID/SDY) Case Registry. Responsibilities include preparing data dictionaries, abstracting and validating required data elements, and ensuring data quality and completeness through collaboration with medical examiners, coroners, law enforcement agencies, and hospitals to meet state and federal surveillance requirements.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Conduct data abstraction and validation from multiple data sources, including medical examiners, coroners, law enforcement agencies, laboratories, investigators, and hospital medical, admissions, and billing records to support surveillance activities for the Statewide Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS), National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), the Minnesota Drug Overdose and Substance Use Surveillance Activity (MNDOSA), and the Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Death in the Young (SUID/SDY) Case Registry.
• Contribute to surveillance data management, quality assurance, and analysis by maintaining surveillance data within secure systems, performing data quality and validation activities, and supporting analyses that improve epidemiologic understanding of overdose, violent and sudden death trends.
• Support data collection and surveillance initiatives across the Injury Prevention and Mental Health Division by providing technical and operational assistance for epidemiologic data collection efforts.
• Maintain and enhance professional expertise by staying current on surveillance methodologies, data abstraction practices, and project intervention strategies to ensure high-quality, accurate, and innovative program support services are delivered.

In accordance with HR/LR Policy #1422 Telework, this position is eligible for up to 50% telework for applicants who live in Minnesota or in a bordering state within 50 miles of the assigned work location. Candidates residing outside of Minnesota further than 50 miles of the assigned work location at the time of application must be able to relocate to Minnesota within 30 days of their start date. The telework policy may exempt employees who live more than 50 miles from their primary work location from the 50% in-office requirement, depending on job requirements, helping the State of Minnesota access top talent across the state.

Minimum Qualifications

One (1) year of experience in public health, healthcare, epidemiology, health information management, research, or a related field. Experience must include each of the following:

• Collecting, abstracting, validating, or performing quality assurance on health, medical, public health, or other complex data from multiple sources.
• Managing, maintaining, or entering data into secure databases or information systems while ensuring data accuracy, completeness, and confidentiality.
• Interpreting and applying established policies, procedures, protocols, or technical guidance to ensure consistent and accurate data collection, reporting, or program activities.
• Obtaining, reviewing, verifying, or exchanging information with internal or external partners to support data collection, surveillance, research, or program activities.

A related degree in public health, epidemiology, health information management, health sciences, nursing, biology, biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science, statistics, data science, research methodology, or a closely related field will substitute for experience as follows:

• Doctorate may substitute for two (2) years of experience.
• Master's degree may substitute for eighteen (18) months of experience.
• Bachelor's degree may substitute for one (1) year of experience.
• Associate's degree may substitute for six (6) months of experience.

Minimum qualifications to be assessed at interview:

• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse internal and external stakeholders, including explaining technical information clearly and professionally, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to establish and maintain collaborative working relationships with partners while exercising professionalism, tact, and sound judgment when handling sensitive or confidential information.
• Ability to organize and prioritize work by managing multiple assignments, maintaining attention to detail, and meeting deadlines while ensuring the accuracy and quality of work.
• Ability to work independently and adapt to changing priorities by exercising initiative, problem-solving skills, and sound judgment in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience abstracting or analyzing mortality, injury, public health, medical, or other surveillance data using established case definitions, coding standards, or abstraction protocols.
• Experience working with medical records, death certificates, coroner or medical examiner records, law enforcement reports, or other protected health or legal data sources.
• Knowledge of public health surveillance systems, epidemiologic methods, or disease and injury surveillance activities.
• Knowledge of ICD-10-CM, ICD-10 mortality coding, medical terminology, human anatomy, physiology, or neuropathology.
• Experience using statistical, epidemiologic, or data management software (e.g., SAS, R, SQL, REDCap, CDC surveillance systems, or similar applications) to manage, analyze, or report surveillance data.

Additional Requirements

• This position requires successful completion of a background check and employment reference check.
• MDH does not participate in the federal E-Verify program and is unable to sponsor applicants for work visas, including F-1 STEM OPT extensions, and cannot complete Form I-9 or any other documentation requiring employer participation in E-Verify. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities is an Equal Opportunity employer/educator committed to the principles of diversity. We prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or membership in a local commission as defined by law. As an affirmative action employer, we actively seek and encourage applications from women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and individuals with protected veteran status.

Reasonable accommodations will be made to all qualified applicants with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability who needs assistance or cannot access the online job application system, please contact the job information line at View phone number on click.appcast.io or email View email address on click.appcast.io. Please indicate what assistance is needed.