Adjunct Faculty, Field Epidemiology Training Program

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND

The Pacific Island Health Officers Association (PIHOA) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, with a field office in Hagåtña, Guam. PIHOA’s mission is to provide, through collective action and decision-making, a credible regional voice for health advocacy in and for the Pacific.

PIHOA’s Executive Board is comprised of the ministers/directors/secretaries of health of the six US- Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPIs): American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Guam, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and the Republic of Palau.

PIHOA’s Secretariat, comprised of executive, administrative, and technical staff works with a number of consultants to provide technical assistance to the USAPI health ministries and departments in the following areas: 1) health workforce development/human resources for health; 2) epidemiology and surveillance; 3) performance improvement; 4) laboratory services; 5) regional health policy and advocacy; 6) health security; and 7) leadership development.

PROGRAM BACKGROUND

One of PIHOA’s key goals is to build the capacity of health ministry staff in the areas of epidemiology, surveillance, and health information systems. To this end and in collaboration with USAPI health leadership, the Pacific Community (SPC), and Fiji National University (FNU), PIHOA developed a field epidemiology training program called Strengthening Health Interventions in the Pacific (SHIP). SHIP is modeled after CDC’s Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP), and has been adapted for the Pacific region. SHIP is accredited by FNU, meaning students earn post-graduate certificates when they complete the program. SHIP is implemented in the USAPIs by PIHOA and in other Pacific countries and territories by SPC.

The SHIP program is comprised of three tiers:

• Post-Graduate Certificate in Field Epidemiology (PGCFE)
• Post-Graduate Diploma in Applied Epidemiology (PGDAE)
• Master’s in Applied Epidemiology (MAE)

Certificate and Diploma courses are comprised of up to five discrete, week-long modules delivered on-site and in-person in the jurisdictions, supplemented by additional online coursework to be completed during and in between modules. Each module is delivered as a combination of classroom-based sessions and structured activities/exercises. SHIP uses a “from work, at work, for work” model where students plan, design and implement selected projects prioritized by their respective workplace supervisors and health leadership utilizing real local data.

Since 2015, 141 USAPI health staff have received their PGCFE. Twelve PGCFE graduates are currently pursuing the completion of the PGDAE, and two are ready to commence the MAE track.

SUMMARY OF DUTIES

PIHOA is seeking highly experienced public health instructors to support SHIP Certificate and Diploma course delivery as SHIP Adjunct Faculty. These consultants will work under the direction of PIHOA’s SHIP Program Manager and SHIP Faculty Lead. Successful candidates will also be required to meet FNU’s adjunct faculty requirements. The timing and frequency of course delivery will be dependent on jurisdiction needs and readiness and program funding.

SCOPE OF POSITION

1. Reports To: SHIP Program Manager
2. Supervises: None
3. Fiscal Responsibilities: None
4. Signature Authorities: None
5. Level of Interaction: This is a highly responsible, creative and demanding position requiring a unique mix of skills and experience in epidemiology, public health, communications, education/training, health information systems, data-driven decision-making and cultural competency. The position will interact with a wide array of multi-disciplinary team members working across multiple locations, and may include interactions with national, state and regional health leadership, including the USAPI ministers/directors/secretaries of health and regional technical partners such as the CDC.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES/DELIVERABLES

As directed by the SHIP Program Manager, the SHIP Adjunct Faculty consultants work in collaboration with the SHIP Faculty Lead, other SHIP faculty, and PIHOA’s Regional Epidemiology Unit (REU) team to:

