This is the full performance level of the position located at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) - Palo Alto VA Medical Center in Palo Alto, California. The position serves as a Health Science Specialist within the Public Health Surveillance and Research (PHSR) section in the Office of the Chief of Staff. The purpose of this position is population and public health surveillance and epidemiology.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** The Health Science Specialist is responsible for consulting on scientific and technical issues; conducting scientific studies/surveys/investigations; and overseeing special projects, research and analysis work, and compliance. Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to: Providing scientific and/or technical guidance and leadership to international, national, state and/or local government agencies, universities, health-related organizations, private and public foundations, etc., regarding the development, extension, and improvement of healthcare and population studies, programs, systems, strategies and/or services related to public health surveillance and population health Providing scientific advice and consultations or solutions to critical problems which require outstanding creativeness in generating new hypotheses, approaches and standards to be used agency-wide and nationwide by others Developing and coordinating the sharing of health related educational or informational materials so that scientific knowledge, advice and assistance are shared Applying new methods, approaches, and technology, or extending, revising and adapting existing methodology to new and unusual situations Designing, overseeing, implementing and/or participating as a team member in scientific studies, surveys, investigations, or projects to develop information in the areas of population or public health and methods of disease prevention, control and treatment Identifying and analyzing population or public health issues and their impact on public policies relevant and on scientific studies or surveys Consulting on, monitoring, and measuring the outcomes of programs related to population or public health surveillance, and outbreak/lookback investigations, and ad hoc investigations involving infectious or non-infectious conditions of public health importance through studies which evaluate the effectiveness of program activities in meeting the needs of its participants Leading in the design, implementation and analysis of significant collaborative studies with policy and program applications for population health Serving as a liaison for PHSR to coordinate investigation or study activities with participating VA medical facilities Acting as an expert on special projects related to population health surveillance, noncommunicable diseases, social determinants, public health and epidemiologic investigations, advising top management on major issues Researching and/or analyzing problems, issues, or program requirements, providing expert statistical analysis and advice on agency-wide programs related to population or public health surveillance, social determinants of health, public health and epidemiologic investigations and applying advanced techniques to interpret meaning and evaluate findings Assessing compliance with accreditation requirements and other program review criteria that govern service and ensures that requirements are in place and functioning properly, as evidenced by both internal and external reviews Performing other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 08:00 a.m. to 04:30 p.m. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirement: The following are basic requirements for appointment as a Health Science Specialist in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met. Basic Education: Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position (e.g., Infectious Disease, Epidemiology, Pharmacy, Public Health). This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education(external link) at the time the degree was obtained. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) Minimum Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, the following minimum requirement criteria must be met to be qualified for this position. Specialized Experience (GS-14): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-13) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: providing expert knowledge of the epidemiology of infectious diseases (e.g., influenza, HIV, tuberculosis, HCV, etc.) and outbreak/lookback investigations to minimize infection risk among human population; providing expert knowledge of the epidemiology of non-communicable diseases and conditions of population or public health significance (e.g., chronic diseases, environmental exposures, etc.) to minimize risk among human population; analyzing and interpreting relevant scientific and medical data regarding epidemiology of infectious diseases; working with SAS, SPSS, R, EpiInfo, Python, or SQL is required as well as geospatial and data visualization tools (e.g. ArcGIS, or other mapping tools); analyzing information and evaluate significant factors, solve complex problems based on appropriate statistical analysis; and communicating orally and in writing to professional and administrative audiences in order to compose and present complex and sensitive reports, correspondence, and memoranda appropriate for use and/or signature at the level of Health Care System Management. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) AND SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability, or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirement for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Extensive experience in surveillance, prevention and control of infectious and/or non-infectious diseases and their application to human populations. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for this experience.) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: CommunicationsComplianceHealth Risk AnalysisInformation Technology Research and Development IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

NOTE: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Palo Alto VA Medical Center 3801 Miranda Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]