MCH Epidemiology Workforce

The Office of MCH Epidemiology (MCH EPI) is responsible for epidemiology, data analysis, and MCH data systems within the Division of Public Health (DPH). The office is embedded within Lifespan Health Services Unit, alongside the MCH programs, and has been developed to support Nebraska’s Title V programs and stakeholders over the past 23 years.

The workforce and capacity have grown over time. The Office of MCH EPI currently has nine full time equivalents (FTE) and two contracted FTE. MCH EPI consists of the State Systems Development Initiative (SSDI), Title V Needs Assessment and support, The Child and Maternal Death Review Teams (CMDRT), ERASE Maternal Mortality (ERASE MM), Nebraska Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), Nebraska’s Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) performance management and data system, Nebraska Birth Defects Registry, and the Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies Network (SET-NET). The following section describes the staff, their roles, and funding.

Current Staff

Celeste Illian, MPH, Office of MCH EPI Administrator

Erika Fuchs, PhD, MPH, CDC MCH Epidemiologist Assignee

Vacant, MCH Epidemiologist (ERASE MM, SET-NET, PRAMS)

Anna Bubach, BS, Health Surveillance Specialist (MIECHV and CMDRT)

Ama Bikoko, MHA, MPH CDC Foundation Epidemiologist (SET-NET)

Mamie Lush, MA, Health Surveillance Specialist (SET-NET)

Tyler Faulkner, BS, Community Health Educator (SET-NET)

Masoomeh Hajizadeh Oghaz, PhD, Program Coordinator (PRAMS)

Vacant, Administrative Technician (PRAMS)

Sally Mertens, BS, Office Specialist (PRAMS and CMDRT)  

Nila Irwin, Office Specialist (Birth Defects Registry)

Roles and Responsibilities

The MCH EPI Administrator joined MCH EPI in January 2020, originally as an MPH-level epidemiologist and took on the role of Administrator in early 2023. The previous long-term Administrator was promoted internally at the end of 2022 but continues to be involved at a higher level with the work of MCH EPI. The Administrator is responsible for oversight, development, and management of the MCH EPI projects and workforce. This position is assigned as a core member of the Title V team, is responsible for coordinating the MCH Needs Assessment, and is primarily funded by the SSDI grant. A significant portion of effort is on program development, for example the previous Administrator invested 3 years to reorganize and build Nebraska’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee so that staff could coordinate, and then shifted focus on building the SET-NET program.  The Administrator has played a lead development role in all projects and staff within the office. The Administrator is responsible for assuring that staff have access to the data and resources they need to perform their work, as well as leading and supporting staff in personal development and achievement of operational/performance goals. Finally, the Administrator serves as a resource to partners within the Division of Public Health, DHHS, external state agencies, and MCH collaborators in the development and implementation of MCH projects/programs.

The CDC MCH Epidemiologist Assignee joined the Office of MCH EPI in September 2020 and is supported with Title V funding. The Assignee fills the role of lead scientist in the office, a position that was vacant for nearly three years when a long-term contractor relocated (October 2017). Core responsibilities are to build MCH EPI data and workforce capacity, as well as assure compliance with ethical standards in research and public health practice. To build data capacity the Assignee currently works to support the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to gain access to, and enhance the utilization of, their data. In addition, the assignee currently leads the SET-NET project. Beyond providing technical support to MCH EPI and other staff within the Division of Public Health, the Assignee is dedicated to helping to build the future Public Health Workforce.  As an Adjunct Professor at the College of Public Health within the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the Assignee will work with students and interns on an on-going basis. Finally, the Assignee is responsible for maintaining the PRAMS Institution Review Board (IRB) clearance.

The MCH Epidemiologist is currently vacant. The positions primary role is  coordinating the Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) and supporting the CMDRT. In addition, the Epidemiologist provides informal support to the Nebraska Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative as they work on shared interests, such as preterm birth and severe maternal morbidity. Finally, the MCH Epidemiologist provides analytical support to PRAMS, and supports the SET-NET project. The MCH Epidemiologist position is funded by ERASE MM and Title V.

The office currently has two Health Surveillance Specialists. One Specialist is responsible for data collection and management of the CMDRT, a role that includes obtaining all records pertaining to each death of a child aged 0 through 17 years in Nebraska, managing the review process, and aggregating the data into several databases once the reviews are complete. In addition, the Specialist tracks status of population-level indicators to inform the CMDRT, the legislature, and stakeholders as appropriate. The CMDRT provides oversight to the Douglas County Fetal and Infant Mortality Review committee, so the Specialist is a member of their review team.  The Specialist also serves as data support for the MIECHV program which includes preparing quarterly performance reports on the state and local level and annual reporting to HRSA of benchmarks/constructs and demographics. This position is funded with both Title V and MIECHV funds.

The second Specialist is responsible for managing data collection of the SET-NET program which currently includes follow-up on all laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 RNA pregnancies and infants in 2020 and a random sample for 2021. Nebraska’s SET-NET is working on expansion to include syphilis and Hepatitis C. The SET-NET data collection is supported by a Community Health Educator who abstracts and enters data. Finally, the CDC Foundation located an MPH Epidemiologist in the Office to help build out the SET-NET program. This assignment is scheduled to end in the Fall of 2023.

The PRAMS program has been collecting data since 1999 in partnership with the CDC and Title V and is a model of high-quality public health programming.  PRAMS is the cornerstone from which the Office of MCH EPI was built. The Coordinator is responsible for managing the grant, conducting research, and promoting the utilization of PRAMS data to stakeholders and partners.  In addition, the coordinator provides opportunities for stakeholders to be involved in PRAMS work, including participation on the Steering Committee as well as on various workgroups producing data-to-action products.  The coordinator is a supervisor and shares responsibilities with the Office Administrator to ensure staff are working as an efficient and effective team.  The Administrative Technician has a significant role ensuring that operations run efficiently and without error.  While the Administrative Technician primarily focuses on gathering and managing all aspects of the data collection process, there is also an element of quality improvement.  The Administrative Technician monitors timeliness and accuracy of data, often working with the coordinator to address issues with CDC or the surveyors as appropriate. Over the past year, the Administrative Technician moved into a part time role, and MCH EPI sourced a Temporary, part-time Administrative Technician to assist the PRAMS team. Finally, the Office Specialist, plays a significant role in the PRAMS survey with inventory, and processing of mail, and data entry, in addition to supporting the MCH EPI team overall.

Finally, the Birth Defects Registry was transferred to MCH EPI in the Fall in 2022. The Office Specialist has worked on the registry since 1997. She is responsible for managing the data collection and management, in addition to training and quality assurance of hospital clerks who submit most of the cases. Over the next few years, the registry will undergo a number of incremental changes related to modernization.

Impact or Organizational Changes on Future Development

While the pandemic continues to have an impact on the workforce, it has had a minimal impact on the functioning of MCH EPI, as the office continues to grow and develop.  However, despite this ability to maintain, MCH EPI staff are aware that long-term COVID effects on Nebraska’s women and children continue to require new, robust data analysis in the future.  The full impacts from individuals delaying care or screening, experiencing increased stress/anxiety, or dealing with financial/social vulnerability will be affecting the population well into the future. Certainly, there is a role for MCH EPI in improving health equity in data collection, and analysis.

As the Office of MCH EPI continues to build capacity and support staff development, there are areas where growth is expected to occur in the future. Data linkages, access to and quality of MCH data, workforce development, and increasing reporting/publications are all emerging issues. The Office is well positioned at this juncture to address these areas of focus.