Virginia - 2023 - III.E.2.b.iii.a. MCH Epidemiology Workforce

The Virginia MCH program is focused on data-driven, community-informed decision making as its foundation to improving outcomes and establishing priorities and objectives to meet the needs of Virginia’s MCH population. Activities are supported and made possible through MCH leadership, a committed team, and epidemiology capacity.

The core Title V MCH Data Support Workforce is housed within the Office of Family Health Services (OFHS) Division of Population Health Data (DPHD). The division director provides oversight for the State Systems Development Initiative (SSDI). The MCH Epidemiology and Evaluation Unit is a centralized epidemiology unit in DPHD headed by the MCH Epidemiology Supervisor who serves as the Lead Epidemiologist for Title V. Additional capacity is available through a MCH Epidemiology Coordinator (senior epidemiologist), Reproductive and Perinatal Health (RPH) Epidemiologist and a Newborn Screening (NBS) Epidemiologist. The team also consists of a Dental Epidemiologist/Evaluator, supporting the state Dental Health Program within the OFHS Division of Health Promotion and Prevention, as well as two program evaluators supporting the MCH programs regarding home-visiting (i.e. Healthy Start, MIECHV), and child and adolescent health. There is additional cross-cutting collaboration with the Injury and Violence Prevention (IVP) Epidemiologist and Substance Use Prevention Epidemiologist within the DPHD Prevention and Health Promotion Unit, due to capacity needs to support overdose, injury and violence prevention, and marijuana legalization in the state.

MCH Data Support Workforce

The DPHD is dedicated to assuring the utilization of data to drive public health programming and initiatives, evidence-based practices, and improved outcomes. The positions and data housed in DPHD drives and conducts state and local needs assessments, assists programs with assessments and evaluations, and addresses epidemiologic needs of the OFHS. The following represents epidemiology, evaluation, and analyst FTEs supported by Title V and SSDI.

Meagan Robinson, DrPH – 0.80 FTE Director, Division of Population Health Data; SSDI Project Director
Funding	Title V MCH Block Grant; Cancer Registry
Education and Training	DrPH (Epidemiology and Biostatistics), Jackson State University MPH (Epidemiology and Biostatistics), Jackson State University BS (Biological Sciences), Mississippi State University
Roles and Responsibilities	Provide broad epidemiologic and evaluation support to Title V as well as multiple OFHS programs. Provide direction and oversight of the epidemiologic and evaluation teams supporting Office of Family Health Services, including teams with expertise in chronic disease, maternal and infant health, data and surveillance, data registries (Virginia Cancer Registry) and informatics. Provide strategic direction for the advancement of analysis and visualization of data and the systems used for data analysis to enhance ability of programs to use data to drive action, including policy development.

Dane De Silva, PhD – 0.75 FTE MCH Epidemiologist Lead/Unit Supervisor; SSDI Coordinator
Funding	State Systems Development Initiative (SSDI); Title V MCH Block Grant; Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative (General Funds)
Education and Training	PhD (Maternal and Child Health), University of Maryland MPH (Maternal-Child Health and Epidemiology), University of British Columbia BMLSc, University of British Columbia
Roles and Responsibilities	Provide expert epidemiologic, scientific, and technical leadership in designing and conducting epidemiologic investigation. Provide advanced professional analytical work in the surveillance, detection, research, and needs assessment for the MCH populations. Develop and design data collection, analysis, and dissemination methods. Provide oversight of MCH monitoring and evaluation activities for OFHS programs (e.g. maternal/infant health, women’s health, newborn screening, birth defects surveillance, home-visiting, child and adolescent health, CYSHCN).

Vacant – 1 FTE MCH Epidemiology Coordinator (Epidemiologist Senior)
Funding	Title V MCH Block Grant; State Systems Development Initiative (SSDI)
Education and Training	Preferred qualifications: A master’s degree from an accredited college or university in public health, science or social science with concentration in epidemiology, biostatistics or related field. Demonstrated ability to lead & direct the work of others either in a supervisory or project management capacity. Experience in Maternal and Child Health, including using public health surveillance or database management systems for population-based disease data or other conditions of public health significance.
Roles and Responsibilities	Serves as liaison to Title V MCH Programs regarding technical, epidemiologic and statistical analyses, and health planning support. Coordinates data for Virginia’s Title V Federal Block Grant, State System Development Initiative Grant, and Home Visiting Initiatives (MIECHV, Healthy Start). Support projects related to data linkages regarding pregnancy-related case surveillance.

Parker Brodsky, MPH – 0.35 FTE Newborn Screening Epidemiologist
Funding	Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI); Title V MCH Block Grant; Sickle Cell Data Collection Program
Education and Training	MPH, University of Virginia BA (Global Public Health/ Biology), University of Virginia
Roles and Responsibilities	Responsible for surveillance, communication, and investigation to EHDI, CYSHCN, Birth Defects and Newborn Screening programs. Epidemiological and evaluation support, the coordination of assessment and analysis activities, and assisting in the development, reporting, and dissemination of national and state performance measures.