1. Lead and/or co-facilitate Certificate and/or Diploma courses in participating USAPI sites. Course materials, including slide decks, exercises, and examinations are already prepared and standardized. However, faculty may need to adjust and update these materials for specific cohorts. Faculty ensure that student learning objectives and outcomes are met. They monitor and troubleshoot student progress and assess and grade student work and final projects. Faculty compile course reports and ensure all grades are submitted to the SHIP Program Manager for onward submission to FNU.
2. Coach and mentor Certificate and Diploma students throughout the period of course delivery, both on-site and remotely, to ensure students stay on track. Where possible, faculty support students who are interested in publishing their final projects in peer-reviewed journals.
3. Work with the SHIP Faculty Lead, other Adjunct Faculty, and the SHIP Program Manager to monitor overall student performance and identify students in need of additional support and identify and implement appropriate interventions. This may also include documenting and submitting recommendations for student continuation/non-continuation in the program.
4. Support and/or lead post-module debriefings with local health leadership and relevant supervisors to keep them informed about course and student progress. This helps ensure they remain committed to SHIP and support their staff participating in SHIP.
5. Be an active member of the SHIP Adjunct Faculty Team which includes participating in all required pre-module delivery planning and implementation and post-module delivery evaluation meetings. Provide input on how to improve and enhance the SHIP curriculum and associated teaching materials and strategies. Support and/or provide input to any SHIP evaluation efforts.
6. If requested, participate in-person or remotely in PIHOA Executive Board Meetings and other relevant regional meetings including, but not limited to, Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network (PPHSN) meetings; annual meetings of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) and TEPHINET and project management calls with CDC Technical Monitors and Project Officers.

PRIMARY QUALIFICATIONS

1. Education:
   • Minimum of a Master’s level degree in epidemiology, public health, or other social or health sciences-related fields from an accredited academic institution. A doctoral-level degree in these fields is preferred. Those with clinical degrees must have an MPH or extensive public health experience.
2. Experience:
   • Minimum 3 years of professional experience in teaching, training or capacity building in public health, surveillance, or related fields and/or field/research work in epidemiology.
   • Training and mentoring public health professionals is required. Working with a Field Epidemiology Training Program or similar course in low-resource settings is preferred.
   • Developing, analyzing, and strengthening public health surveillance systems, and/or conducting outbreak investigation and response, and/or conducting community-based surveys, and/or managing field epidemiology projects.
   • Experience in the Pacific Islands or other low-resource settings is desirable.
3. Knowledge and Demonstrated Mastery:
   • Excellent facilitation skills and advanced knowledge of training approaches and methodologies, specifically adult learning principles and best practices, including mentorship in the classroom and in the field.
   • Advanced knowledge of public health surveillance systems in low-resource settings.
   • Knowledge and experience in planning and conducting epidemiological studies and communicating findings for data-driven decision-making and/or policy-making.
   • Knowledge and experience in the use of data for quality improvement projects, or improving efficiencies in the management and delivery of clinical, primary care, and/or public health services.
   • Advanced knowledge and demonstrated experience in drafting, editing, submitting, and successfully publishing peer-reviewed publications/journals.
   • Excellent oral and written communication skills (English).
   • Demonstrated ability to work with multi-disciplinary teams across multiple locations and to effectively communicate with respect and diplomacy with a range of people from differing backgrounds, value systems, cultures, religious affiliations, and varying degrees of English-speaking and writing competencies.
4. Travel:
   • Must have a valid passport and be willing and able to travel in the US, Pacific region, and internationally. PIHOA does not cover expenses for passport and visa expenses. The position will require travel from home base for both short and long periods, and possibly to multiple locations under one travel period.
5. Other Requirements:
   • PIHOA reserves the right to conduct security checks on successful applicants. Though not required, it is highly advised to have a valid driver’s license.

PHYSICAL/MENTAL DEMANDS: This consultancy may require prolonged sitting and some standing, walking, kneeling, and bending, requires eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate computer keyboard and office equipment; and travel to resource-limited and/or rural and jungle/atoll/mountainous environments. Requires occasional lifting up to 45 pounds.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS/OTHER DEMANDS: Given the nature of PIHOA work in the Pacific region and travel requirements for the consultancy services, PIHOA consultants/contractors may potentially be exposed to vector-borne and local infectious diseases, inclement weather conditions, high humidity, intense heat and sun. Successful candidates must be flexible, adaptable, and able to work in resource- limited, rural island environments with limited public infrastructure and communications, and often less than 1 to 2-star accommodations with little to no disability access.

COMPENSATION: Commensurate with qualifications and experience, a flat rate consultancy fee of USD five hundred and fifty dollars (USD 550) per day will be paid based on agreed contract deliverables completed. Fringe and other benefits are not covered under PIHOA consultancy contracts. Consultants are required to submit monthly invoices for payment with accompanying progress reports that outline status of deliverables.

TERM OF POSITION: This vacancy is considered a temporary consultancy with immediate contract effective date to July 31, 2024, with the possibility of renewal/extension based on performance and funding agency approval.