Within the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Division (MCAH) of the California Department of Public Health there is an epidemiology workforce (the Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Federal Reporting Section (ESFR)) and the Program Evaluation and Data Systems Branch (PEDS).
Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Federal Reporting Section (ESFR)
The ESFR Section is headed by a Research Scientist Supervisor II with more than 25 years of public health experience. ESFR is comprised of three teams whose collective scope includes scientific work related to federal reporting, survey research, surveillance, data visualization, and morbidity and mortality investigation. The survey research includes funding from multiple survey partners, and the morbidity and mortality investigative work includes funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The three ESFR teams currently include 18 incumbents and three vacancies. All incumbents are at least partly funded by Title V. Four of the ESFR incumbents have doctoral degrees, 12 have master’s degrees, and two have bachelor’s degrees.
The MCAH ESFR scientists contribute to MCAH and Title V efforts in the following ways:
Analysis of Population-Level Data: ESFR scientists analyze population-level data (including vital records, hospitalizations, newborn genetic screens, and survey data – to include the National Survey of Children’s Health, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health). These analyses inform the following efforts:
- Supporting the Title V assessment, planning, and reporting activities performed across MCAH;
- Developing and updating Tableau data dashboards hosted on the MCAH website; and
- Providing population-based data support, including contextual information, to MCAH’s public health programs, funded by Title V and run in partnership with local health jurisdictions.
Work on Special Projects: ESFR scientists work on special projects across the Division including the Maternal and Infant Health Assessment (MIHA), the Maternal Quality Indicators Project (MQI), and the Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System (PMSS)/Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review (PAMR).
- MIHA is a post-partum survey, funded my multiple funding streams including Title V, designed to represent the California birthing population’s lived experiences related to pregnancy and childbirth.
- The MQI Project is a Title V-funded investigation into the burden of severe maternal morbidity and the capacity of birthing centers to contend with that burden.
- PMSS/PAMR is a comprehensive, multi-faceted effort, funded by Title V and the CDC, to conduct surveillance on the burden of pregnancy-related mortality and elucidate the drivers of this mortality to inform prevention efforts.
Work with MCAH Colleagues: ESFR scientists work with MCAH colleagues on cross-functional teams specific to the five Title V Domains: Women/Maternal Health, Perinatal/Infant Health, Children’s Health, Adolescent Health, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs. In this capacity, ESFR scientists support MCAH colleagues by contributing to running programs, conducting evaluations, and communicating key MCAH messages.
These ESFR scientific efforts contribute to MCAH’s overall scope for Title V.
Program Evaluation and Data Systems Branch (PEDS)
The PEDS Branch is headed by a Research Scientist Manager with over 20 years of public health experience and is comprised of two sections: The Home Visiting and Systems Evaluation Section and the Adolescent and Perinatal Program Evaluation Section. The PEDS Branch includes 34 full-time equivalent staff. Among the 23 incumbents, approximately eight are funded by Title V. 12 of the incumbents have doctoral degrees, nine have master’s degrees, and two have bachelor’s degrees. There are 11 vacancies.
The MCAH PEDS scientists contribute to MCAH and Title V efforts in the following ways:
Program Monitoring, Performance Measurement, and Data System Management: The Home Visiting and Systems Evaluation Section manages data systems and provides analytic leadership for quality improvement, performance measurement reporting, federal reporting requirements, and evaluation support for federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV), and state-funded, evidence-based home visiting services for three models: Nurse Family Partnership, Healthy Families America, and Parents as Teachers. Additional home visiting support includes targeted evaluation for 10 state general-funded innovation home visiting sites. This section also supports the following Title V funded programs in relation to targeted program monitoring and performance measurement:
- Regional Perinatal Programs of California
- Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs innovation projects
- Local MCAH Program
- The Human Stem Cell Research Program
- Adolescent Family Life Program
- Black Infant Health Program
- Perinatal Equity Initiative
- California Personal Responsibility and Education Program
- Information and Education Program
Work with MCAH Colleagues: Like the ESFR Section, PEDS Branch scientists work with MCAH colleagues on cross-functional teams specific to the five Title V Domains. PEDS Branch scientists also work closely with their program counterparts in providing the scientific basis for the planning and support of program implementation.
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