Evelyn Jones, MPH – 0.50 FTE Reproductive and Perinatal Health Epidemiologist
Funding	Title X Family Planning; Title V MCH Block Grant
Education and Training	MPH (Applied Public Health), Virginia Commonwealth University BS (Health Sciences/ Psychology), Virginia Commonwealth University
Roles and Responsibilities	Responsible for surveillance, communication, evaluation and investigation to MCH programs; supporting Title X Family Planning services, Reproductive Health programs, PRAMS and other women's/maternal/infant health initiatives. Epidemiological and evaluation support, the coordination of assessment and analysis activities, and assisting in the development, reporting, and dissemination of national and state performance measures.

Kalu Onwuchekwa, MPH – 0.25 FTE Dental Epidemiologist / Evaluator
Funding	Title V MCH Block Grant; Oral Health Workforce Activities; Oral Health Outcomes Improvement Project; Dental Prevention Program (General Funds)
Education and Training	MPH (Epidemiology), Eastern Virginia Medical School MBBS, University of Nigeria
Roles and Responsibilities	Conducts epidemiologic and evaluation activities for the state Dental Health Program, including monitoring and assessing the public health and disease burden, and evaluating program/project outcomes related to oral and dental health. Oversight of surveillance and trend analysis; development and implementation of evaluation plans; technical assistance to program staff, contractors and partners; development of grant goals and objectives and progress reporting.

Jewel Wright, MPH – 0.20 FTE Program Evaluator
Funding	Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE); Healthy Start; Title V MCH Block Grant
Education and Training	MPH, University of Washington BA (Liberal Arts/Community Health), The Evergreen State College
Roles and Responsibilities	Program evaluation support to the Healthy Start Home Visiting Program, Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Program, EHDI and other maternal and child health programs as needed Design and adapt evaluation protocols and tools for data collection; database management and analysis Provide technical assistance to program staff for quality improvement using Continuous Quality Improvement frameworks and practices. Developed and coordinated needs assessment/community profiles.

Lauren Yerkes, MPH – 0.25 FTE Injury and Violence Prevention (IVP) Epidemiologist
Funding	CDC Overdose Data to Action, CDC Rape Prevention and Education, Title V MCH Block Grant, SAMHSA Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention, CDC Core State Injury Prevention Program
Education and Training	MPH (Epidemiology), Virginia Commonwealth University BS (Human Development), Virginia Tech
Roles and Responsibilities	Analyzes, performs quality assurance, and disseminates injury and violence data used by internal and external stakeholders to support program planning efforts, grant applications, and ongoing implementation of federally funded IVP initiatives. Manages the ongoing development and enhancement of the IVP data visualizations and dashboards reflecting injury and violence surveillance and epidemiologic trends throughout the Commonwealth. Proposes data-driven recommendations, develops evaluations, monitors IVP epidemiologic trends and patterns, and measures outcomes for IVP strategic plans and program growth and expansion. Supports VDH MCH regarding neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and sudden unintentional infant death (SUID) surveillance and other injury and violence-related cross-cutting topics.

Vacant – 0.25 FTE Substance Use Prevention Epidemiologist (Epidemiologist Mid-Level)
Funding	Title V MCH Block Grant; CDC Overdose Data to Action
Education and Training	Preferred qualifications: A master’s degree from an accredited college or university in public health, science or social science with concentration in epidemiology, biostatistics or related field. Experience in injury and violence epidemiology, including using public health surveillance or database management systems for population-based disease data or other conditions of public health significance.
Roles and Responsibilities	Analyzes, performs quality assurance, and disseminates substance use data used by internal and external stakeholders to support program planning efforts, grant applications, and ongoing implementation of federally funded substance use (IVP) initiatives. Supports the VDH MCH team re: NAS surveillance and other IVP/substance use/ and MCH cross-cutting topics.

Workforce Capacity

It’s expected that individuals within mid-level or above epidemiologist positions in the DPHD hold a Masters-level degree (e.g., MPH, MS), and can show proficiency in working independently and in a team to make determinations about scope and direction of program planning. The DPHD director is a part of the Title V Leadership team. As noted in the attached organizational chart, the MCH Epidemiologist Lead/Unit Supervisor reports to the DPHD director and is also a part of the Title V Leadership team. The dental, NBS, and RPH epidemiologists, and program evaluators report to the MCH Epidemiologist Lead.

Along with their employee work profile, to provide a solid foundation to support knowledge and understanding of MCH subject matter and data sources new MCH-focused epidemiologists are provided a position summary with key tasks, contacts, and resources. Within their first 30 days, a Development Plan is created that includes tasks to complete from MCH Navigator (i.e., online self-assessment, MCH Orientations, Epidemiology Training Bundle) and the AMCHP MCH Essentials Series (i.e., Using Data to Inform MCH Programs). The DPHD has a peer group philosophy for cross-training and problem solving, with an emphasis on learning. For example, the MCH Epidemiologist Lead has recently implemented a cross-unit journal club to discuss papers and methods, and to encourage collaborations across epidemiology units within DPHD. The MCH Epidemiology Unit staff are expected to engage in ongoing professional development beyond engaging in agency activities, to include HRSA MCHB trainings, CityMatCH MCH Epidemiology conferences and training courses, AMCHP conferences and learning labs, and Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) opportunities, to name a few.

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III.E.2.b.iii.a. MCH Epidemiology Workforce - Virginia

III.E.2.b.iii.a. MCH Epidemiology Workforce - Virginia