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

The Maternal and Child Health Division has a dedicated team of epidemiologists that includes a director, two generalists, a home visiting epidemiologist, an evaluator for a state initiative called My Healthy Baby, and a surveillance epidemiologist. The MCH Epidemiology Director reports directly to the MCH Director and the team is physically located within the division. The team supports data needs from colleagues within the division and also responds to requests from external stakeholders and oftentimes from the executive staff directly. They also support requests from the Indiana Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative (IPQIC).

The MCH epidemiologists work closely with the centralized IDOH epidemiologists (who report to the State Epidemiologist/Deputy Health Commission), the newly formed Office of Data and Analytics (ODA), Fatality Review and Prevention Division, and the Vital Records Division. The MCH Epi Team maintains robust skillsets in advanced analyses, data visualizations, dashboard creation, and statistical linkages and modeling. IDOH has grown in its capacity to provide trainings, strategic collaboration, and skillset building opportunities in epidemiologic practice.

Perhaps the greatest barriers for the MCH Epi Workforce is 1) the lack of direct communication between data users and the teams that collect and build data environments and 2) the competitive job market. All of these barriers reside largely outside of the MCH division structure. As a result, MCH has seen significant turnover in its epi section in the past six months.  MCH’s in-demand epidemiologists were hired out to other healthcare and public health organizations who offered more flexible remote work options. Attempts at hiring additional staff have been difficult as applicants are now expecting options for remote work.

In 2019, IDOH  began the process of implementing a brand new vital records system. The natality module was built first and then death data was incorporated. The vital records division is expected to implement the terminated pregnancy and fetal demise soon. This system is significantly more advanced and secure and provides different users multiple ways to view and access the data. Internal data consumers, however, have had to do significant work to document the data changes to key vital records variables, update all statistical codes needed to run analyses, and perform comprehensive quality checks for changes in trends.

Staffing includes:

• Jenny Durica has served as the MCH Epidemiology Director for four years, and has been with the agency for eight. Jenny has her Masters of Public Health and is ultimately responsible for the data products from the epi team. Jenny is proficient in SAS and GIS. She is funded partly by Title V and partly funded by a state fund.
• Haley Hannant, MCH’s generalist epidemiologist reports to the epi director and is responsible for data products related to natality and infant mortality data. She has a high degree of capacity to work with birth records and produces the bulk of the department’s birth outcomes analyses. She has her Masters of Public Health, a strong background in biostatistics, and is proficient in both SAS and R. She works very closely with the agency’s Data Analysis Team and the Vital Records Division. Haley is solely funded by Title V.
• Yordanos Gebru is the My Healthy Baby evaluator. She reports to the MCH epi director. Yordi is responsible for the data analysis and monitoring related to the My Healthy Baby project. She has her Masters in Public Health and is the division’s expert in Tableau. She is solely funded through state dollars.
• Amulya Akkapeddi is the Home Visiting epidemiologist. She is responsible for the data analyses and products related to Indiana’s investment in home visiting. Major focus is on analyzing MIECHV funded programming from Nurse Family Partnership and Healthy Families Indiana. This position is funded through MIECHV and Title V.
• Vacant/New Position: The MCH Surveillance Epidemiologist is responsible for Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), and School Health Profiles (SHP) data analyses and products. This position will pull monthly PRAMS batches and work directly with the state’s survey vendor to administer PRAMS. This position will work closely with the MCH Programs team to produce new analyses using yearly datasets.  
• Vacant: The MCH Infant Mortality epi is responsible for data requests related to infant mortality and natality. This position produces yearly fact sheets and trend analysis and supports IPQIC data needs including: maternal transport, substance use disorder, perinatal levels of care, and other ad hoc requests.